Hello friends! I have to share this recipe that I just made because it’s so surprising and delicious. It takes very little time (maybe 10 minutes) on your part, but be sure to take a read through because it requires a smidge of planning. After mixing the ingredients, it needs to sit for at least 3 hours (but up to 24, so that makes it easy from a timing standpoint). When you are ready to bake it, it stays in the oven for 1 ½ hours and then you have to be patient and wait about 2 hours for it to cool completely before you eat it. That’s the hardest part:)
This is a copycat version of a bread that a friend tried on a recent trip and wanted to recreate. I love a good challenge and was very intrigued by the ingredient list, so I was anxious to try. My expectations were way exceeded; this is really yummy.
The inspiring bread is called Nourishing Bread from Sugar Plum Vegan, which is a bakery in Northern California. https://www.sugarplumvegan.com/collections/nationwide-shipping/products/copy-of-nourish-bread-gluten-soy-yeast-and-refined-sugar-free I looked through a few recipes online to come up with an initial recipe and tweaked them to match what I had in my pantry and what I wanted to use. I’ll post links at the bottom of the page.
The bread holds together nicely and has a really nice, kind of chewy texture. It’s definitely a hearty bread, but not overly dense at all.
The only ingredient in this recipe that might be unfamiliar is psyllium husk. If you don’t find it in the baking section, check in supplements. Psyllium absorbs lots of water and adds bulk to baked goods (as well as binding) so it is critical to the texture of this bread. I grind whole husk with the almonds and flax seeds, but if you have or buy the powder, you can stir it in with the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t have a blender or food processor, try using almond flour instead of the almonds, pre-ground flax meal, and chop the pumpkin seeds by hand (or leave them whole).
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup, optional
¾ cup almonds*
⅓ cup psyllium husk
⅓ cup whole flax seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds*
½ cup hemp seeds
2 ½ cups rolled oats (you can buy sprouted rolled oats, btw)
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 ½ teaspoon salt
*sprouted and dehydrated
Instructions:
Heat the water until it's warm (not hot) and stir in the coconut oil and maple syrup. Set aside to allow the coconut oil to melt completely.
Process the almonds, psyllium husk, and flax seeds to a fine consistency in a high powered blender and pour into a medium-sized bowl.**
Pulse or roughly chop the pumpkin seeds to your preference and add them to the bowl.
Stir in the hemp seeds, oats, chia seeds, and salt.
Once the coconut oil is melted into the water, pour it into the ground nuts and seeds and stir well to combine.
Lightly oil a bread pan (8’x4”) and spoon the mixture into the pan.
Press the dough into the pan and smooth the top.
Set aside, covered, for 3 hours or more.
When ready to bake: preheat your oven to 350℉.
Bake the loaf in your preheated oven for 1 ½ hours. It will be nicely browned.
Remove the bread from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes or more before removing it from the pan.
Run a table knife around the edges of the bread pan and invert the pan to remove the loaf.
Allow to cool completely on a cooking rack for about 2 hours in total before slicing.
**If you prefer a bread with more texture, grind the flax seeds and psyllium husks finely and then add the almonds and pulse to your desired texture. If you don't have a Vitamix or similar high powered blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor and grind as finely as it will allow.
The recipes that got me started...
https://nutritionrefined.com/nut-seed-bread/