The Bread That You Must Make Immediately

Sometimes there is nothing better in life than a seriously good sandwich. Until about 8 years ago, I ate a variation of this meal every single day. It was at the point that two things occurred, 1) bread began to take on a demonic appearance in my mind and 2) I started discovering other types of food!

Whilst these days I don’t think that bread is quite the devil, I do limit my intake of it. Why? There are better options and for me, that is what my food choices come down to, not whether something is good or bad.

First up, what is bread to me?

It varies dependant on my location though it’s absolutely always freshly baked with no preservatives and made with love. It is simple, full of flavour and operates as a fantastic vessel to hold other delicious bits of food. If I am at home, I enjoy a Quinoa/Soy sourdough, if I am in Paris who can go past a fresh baguette and if in Italy foccacia tends to be my weak point. Like all whole foods, bread should get mouldy and gross – fast. Those supermarket options packed full of preservatives for longer shelf life are a travesty to bread, forget them!

So now that we addressed that key point, when I say there are better choices than bread what do I mean?

I could quite honestly eat several slices of good bread with little fullness and this is because of the heavy-grain focus; the lack of protein and fat in bread means it is not the most filling. It just isn’t, as much as I wish it was and there in lies part of the issue with bread consumption, you eat a fair bit of it in order to feel satisfied. Totally OK and it makes sense though I feel that there are so many better choices which make my body sing so why not choose those!? When we feel more satisfied we don’t over-eat or tend to make as many poor decisions when it comes to our wellbeing so all in all this is a good situation!

Enter >>> The Life Changing Loaf of Bread.

This recipe from the seriously wonderful Sarah Britton of My New Roots, was one that had been on my must-try list for quite some time. It looked amazing no doubt and the reasoning behind the recipe I agreed with though I also felt like I wasn’t missing out not having bread very often. How wrong I was….

Like all self-respecting cooks and food bloggers, I honoured someone else’s hard work. Making it to the letter of the recipe and enjoying it for what it is. Then I made my own adjustments, test, test, test and if I love something (like I do this), then I create and shoot it for you.

The thing about this loaf is…. that it is amazing. Pure and simple heaven. Other bread absolutely sucks in comparison.

There were 2 significant changes that I made to this recipe; 1) removing the oats and replacing with quinoa flakes which not only ensures that the loaf is gluten free though also brings a whole other level of deliciousness and 2) was removing the sweetener. When I did I still loved the loaf and found the difference negligible so for anyone looking to cut their sugar intake, this is a dream. I am so enjoying the inclusion of this recipe in my weekly prep, it is easy to make, hard to screw up and divine to have on hand for any meal of the day!

In creating this recipe for you, I did try a whole heap of options, in fact somewhere in the vicinity of 25 varying loaves were made. Some were grain-free, others with oats, some were quicker cook-times and others not, though this one wins hands-down in any comparison so enjoy….

Amazing, Incredible Bread - makes 1 loaf

Vegan / Gluten-free / Sugar-free

As adapted from here

YOU NEED

• 1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
• ½ cup / 90g flax seeds
• ½ cup / 65g almonds
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa flakes
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 4 tablespoon psyllium seed husks (what holds it all together!)
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea or rock salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
• 3 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)

WHAT YOU DO

1. Grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper
2. Combine all dry ingredients, stirring well
3. Whisk oil, water and maple syrup (if using) together in a measuring cup
4. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes thick
5. Pour mixture into the loaf pan and smooth out the top
6. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, all day or overnight
7. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides away from the loaf pan
8. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
9. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes
10. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack, or on baking paper and bake for another 30 minutes
11. Bread is done if it sounds hollow when tapped
12. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important)
13. Store bread in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
14. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
15. Grill before enjoying with your favourite (and endless) combinations

NOTES & ADDITIONS

For a taste change, halve the sunflower seed quantity and make up the difference with pepitas.

Top the bread with anything from avocado and tomato to smeared baked pumpkin and goat’s cheese, pesto, homemade nut butter or even hard boiled eggs and sprouts.

Enjoy this bread with my love and share the recipe with someone else who you think would enjoy it too!

xx Nadia xx