Print the recipe card!  gluten free seed and nut bread

Like totally wow.  This idea is going to change the way you think about bread.  This idea, my friends, is simply genius.  High fiber- high protein- delicious goodness genius!

May I introduce you to a flour-less bread with quite possibly the highest nutrition per ounce there is to achieve.  It’s also takes just 5 minutes to make, with nature doing nearly all of the work.  No kneading, no forming, just mix and let sit and finally bake (…as you pinch yourself). And while the finished result is good all by itself it’s even better as toast!!  I had to remind myself that with all those nuts and seeds also come calories (but hey, it freezes well), although if I were making this in a time of scarcity the calories would be welcomed.

The amazing ingredients?  Chia seed, flax seed and psyllium seed husks, combining together to do what they do best.  Their natural properties enable them to hold everything together without the need of dairy, eggs or flour.

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I hope you don’t mind, but have to give a little intro to it’s ingredients before diving into the recipe itself.

First off, one cool thing about this recipe is that you can sub in any nut for the nuts called for, or decide to go with all seeds if you’re intolerant to nuts; it’s up to you!  And, speaking of nuts and seeds, you’ll notice this recipe collects FOUR of the highest nutritionally ranked values from seeds out there.  It’s enough to make you dizzy.  (Btw, I’m sure if you read this chart while eating the bread you’ll forget all about the calories and just feel warm and fuzzy inside.)

But there’s more!  The “glue” that ultimately holds this flourless bread together is a combination of chia seed and another amazing ingredient, psyllium seed husks.  I wasn’t informed about psyllium seed husks before this recipe, somehow I missed out.  Lucky me (or more appropriately “we”) that now we know!

To begin, they look similar to flax meal and they’re cheap (I paid $9.00 for probably enough for 20 recipes worth here).  They’re easy to find at most health food stores and you’ll see them sold either as the “whole husks” or powdered.  As a supplement, most people take them powdered but in this recipe it doesn’t matter, so just go with whichever is more affordable.

More about them according to the recipe’s original post (who’s author is a holistic nutritionist):

“Psyllium seed husks are one of nature’s most absorbent fibers, able to suck up over ten times their weight in water. For this reason, you’ll often find psyllium in over-the-counter laxatives, stool-bulking agents and colon cleansing kits; basically anything having to do with poo.  [They] reduce cholesterol levels, aid digestion and weight loss, and alleviate diarrhea and constipation.

[They also] contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber dissolves in water and soothes the digestive tract with its mucilaginous properties, while the insoluble fiber acts like a broom to sweep the colon free of toxins. Taken during a detox, juice cleanse, or fast, psyllium can greatly improve the body’s ability to eliminate impurities. But the good news is, you can take it anytime – many people find that a daily dose of a teaspoon or two in a glass of water really helps them get their bowels moving, (or slow them down if necessary).”

So basically this bread, once finished, is going to keep things good and regular.  Like it!

But what does this have to do with making the bread itself?  The same properties apply.  The chia seeds, flax seeds and psyllium seed husks combine to suck up moisture, (doing what they do best) while simultaneously binding all the ingredients together in the process!  Amazing!

Okay, now that we’re informed as to the “science” of this bread we can move on.  Thank you, thank you, Sarah at “My New Roots” for this awesome recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup flax seeds

1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds (*or choose your own nut/substitute with seeds)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if you’re using psyllium husk powder)

1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add 1/2 tsp. if using course sea salt)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar free diets, use a pinch of stevia)

3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee

1 1/2 cups water

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Instructions:

Prepare a bread pan by lining it with parchment paper on all sides with 1-2″ of paper hanging over the sides.  Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, stirring well.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir together, if it’s too thick (meaning that you just can’t stir it) add 1-2 extra Tbsp. of water.  Immediately transfer the mixture to the prepared bread pan and smooth the top using the back of a spoon.

Allow to sit on the counter for 2 hours (or all day or overnight).  When ready to bake, bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Lift bread from loaf pan and place upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes.  Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.  Let cool completely before slicing (this step is important).

Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days.  Freezes well too — slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

After sitting for 2 hours, into the oven it goes.  Again 20 minutes later, here it is…

It goes in to bake a second time, this time upside down directly on the oven rack for 30-40 minutes (*see notes).

Once it’s out and completely cooled (a good hour or so later) slice and enjoy!

There are so many options to try with this bread in serving it.  I can’t think of anything that wouldn’t be great to go along with it.  My first thoughts were hummus, preserves, pesto, roasted red pepper tapenade.  My husband’s first thoughts? Nutella.

I absolutely can’t wait to try this recipe using my sun oven!

And the best part…it makes the best toast I’ve ever had.

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Notes:

• The original recipe asked for a silicone flexible bread pan to be used which, now that I’ve tried it, I can see why it would be nice to have, especially with the step of turning the loaf out onto the oven’s baking rack.  I went out shopping to see if I could find one, hitting my three usual kitchen stores, however none carried them.  I was told they hadn’t been good sellers back when silicone was popular so now they’re more difficult to find.  Online is probably going to be the easiest route to shop if you want to try one.  The other cool thing about this recipe (while using a pan like that) is that you won’t have to dirty a bowl to mix up the mixture; you can actually mix it all right in the pan itself!!  (Because I knew I’d need the help of the parchment paper to lift out the loaf with my standard bread pan, I couldn’t do that here.)  Seriously, one dish bread!  I never thought I’d see that!