Life Changing Loaf of Bread
My husband came home the other day with a loaf of gluten-free bread. It looked amazing, with visible whole seeds and nuts that were crammed together in one slice. The only problem was there was a very strong taste of aniseed, which in little amounts is ok, but this was inedible. So after falling backwards off the chair when he told me how much he spent on this loaf of strong tasting aniseed, gluten-free bread I decided to make my own. Best decision ever!
Luckily I had already done a fair amount of research on gluten-free baking and had seen a recipe for life-changing loaf but always dismissed it because it had oats in it. Living a gluten intolerant life, oats unfortunately are not a gluten free option. Until now, I could never think of an alternative.
Recently I discovered quinoa flakes. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that there could be such a fab gluten free alternative to oats. They make the best instant porridge which I add crushed nuts and seeds, cinnamon, coconut with a hint of maple syrup. So, I substituted oats with quinoa flakes and the recipe worked perfectly.
This recipe is from SBS - called life-changing loaf of bread
Here is the base recipe for those without gluten issues. My gluten substitutes are in Green and I followed the instructions exactly described below. What I love about this recipe is that you can swap out any ingredient except perhaps psyllium seed husks which binds the loaf together for any ingredient as long as you keep to the quantities. :
Ingredients
1 cup(135 g) sunflower seeds
½ cup(90 g) flax seeds
½ cup(65 g) hazelnuts or almonds
1½ cups(145 g) rolled oats (I used quinoa flakes)
2 tbsp chia seeds
4 tbsp psyllium seed husks (or 3 tbsp psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp if using coarse salt)
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee (I used olive oil)
1½ cups(350 ml) water
Instructions
Resting time 2 hours
In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it.
Preheat oven to 175°C. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the oven rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
Note
• You rule the bread, not the other way around. Dump all the ingredients into the loaf pan, stir, and let it sit for a couple of hours. Or overnight. Or all day. Or however long or short you find convenient.
• If you don’t have hazelnut, you could use almonds. If you don’t like oats, you could use rolled spelt. Out of maple syrup? Use honey! See where I am going with this? The only thing I will emphasise is to replace the ingredients in the same proportion and with a similar ingredient for the best results. The rest is your call.
In summary, don't delay! Make this loaf of bread whether gluten free or not. When sliced thinly it toasts beautifully and is perfect with your poached eggs, avocado and mushrooms on Sunday morning. Keep slices in the freezer for this moment. Life is too precious to waste on eating crap gluten free bread!
If you like this recipe, head over to my healthy food section for more healthy alternatives.
Luckily I had already done a fair amount of research on gluten-free baking and had seen a recipe for life-changing loaf but always dismissed it because it had oats in it. Living a gluten intolerant life, oats unfortunately are not a gluten free option. Until now, I could never think of an alternative.
Recently I discovered quinoa flakes. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that there could be such a fab gluten free alternative to oats. They make the best instant porridge which I add crushed nuts and seeds, cinnamon, coconut with a hint of maple syrup. So, I substituted oats with quinoa flakes and the recipe worked perfectly.
This recipe is from SBS - called life-changing loaf of bread
Here is the base recipe for those without gluten issues. My gluten substitutes are in Green and I followed the instructions exactly described below. What I love about this recipe is that you can swap out any ingredient except perhaps psyllium seed husks which binds the loaf together for any ingredient as long as you keep to the quantities. :
Ingredients
1 cup(135 g) sunflower seeds
½ cup(90 g) flax seeds
½ cup(65 g) hazelnuts or almonds
1½ cups(145 g) rolled oats (I used quinoa flakes)
2 tbsp chia seeds
4 tbsp psyllium seed husks (or 3 tbsp psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp if using coarse salt)
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp melted coconut oil or ghee (I used olive oil)
1½ cups(350 ml) water
Instructions
Resting time 2 hours
In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it.
Preheat oven to 175°C. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the oven rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
Note
• You rule the bread, not the other way around. Dump all the ingredients into the loaf pan, stir, and let it sit for a couple of hours. Or overnight. Or all day. Or however long or short you find convenient.
• If you don’t have hazelnut, you could use almonds. If you don’t like oats, you could use rolled spelt. Out of maple syrup? Use honey! See where I am going with this? The only thing I will emphasise is to replace the ingredients in the same proportion and with a similar ingredient for the best results. The rest is your call.
In summary, don't delay! Make this loaf of bread whether gluten free or not. When sliced thinly it toasts beautifully and is perfect with your poached eggs, avocado and mushrooms on Sunday morning. Keep slices in the freezer for this moment. Life is too precious to waste on eating crap gluten free bread!
If you like this recipe, head over to my healthy food section for more healthy alternatives.
