Game Changing Nut & Seed Bread
I know it’s a bold statement to suggest that a loaf of bread can be a complete game changer but that really is the case for us. We love bread and are loyal supporters of our favorite local bakery. However, now that farm season is in full swing it’s getting harder to drive into town to buy our weekly loaf. I’ve tried making traditional rustic style bread but it hasn’t turned out well for me and after many failed attempts I was really stoked when I stumbled upon this recipe from the beautiful blog My New Roots. There’s no yeast, no flour just plenty of oats, nuts and seeds. I knew I could handle it!
This bread makes absolutely lovely toast. I usually spread some peanut butter, a drizzle of maple syrup and pinch of cinnamon for my morning toast. It’s simple, comforting, honest food.
I can’t take any credit for this bread. I saw all the rave reviews on Sarah Britton’s website and was sold. I followed her recipe to a T (although I couldn’t help myself and added some dried Turkish apricots and switched up the seeds a bit). I’ve made this loaf 4 times now and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Obviously, this isn’t the same style as my beloved rustic loaf but it is a great substitute for the time being. We don’t suffer from any gluten intolerances but for those of you that do this is a great option. Another wonderful thing about this bread recipe is that the cleanup is nothing. All you need is a measuring cup, wooden spoon, bowl and loaf pan. Are you sold yet?
There’s one ingredient in this recipe that may be tricky to find which is psyllium husk seeds. It should be available at any major grocery store in the bulk section or supplement isle. Just ask! If you can’t find any order some online. This bread won’t work without them as the psyllium husk seeds act as the “binder.” Bonus, these tiny seeds are loaded with fiber and should help keep things moving along in your digestive system. Cheers to that!
I hope you all enjoy this nourishing bread as much as we do. I’ve currently made this bread 11 times (and I’m still excited about making a new loaf this afternoon!) With that being said, I have updated the recipe to mix all the ingredients in a bowl instead of the loaf pan because I’ve found my bread holds together better when it’s been mixed in a bowl first.
Pour a cup of coffee, pop some toast in the oven and enjoy a quiet morning at home before tackling whatever chores your day has in store for you.
Game Changing Nut & Seed Bread
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Serves: 1 loaf
- 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup flax seeds
- 1/2 cup unsalted almonds (roughly chopped)
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 4 Tablespoons psyllium husk seeds (or 3 Tablespoons psyllium husk seed powder)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried Turkish apricots (roughly chopped)OR chopped dried fruit of choice
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
- 1 1/2 cups water + additional to thin batter if necessary
Preparation
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until evenly distribute. 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 dough is too thick/dry add 1-2 teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Continue to stir/mix until everything is evenly distributed.
- Oil an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan (or use a silicone loaf pan) and add the batter to the pan. Press it down firmly and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Let dough sit in the loaf pan on the counter for at least two hours before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Place the loaf pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the bread from the loaf pan (it should come out easily when you tip it upside down and pat down on the bottom of the pan with a spoon). Place the loaf of bread upside down directly on the middle rack (this will insure even baking) and continue to bake for an additional 30-40 minutes (possibly longer depending on your oven). Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Let the bread cool completely before slicing (very important!)
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or pre-slice it and freeze (makes for really easy toast!)
Notes
*This recipe is from the blog My New Roots. *Do NOT skip the psyllium husk seeds they are critical. *Cooking times may vary depending on your specific oven. *Have fun in the kitchen.
I cannot wait to try out this loaf- I have looked at Sarah’s recipe so often and said “If only I had some psyllium husks handy!”, and never even buy them when they’re staring me in the face.
Well it’s been a good week and what better way to celebrate than by bunging a beautiful loaf of bread in the oven! xx
I keep meaning to try making this sort of bread and haven’t yet. Especially strange because I have a giant container of ground psyllium in my pantry. Love the idea of adding dried fruit for more balance. Thanks for the gorgeous reminder to make it!
Enjoy the recipes you post.
Look forward to trying this bread recipe.
If you haven’t seen it yet, you may have interest
in the book Artisan Bread in Five minutes a Day
by Jeff Hertz Berg. Happy farming!
Thanks for the tip on the bread book!
When you put the bread back into the oven, upside down, is it back in the pan at that point?
Can’t wait to make this! Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
It’s out of the pan at this point and laid directly on the rack! Happy bread making!
This is happening this week. Looks amazing.
I made this last night, but it crumbled when I tried to slice it (after cooling completely). Should I have added more water? Not sure what went wrong. For now, I’m just eating the crumbles with yogurt! Any advice for next time?
It definitely should not crumble. I’m so bummed. I’m writing this comment while munching on a slice right now. Was the dough super thick when you were stirring it. If it was WAY to thick to manage with I’d suggest a teaspoon of water at a time until it’s manageable to work with. Please don’t give up! This bread is worth it. Please keep me posted. For now check out the original recipe to see if there are any additional tips she giveshttp://www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/
Thank you for sharing a wonderful GF bread recipe, Andrea !!
Made this last night. Enjoying a slice of toast with coffee this morning. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I’ve made Sarah’s bread multiple times love it! I too add dried fruit to my batter. It’ is great toast!
Yes yes YES. I made this bread and everything about it is straight up killer. I found psyllium seed husks at Sprouts (a farmers-market like grocery store here in Denver) and used a mixture of cut up apricots and raisins for the dried fruit. Just had to go get more flaxseed to make it AGAIN!
As son as I read your post title, I knew ithad to be Sarah’s bread – love My New Roots! Enjoy!
This was great. I had a hard time mixing everything in the pan so I mixed it all in a bowl before transferring to the loaf pan. Added an extra tablespoon of water to the batter too. Turned out great!
Hi! This looks great. Are the psyllium seed husks critical? Could I make without, do you think?
The psyllium husk seeds are critical. The bread won’t hod together without them. I hope you pick some up and whip up a loaf!
So much goodness with one slice of loaf! This bread nailed it. I can’t wait to prepare this, I hope it’s not that critical to do this one, and I am praying to perfect it. Yeah, you’re right, this would be great with a cup of coffee. Anyways, have you heard about Coffee Cocktail (www.stockton.com.hk), this would be MUCH better for this special bread.
GAme changing is right!! where have you been my whole life seed bread? one of my fave and so difficult to make good breads at high altitude but this hit the spot. Just need to cook longer than suggested..
wow!! yum yum
thank you!!!
So happy you loved it!
Making this tomorrow after drooling over this post and all your photos on instagram! Should the almonds be raw or roasted?
I’d recommend raw but feel free to use roasted if that’s what you have on hand. I hope you love the bread as much as we do! Happy baking.
Thanks Andrea! One last question–I found “psyllium seed husks (whole flakes)”–is that right?
that’s right! Enjoy!
Hi ANDREA!
I attempted to make the bread last night but it didn’t cook all the way through…I followed the recipe but I used the husk powder instead of the seeds. would that have a major effect.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for the comment. I’ve made the bread with both the husks and powder at this point and both seem to work equally well. That should not have affected the bread being under baked. Did you flip the bread after 20 minutes? What size loaf pan did you use? I recommend in the recipe an 8 inch by 4 inch pan. I’m not sure what happened for you. Your oven may just run cooler and you may need to bake for an additional amount of time. I hope you give this a second shot. We love it and have been making a loaf a week. Please let me know your progress! Thanks again Rachel!
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’ve made it twice now and I’m smitten!
I am a fan of Sarah’s website AND this loaf! I started making it last year and was hooked. Now I mix up several batches of the dry mix and store them in containers in the fridge. When I’m ready for a new loaf, I’m ready to go! I, too, like to toast mine for breakfast and spread it with fig butter or jam. For a special treat I also spread on some goat cheese. So glad to see you are hooked, too. I love your site 🙂
After mixing it, do you think I could let it sit overnight or would that be too many hours? I’m not often home long enough to make a loaf as instructed with the two hour wait and then hour of baking.
Thanks!
yes, you can let this sit overnight! I hope you enjoy the bread as much as we do!
Andrea – you are awesome. I have made recipes from your blog more than any other foodie blog I read because (a) they all look so damn delicious, (b) you have a penchant for Middle Eastern spices that I love and (c) we’re in the same part of the world so our seasons and products are the same (and sometimes I even get them from you at the market!). I am so glad you do this. Never stop. Rock on.
In terms of this bread – thank you. I have been looking for good snacks that I can make at home that will fill me up but also give me an energy boost. I’m a serious grazer and am on a mission to make my all my grazing be a healthy boost for my busy days. This bread is just the ticket! Today is day #1 of a 3-weekend run of a dance show that I’m in for which I will need all the energy I can muster. I am so glad I will have this little loaf to get me through! It just feels so good in my belly! I’m sure I’ll make a second loaf next weekend – I’d like to have this in my bag of tricks for the whole run;) Also, thank you for introducing us to My New Roots – wonderful stuff. Always nice to know what my favorite bloggers are reading and that one is extra-bueno.
Basically, I just wanted to give you a (very wordy) virtual high-five here. Bam!
Thanks for the most awesome comment ever Giselle! You totally rule. I’m glad you love the bread two! I’ve made it 11 times now. I’m addicted. Cheers to all the middle easter spice love. Hope to get you guys out to the farm sometime this summer. xoxo
I have made this bread a few times now but it always crumbles! The dough is also actually wet (ie not difficult to stir at all!) and I’ve reduced the water each time but it still crumbles. What am I doing wrong?!
I’m sorry your bread is crumbling. I definitely would NOT add less water! That will make the dough too dry and therefor crumble so I’m guessing you’ll need to add more water. The dough should be wet, but not to stiff to stir. As the directions state if it’s too thick (ie dry) add more water as needed until it’s easy to manage. If it’s easy to stir from the get go you should be fine. Are you adding the correct amount of psyllium husk seeds?
Yep I’m using the amount stated in the recipe (4 tablespoons). I will try again with the correct amount of water. Thanks for your help 🙂
I hope you keep trying as we love this bread so much! I’ve updated the instructions on the recipe to suggest mixing everything in a bowl first and not the loaf pan because I think the psyillium husk seeds mix up better that way. I’m actually posting a recipe tonight for a cashew milk latte and I’m including a few tips on the bread in the post so stay tuned! Thanks again for following along and cooking the recipes!
I rarely leave reviews but this loaf is definitely deserving! I am absolutely addicted to this. Thank you for posting such a great recipe that is also incredibly versatile. I enjoy that this can be topped with sweet or savory and is just as good for breakfast as it is for dinner or a snack.
I made this a few weeks ago, sliced it, and wrapped up the individual slices to freeze. I ate the last slice two days ago and want more so desperately, but sadly am moving across the country soon and already packed up most of my kitchen stuff. It is seriously the best bread– thank you for sharing!
So glad you love this too!
Hi! My husband and I love this recipe! We’ve made it a few times already. I read that someone tried freezing it. How did that turn out? I’d love to make it ahead and have it ready to defrost the second I get a craving for it! I’m just terrified to waste any of it if it doesn’t freeze well! Advice?
i don’t want to add the apricots or any dried fruit, (it’s a texture thing with me) what could I use to substitute them? I have raw honey, grade b maple syrup, or coconut sugar…could i possibly use one of these as an option?
thank you!
I’d Just leave out the dried fruit all together. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! cheers!
Made this today , it is amazing! thank you!
Hi Andrea,
This is the second time I’ve made this bread – just this minute popped the second batch in the oven after resting it. All I can say is wow!! Your recipes keep inspiring me to continue with my intention to eat more healthily.
Thank you
Deni
Hi Andrea! I hope you see this even though you posted this recipe a little while ago. My question is – do you have a suggestion for something to replace the almonds with? I really want to make this bread but my fiancé is allergic to almonds and I would feel like a jerk if I made this and wasn’t able to share it with him! Maybe unsalted cashews? Thanks!
hi Jessica,
I’d suggest subbing with roughly chopped walnuts or pecans. I hope you enjoy this bread as much as we do!
Walnuts or pecans make perfect sense. Thanks! I’m going to make this ASAP!
This bread is awesome! It keeps really well in the freezer. Tonight I was making a kale caesar salad and since I’m trying to avoid gluten, I was thinking of what I could sub for regular croutons. Then it hit me–I could use this bread! I had an end piece that was already breaking apart, and I broke it into bite-sized pieces and just toasted them over the stove (I was hungry and too impatient to wait for the oven). Worked GREAT as croutons!
I cannot eat flax…any substitute work?
any other fine seed will work just fine.
Is there any way to make this in a bread machine?
Unfortunately, not. This is not a yeast based bread so it will not work in a bread machine.
This looks so yum
Can you do this in a bread machine?
I don’t think this will work in a bread machine. Sorry about that!