Firstly, please excuse the very blurry picture. It turns out trying to bake AND photograph the results with a 6 month old was a bit over-ambitious! So I’m surrendering to the chaos once more and just going with it, so please go with it with me!

I can’t take credit for this recipe, my friend Lana in New Zealand sent me the recipe by My New Roots and the original recipe is theirs although I have adapted it quite a bit. This bread is gluten free, dairy free, refined-sugar free and full of nutritious superfoods and it contains all the fibre, essential fats and bran without the flour and yeast and other unhealthy ingredients. I was a bit dubious at first but it turned out simply amazing, especially as I’m starting baby led weaning with my baby and I need healthy alternatives to bread to give him.

It requires one ingredient that wasn’t in my kitchen: psyllium husk. This is what My New Roots wrote about psyllium husks:

‘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. I just came back from running a detox course in Lisbon where I got all the participants in-the-know about this amazing little supplement that also helps to reduce cholesterol levels, aid digestion and weight loss, and alleviate diarrhea and constipation.

Psyllium seed husks 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).*

But what does this have to do with bread? Well, the idea here is to use psyllium to bind all these lovely ingredients together without resorting to flour. There have been some low-carb bread recipes floating around the ‘net as of late that take advantage of psyllium and I think it’s a great idea. Eat delicious bread, have good poops. I’m in!

Psyllium is available at health food stores and most pharmacies. It comes in two forms, the raw husks themselves, and powdered, which are just the husks that have been pulverized. It is easier to take the powdered form as it dissolves easier in water, but that is not important in the case of this bread – either type work just fine.’

So there we have it, bread lovers, a healthy alternative!

Ingredients

1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup flax seeds
1/4 cup / 40g poppy seeds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
3 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
4 large Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk

Method

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, stirring well.

Whisk maple syrup, oil, almond milk 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). Spoon mixture into a silicone loaf tine and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or your hand.

Let sit out on the counter for 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 350°F / 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 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!

Thanks to My New Roots for the inspiration for this recipe!

Love,
Lauren