UPDATE: My nut and seed bread is out of the oven and has cooled. I was curious to see how much it weighed and it was a hefty 2 pounds.
My second batch of Life Changing Bread is in the oven. The photo above is uncooked.
Here is the recipe again with my own changes.
The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds / 135g
1/2 cup flax seeds / 90g
1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds / 65g -- I used hazelnuts in my first batch and almonds in the second.
1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats / 145g
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add 1/2 tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee (I used coconut oil and melted it slowly in the microwave ten seconds at a time in a glass container...the extra I poured back into the jar.)
1-1/2 cups water / 350ml
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add wet ingredients 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). I didn't need to add any extra water. Line a metal loaf pan with parchment paper and spoon the "dough" packing it down gradually with the back of a metal spatula. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon or spatula and make sure it's packed down solid. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. I put my loaf pan in a bread wrapper and left it out all night. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the parchment away from it it. I didn't have to do that....mine was packed down rock solid. This loaf is very heavy.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. 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).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!
My first loaf lasted for 9 days. I stored it in the refrigerator in a used bread wrapper. I cut my slices very thinly using a serrated bread knife. I "toasted" my slices in a panini press. You can also "toast it" on top of the stove in a cast iron frying pan.
After the first 20 minutes of baking, I do the second step this way so there won't be seeds falling to the bottom of my oven. I invert the loaf onto a cooling rack and put it in on a pan instead of putting the loaf directly on my oven rack.
It is really quite magical in that it has kept me from getting hungry at all. I am normally a "grazer" who opens the refrigerator every time I pass by to see what I can munch on. That bad habit has stopped completely since I ate my first two slices a week ago on Thursday. I have oatmeal and a piece of fruit every morning for breakfast. Two slices of Life Changing Bread with my homemade hummus and avocado for lunch, and a normal healthy dinner. I made Brunswick Stew yesterday and that's what I'll be having tonight and every other night until it's gone. I know you aren't supposed to eat the same thing every day but I always do when I make a big batch of something. Here's to being healthy inside and out, one day at a time. Enjoy your Sunday. xo
