If you know me, you know that I love bread! Whether it is a warm crispy French baguette, a nice Ciabatta roll, homemade focaccia, toasted dill rye, or some hearty pumpernickel… what I don’t love about bread though, is how addictive it is. I can eat an entire baguette in one sitting! It must come from my French DNA and eating some bread with every meal! I can’t think of any other reason so that’s my story and I am sticking to it!
So knowing my weakness for soft, yeasty breads, I looked into some non-yeast bread that could fit the bill minus the addictive side- effect. I found sprouted breads like the Essenes used to make by sprouting wheat, or rye, grinding the softened berries with a little water and baking it. Come to think of it, this was most likely the kind of bread that Jesus multiplied to feed to crowd that came to hear him talk. It is filling, nourishing, and only a slice or two will keep you going for many hours.
Then I wanted to try using seeds instead of grain. I had a good amount of golden flax seeds to make flax eggs. It turns out you can grind the seeds and mix them with a little water and make dense little loaves that can be sweet or savory. I also added a mix of my other favorite seeds to add texture and more flavors to it. The result are nice firm flatten loaves that can be used for sandwiches, with stews or soups, as a protein snack. The texture is closer to a hearty biscuit than bread. This recipe is very forgiving and allows you to make use what you have on hand like seeds, nuts, etc.ย The loaves will last a week and can be frozen for later.
Interesting Information about Flax seeds
There are 2 types: golden and brown flax seeds.
Golden flax has a light, buttery and sweet flavor. Brown seeds have a bolder taste more toasted. Both are pretty much identical when it comes to their health and nutritional content.
Flax seeds may be tiny but they are mighty in health benefits!
High in fiber (both soluble and insoluble), omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, flax seeds are known to:
– Lower inflammation,
– Improve digestion,
– Relieve constipation (mixing with water creates a gelatinous substance that acts like stool softener),
– Help with weight loss
– Lower total blood cholesterol
– Reduce blood pressure
– Help brain health
Tips on ways to use flax seeds
– 1 to 2 tablespoons a day is what is recommended. It is also good to increase your water intake if you consume more.
– Buy whole seeds and always grind them whenever you need some because they will pass through your system undigested (like birds).
– Only grind what you need (flax oil is highly sensitive to light and heat) and keep them in a dark place or refrigerated.
– Uses: Add to bread, baked goods. Sprinkle on cereals, salads, stews to thicken. Add to pancakes or crepes. Make flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp of ground flax with 2-3 tbsp warm water.
Let’s make them
Flax seeds bread loaves
Equipment
- Lined baking sheet
- coffee grinder or blender
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole golden flax seeds
- 1/2 cup mixture of chia, sunflower seeds, sesame sees, hemp seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Grind the flax seed into a fine powder.
- In a bowl, whisk the ground flax, with the baking powder, salt, garlic, and onion powder.
- Slowly add the warm water and stir until combined. If the mix is a little too dry, add a tablespoon of water or two until it comes together.
- Cut 6 pieces. Roll each into a ball, then flatten until you have again until you have small loaves.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F
- Bake the loaves for 50 minutes.
- Set aside to cool down for 5 minutes before slicing.
