About 8 years ago (or more?) I came across a recipe online for a loaf of bread unlike any I had ever eaten before. I have always been someone who only enjoys bread if it is packed full of grains and seeds and nuts – none of this fresh baked white bread for me, thankyou – although I appreciate many will disagree with me there!
But really seedy bread is hard to come by, so bread became something I would rarely have, as to make my own traditional style seedy bread was a bit of a rigmarole when I’d only eat it occasionally anyway.
And then I stumbled across the recipe for “The Life Changing Loaf of Bread” on a website called “My New Roots” and I have been making it regularly ever since. Its super simple, no fuss at all – measure, mix, rest and bake. Boom – you have bread!
It is packed full of nuts and seeds and wholegrain goodness and is, in my opinion, the best tasting bread I’ve ever eaten. And, if you thought it was good as bread – wait until you toast it – AMAZING!!
Every time I make it I change it from the original recipe, depending upon what nuts I have on hand, but I have never made a batch which has flopped – I’m not sure it’s possible to muck it up, to be honest…I add many different nuts and seeds apart from those that the recipe calls for and would always end up with less oats by comparison, but I just add a little more water if the mix is too dry, and it always works out. I always use coconut oil rather than ghee, and I have also used honey rather than maple syrup. It’s such a no fuss recipe that you can feel safe to play around with it a bit. You want the completed mix to be a little wetter than if you were mixing up Anzac biscuits or something like that…but not as wet as a cake batter. As the mix sits and rests in the loaf pan, the nuts and seeds and the oats and psyllium soak up the water and it becomes less loose as this happens, allowing the bread to keep its own shape after a few hours sitting on the bench.
The method of the original recipe calls for it to be mixed and baked in a flexible silicone loaf pan but I’ve never owned one. Instead, I mix everything in a bowl and then press the mixture into a loaf tin lined with some paper so you can lift out the loaf once it has soaked and rested for a few hours. Once ready to bake, I lift the loaf out of the tin and place it on a tray and bake as directed – turning the loaf over part way through the baking time.
I always slice up the whole loaf (once completely cooled), trying to keep the slices reasonably thin, and then I freeze the whole loaf, sliced up. Then it’s easy to remove the slices I need and toast them up for breakfast when I feel like it, or as a snack throughout the day. I have actually never made a sandwich from this bread, as I prefer to eat it either on its own (untoasted) so that I can appreciate the textures and the flavours it delivers without confusion from other ingredients, or I have it toasted with egg and avocado, sautéed kale and mushrooms for a weekend breakfast feast to look forward to!
I have passed this recipe on to so many friends and family members over the years and they too have continued to regularly make this delicious “bread that’s not really bread”, enjoying it as a wholesome, nutrient-dense, satisfying and absolutely delicious alternative to the more traditional bread choices on offer.
And now I’m passing it on to you – with a special mention and shout out to the woman who created the recipe in the first place – Sarah Britton, an holistic Nutritionist who has been publishing her plant based whole food recipes on her website “My New Roots” since 2007. It is so worth checking out her recipe collection there for inspiration and direction. She has even included a method to take this recipe to another level altogether – and to make it into crackers. I’ve just found it now, and so will definitely be giving it a go with the next batch of bread I make!
Enjoy, folks!
The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients: 1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds ½ cup / 90g flax seeds ½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds 1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats 2 Tbsp. chia seeds 4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder) 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ 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 1 ½ cups / 350ml water
Directions: 1. 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. 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!
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