This is quite a bold statement to make! How could this be? Allow me to introduce you to my life-changing bread recipe. It's easy to make, high in protein, full of good fiber, gluten-free, vegan, and makes the best toast ever!
Index
Jump to:
- My Introduction to Life-changing Bread
- How can a bread change your life?
- Ingredients you will need
- Ingredient substitutions
- Equipment you will need
- Tutorial
- How to make the life-changing bread
- Nutrition and health benefits of life-changing bread
- What to serve life-changing bread with
- Let's break bread
- 📋 Recipe
- FAQ
My Introduction to Life-changing Bread
I was cooking on an ecstatic dance retreat hosted by The Wild Chocolate Club on an organic farm deep in the Ross-on-Wye Valley a few years back. I love cooking at events like these, as I get to meet so many interesting people going through transformational personal developments.
As the holistic chef, I had the role of feeding and nurturing everyone throughout the week. No easy feat; breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for 6 days for 20 hungry ecstatic dancers!
One day a coeliac guest was discussing her eating challenges with me and asked if had I ever heard of The Life Changing Bread. No, I hadn't, but I was curious to learn more about it, so I looked up a few recipes on the internet and started playing around with some recipes!
I'm very happy to be finally sharing my recipe with you here today.
How can a bread change your life?
It sounds a bit dramatic that a simple loaf of bread could change your life; everything we eat every day changes our life in some way. It either promotes or demotes our health, therefore impacting our lives in every way.
Our energy and vitality come from the food we eat every day, so approaching food with the awareness that it can change our lives is a very empowering notion to embrace.
When I realized I could cook food that could make people healthier and stronger, I felt I gained some superpowers and had a duty to share them with more people. Imagine fermenting a head of cabbage into a pro-biotic kimchi that will improve the gut health of my students, while empowering them with the knowledge to make the kimchi for themselves. Now it becomes life-changing kimchi!
Developing healthier eating habits, while learning new cooking skills and techniques will change our lives, and for the better for the most part.
2 reasons why this recipe may change your life
- You realize how easy it is to make delicious and healthy bread at home. No yeast, kneading, or flour is needed.
- It's 100% gluten-free (choose certified gluten-free oats) which for most of us is ok, but for Coeliac's, it's life-changing.
Ingredients you will need
This is the most challenging part of the recipe, believe me! Once you have all the ingredients and a weighing scale, the rest is a walk in the park.
Grain
- Oats provide the main base for this recipe, select good quality certified gluten-free oats. I like a jumbo oat for the best texture. I never use quick-cook fine oats for textural reasons.
Seeds
- Sunflower seeds are the fruit of the sunflower plant and what better way to bring some sunshine to your life-changing bread? They bring lots of healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- Flaxseeds are prized for their health-protective properties, containing lots of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and minerals. If flaxseeds are not a regular staple in your pantry, I urge you to incorporate them into more of your recipes.
- Chia seeds translate to 'strength' seeds in the Mayan language. These nutrient-packed seeds work miracles when incorporated into your diet consistently over a period of time. In gluten-free baking, chia seeds provide a good texture and help bind all the other ingredients together. Check out my chia egg recipe for baking applications.
- Sesame seeds have been used in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. To gain their nutritional benefits, you need to consume substantial amounts on a regular basis. I make my own sesame milk regularly and use it in my smoothies, overnight oats, chia puddings, and porridges. I also make a Sesame Gomashio seasoning which I sprinkle on almost any savory dish.
- Pumpkin seeds are a nutritional powerhouse, full of valuable nutrients. They contain a substantial amount of protein and antioxidants.
- Psyllium husk is a bulk-forming laxative. This means it soaks up water in your gut and makes bowel movements much easier and can help promote regularity without increasing flatulence. It can be used as a one-off to ease constipation, or it can be added to your diet to help promote regularity and overall digestive health. Psyllium is a prebiotic — a substance needed for healthy colonies of probiotics to grow in the gut. Read more about psyllium husk here
Nuts
- Cashew nuts bring good amounts of protein and fiber to the bread, along with lots of essential minerals.
Dried fruits
- Raisins are packed with energy, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, they bring a nice fruity sweetness to this recipe.
Fat
- Coconut oil provides the liquid fat element needed for baking a nice loaf of bread.
Sweetness
- Maple for a touch of extra sweetness and pleasurable flavor.
Seasoning
- Pink salt lifts the flavor of all the ingredients and allows them to sing together!
Ingredient substitutions
If you are intolerant to, or cannot source any of the ingredients in this recipe, I have some substitution recommendations below. This recipe is versatile and forgiving to play around with. You can use any nut, seed, dried fruit, or grain that you like.
Grain: In place of oats you can try using buckwheat flakes, millet flakes, quinoa flakes, or even rye, barley, or spelt flakes.
Fruit: In place of raisins you can use dried figs, apricots, dates, or even prunes.
Nut: You can use any nut here. Chop them up a little before adding them to the mix.
Seed: Feel free to play around with different seeds. Except for the psyllium seed husk, chia seeds, and flax seeds. You cannot substitute these seeds, they help to provide the bread's texture and bind all the ingredients together.
Oil: Coconut or olive oil can be used or any good quality oil.
Sweetness: Up to you here, you can leave this out or try adding honey, coconut nectar, rice syrup, or malted barley syrup.
Salt: Pink or sea salt can be used.
Spice: Feel free to spice this recipe up by adding some cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, carob, caraway, or fennel seeds.
Equipment you will need
No fancy equipment is needed for this recipe. All you need is:
- Weighing scales
- Mixing bowl
- Chefs knife
- Chopping board
- Spatula
- Bread tin
- Oven
Tutorial
How to make the life-changing bread
Here is my step-by-step guide. It really is very easy to make and keeps well in the fridge or freezer so you can have a nice snack available when hunger strikes.
It makes a nice gift if you are visiting some friends for dinner. I hope you enjoy making and eating it.
The full recipe, method, and nutrition card is below. You can save to PDF, print, or share via email.
Step-by-step guide
Assemble and weigh all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Mix well to evenly distribute all the ingredients.
Add the water.
Mix the water very well.
Add the maple.
Add the melted coconut oil.
Mix well.
Spoon the bread mix into a non-stick bread tin or line a bread tin with baking parchment.
Pack the bread mix down well.
Smoothen out the bread mix with the back of a wet spoon or spatula.
Allow the bread to activate overnight.
To bake
Pre-heat the oven to 175c / 350f
Bake for 25 minutes then turn the bread out of the tin and bake for another 20-25 minutes until it's nice and golden brown all over.
Allow the bread to rest for about 30 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition and health benefits of life-changing bread
This is an all-around nutrient-dense bread, full of wholesome ingredients. It can help to improve your digestion when eaten regularly and keeps you feeling fuller for longer, so you're not snacking in between meals. It's a good addition to your menus and as you can see it is very straightforward to make.
What to serve life-changing bread with
Let's break bread
I hope you enjoy making and eating this recipe. Let me know your feedback in the comments section below and remember to tag #holisticchefacademy with your recreation. Happy cooking my friends!
📋 Recipe
Life Changing Bread 101
Equipment
- Weighing scales
- Chopping board
- Chefs knife
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Bread tin
Ingredients
- 160 g Oats
- 90 g Flax seeds - golden ground
- 20 g Chia seeds
- 20 g Psyllium husk
- 20 g White sesame seeds
- 40 g Pumpkin seeds
- 135 g Sunflower seeds
- 65 g Cashew chopped small
- 50 g Raisin
- 30 g Coconut oil
- 15 ml Maple syrup
- 400 ml Water - filtered
- 4 g Pink salt to taste
Instructions
- Assemble and measure out all ingredients.
- Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, mix very well.
- Add the water and mix well.
- Add the sweetener.
- Add the melted coconut oil and mix well.
- Mix very well with a spatula until the mix becomes smooth and almost creamy.
- Spoon the mix into the non-stick baking tin. (Otherwise, line the bread tin with baking parchment)
- Flatten down the mix well.
- Smoothen with the back of a wet spoon, then cover and leave at room temperature overnight to activate the chia and flax seeds.
To bake
- Bake at 175c for 25 minutes.
- Turn out of the tin, then put back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes until golden brown all over.
- Transfer to cooling rack.
- Allow to cool before slicing.
Nutrition
FAQ
This freshly baked bread will keep well for 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or in the fridge for up to one week.
Absolutely, I suggest slicing the bread before freezing. Then you can pop in the toaster straight from the freezer. This way there is no wastage and you can have freshly toasted bread whenever you like!
Psyllium is the common name used for several members of the plant genus Plantago whose seeds are used commercially for the production of mucilage. Psyllium is mainly used as a dietary fiber to relieve symptoms of both constipation and mild diarrhea. In gluten-free bread baking, Psyllium provides a good texture by binding all the ingredients together.
The oats can be substituted for quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, or rye flakes. You may need to adapt the quantities slightly.
Yes, you can leave the oil out. It will change the texture slightly but it will still make a nice loaf.
Certainly, you can omit the maple and raisins if preferred.
The nuts form a core part of the bulk in this recipe. You can leave the nuts out and add extra seeds in place of the nuts. Sunflower or pumpkin seeds would work best.
Not necessarily, this recipe allows for the nuts and seeds to be activated overnight. If you grind the chia and flax seeds you will need to compensate with some extra water.
Yes, you may. The bread will still be ok. For the best results, I recommend large rolled oats.
Sarie says
Should the nuts be raw?
Jamie Raftery says
I use raw nuts, they activate overnight after you make the mix. Did you try the recipe?
Thomas says
Hai Chef,You have a lot of work behind the preparation detailed ,it very good to learn something new to help up to maintain good health
Jamie Raftery says
Thank you Thomas. This is a lovely recipe. Psyllium husk is a great binder ingredient. We will make it next week!
Laraine Down says
Hey Jamie, can I double the recipe so it more like a sandwich loaf of bread rather than loaf cake, and if so how long to bake please.
Jamie Raftery says
Hi Laraine. Yes, you can double the recipe. If you are baking it in a bigger tin you will need to extend the cooking time. Let me know how it works out. Jamie
Steve Duffy says
Made this recipe today and without any doubt, I can easily say it's the best bread I've ever tasted. Very wholesome and felt so natural on the stomach compared to store bought processed breads. Even felt energised for the day after eating it! Also, nice and simple to make...this will be my go to bread recipe from now on! Thank you Jamie
Jamie Raftery says
Beautiful healthy and delicious recipe, thank you