The Seediest Bread

Ever since our trip to Oslo and Copenhagen, I’d been trying to track down breads similar to the ones we ate there—dark, dense, heavy, and full of nuts and seeds. Not having had much luck, I started searching for recipes to bake my own. A recipe for “The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread” from the health-focused, beautifully photographed blog My New Roots looked especially tasty, and, a bonus, was gluten free. (I’m always on the lookout for gluten-free recipes to make at family gatherings since my brother doesn’t eat gluten and the rest of my family tends to avoid it as well. Last year my brother and I developed some recipes together—you can find those here, and you can check out his health blog here!)

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, which Andrew and I spent in Pennsylvania with my parents and my brother, I baked this bread—changing the recipe a bit and adding my own variations—three times!!! Because that was how much my family (ok, especially my brother, who I think was really excited to eat bread!) loved this loaf. I think you’re going to love it too! It’s very good sliced thin and toasted + buttered, or sliced very thin and toasted until browned and crispy and served with a soft, oozing, smelly cheese. I served it the crispy way with cheese when we had a friend over last night and she said, “Wait, this is gluten free?” Enjoy!

The Seediest Bread

adapted from My New Roots

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats (make sure they are gluten free oats if that’s a concern for you) OR 1 cup mixed flours (use any combinations of buckwheat, rice, coconut, almond, corn, etc.)
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/4 cup psyllium husks*
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds (just use extra pumpkin, sunflower, or flax seeds if you don’t have chia seeds)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups water (use 1 3/4 cups water if you are using flour instead of oats)
• 3 Tbsp avocado oil or melted coconut oil, plus extra for greasing the loaf pan
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

1. Grease an 8×4 loaf pan with coconut or avocado oil and set aside. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (everything except the water, oil, and maple syrup). Add the water, oil, and maple syrup and stir to combine.
2. Pour everything into the loaf pan and leave it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to several hours, then bake at 350° for one hour. Remove loaf from the pan (use a knife to pry it loose if you need to) and let cool completely on a rack before slicing, using a serrated knife. Thin slices are best—this bread is very filling!

*If you can’t find psyllium husks at the grocery store (I couldn’t), order them online. I used these. You can switch and swap and sub in/out almost everything else in this recipe, but the psyllium husks are what holds it all together, so make sure to include those. It’s worth ordering them just to make this recipe, I promise!