This truly is a life-changing loaf of bread - absolutely delicious, nutty, and satisfying. It's so easy to make. No kneading, no rising, no punching down, no fiddling - just stir together a few healthy ingredients, wait, and bake.
When I first stumbled across the recipe for this bread, I just had to try it - it sounded almost too simple. You just stir together some oats, seeds, and nuts? You add some water and a touch of oil and sweetener? That's it? And it sticks together? Slices easily?
You bet it does. It is the tastiest, nuttiest, most satisfying loaf of bread I've ever munched on. Sarah Britton writes the lovely blog My New Roots, a cornucopia of healthy foods as beautiful to look at as they are to eat. I am so thankful she's shared this amazing recipe with us.
Anyone dealing with food allergies knows that bread is one of the foods most missed and the baked item most difficult to get right with alternative ingredients. This bread really has changed our life - our food life, that is.
I've served it for special lunches with 'regular people' (non-allergy-sufferers) and they've raved about its fantastic taste. I've made and sliced several loaves, packing them along for trips, and they've been a life saver. I've always got a loaf or two in the freezer, some cut up ahead, so we can grab a slice for toast anytime. The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread tastes as delicious with savoury toppings as it is with a smear of nut butter and jam. But it shines at its fantastic best when toasted - the crispy brown caramelization enhances its nuttiness and brings a depth of flavour that makes it hard to stop at just one slice.
What makes this bread stay together is the sticky power of psyllium husks. These featherweight little husks from the seeds of the plantago ovata plant are super high in fiber. When mixed with water they form a flavourless gel that is not only highly beneficial for the colon and elimination system (yes, they help move stuff along), but also for the heart and pancreas (soluble fiber helps lower blood sugar levels). However, it's the sticky properties of psyllium husks that make them the star ingredient in this bread.
Yay for psyllium! It binds together healthy oats, seeds, and nuts. All you do is add the liquid ingredients, stir, pack it into a loaf pan, let the bread sit for at least 2 hours (up to overnight) so everything can get thoroughly moistened and the psyllium husks can do their job of sticking everything together, then bake. The baking technique is also a little different. The loaf is placed onto a rack halfway through baking, so the outside can get nice and crisp. Brilliant.
I've modified the original recipe only slightly, changing out the flax seeds for super healthy little hemp seeds. Even though flax seeds are wonderfully healthy, too, their nutrition is of little value unless they are ground, since the whole seeds pass through our system undigested. I've also changed the nuts to pecans or walnuts, since those are softer nuts and slice more easily in the baked loaf, but any nuts would be fine, really. In addition, I use warm water, since it absorbs more quickly and allows the coconut oil to stay liquid while mixing.
The one other modification I made to the Life-Changing Loaf of Bread recipe is to invert the loaf onto a cake cooling rack for the last half of its baking, rather than directly onto the oven rack. My oven rack bars are too far apart, and I had one loaf tragically fall apart, and several other loaves slump between the bars to make deep ridges on the bottom, before I thought to use a cooling rack which has the bars spaced much more closely than my oven shelves.
And on top of it all, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and can be made nut-free, too.
So go ahead - become a bread baker - change your life!
* * * * *
slightly adapted from My New Roots blog by Sarah Britton
The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (150gms) rolled oats (large-flake, old-fashioned kind), gluten-free if necessary
- 1 cup (145gms) sunflower seeds
- ½ cup (75gms) hemp hearts (or flax seeds, roughly ground or cracked)
- ½ cup (65gms) pecans or walnuts, large halves broken into pieces*
- 4 tablespoons psyllium seed husks or 3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1½ cups (360ml) warm water
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil or ghee
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, but it won't be vegan
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl or a large measuring cup, stir together the warm water, coconut oil, and honey. Pour this into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is moistened. Let sit for a minute or two until all the water is absorbed.
- Spray a non-stick medium-sized loaf pan (4½ x 8½ inches/11 x 21 cm measured at the top of the pan) with cooking oil spray or wipe it with coconut oil or ghee. Stir the bread mixture again and dump it into the loaf pan. Pat it down with a spatula and smooth the top so it is completely flat (this will become the bottom later).
- Leave the bread to sit on the counter at room temperature for a minimum of two hours, up to twenty-four hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the bread for 30 minutes.
- Then remove the pan from the oven, and place a cake cooling rack on top of the pan. Use pot holders or oven mitts to invert the pan, tipping the loaf of bread upside-down onto the cooling rack. Remove the pan, and place the rack with the loaf on it back into the oven. Continue baking the bread for another 30 to 35 minutes, until it starts browning at the edges and is slightly puffed up in the middle.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, carefully lift the cooling rack with the loaf on it, out of the oven. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing (very important).
- Store bread in a sealed container or heavy duty plastic bag in the refrigerator. This bread freezes well. Simply slice it before freezing, for easy removal of individual slices for toasting or serving.
- Makes one loaf.
Notes
Nutrition
Guten Appetit!
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Uzi Rulez
I gotta be honest, I really thought this was going to turn out gross. Boy oh boy was I wrong. This is absolutely 💯 life changing. I followed the recipe to a T and am so happy I did. I can't wait to add different spices on all my future loafs. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Margaret
You made me smile! Thanks for your great feedback. It really is surprising how well this loaf always turns out and how satisfying and nutty it tastes. It's great with so many different kinds of toppings, too. Happy Baking!
Olivia
A friend of mine, has a weight, lung, with ankles swelling. She mentions about a bread and this is the bread!
I will try this!
Margaret
Awesome! I hope you like it as much as we do. 😋 You'll find it very easy to make, too. Happy Baking!
Heather
I want to make the recipe but I don't have flaxseed. I do have flaxmeal, can this be used. If so do I stay with the measurements given?
Margaret
Yes, you could substitute ground flaxseed or flaxmeal for the hemp hearts, using the same amount given. The dough may be a bit stiffer, but it will still work.
Connie
Made this bread. So easy to put together. Was hard to wait for it to cool down! So very good. I went gluten free 4 months ago and it's so wonderful to use the toaster again! A very filling and healthy bread. Thank you for sharing the recipe with us!
Margaret
I'm so glad you love it! ❤️ Yes, it's pretty tasty isn't it? Even people who don't have to go gluten-free love it and rave about it, so that means it passses the taste test 😉. Thanks so much for your feedback.
Julia
Do you think I can make this in a bread machine?
Margaret
I'm sorry, I don't know. I don't have a bread machine and don't really know how they work. If you try it, I'd love to hear back about your results so other readers would know, too. 🤗
Karen
This is absolutely the best gluten free bread I have eaten. It is dense (1 3/4 pound!) but very tasty and satisfying to chew. I love that it is easy to make. Thank you for the egg substitute — perfect for my egg allergic grandchild!
Marlene
I've made the original bread from Sarah Britton for several years now and love it, but I had many of the same issues that you've modified the recipe to fix. I can't wait to try your version! Thank you for posting it.
Margaret
Thanks so much 🤗. I hope you like the new version just as well. I am so thankful for her base recipe - it's been a life-changer for gluten-free bread!
Francine
Made your recipe today and so good!!! I added pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts. Thank you for this recipe. 🙂
Margaret
Awesome! So glad to hear you like it. Pumpkin seeds are a great substitute (so healthy), and perfect for this time of year, too!
Sue
Can I leave out the coconut oil as I'm oil free?
Margaret
Yes, I think it should still work fine, or you can replace it with unsweetened applesauce.
Darlene
Loved this bread! Tastes like a dessert bread especially when a little vanilla is added. No need to even top it with anything.
Will definitely be making this again.
Margaret
Aw, I am so glad to hear that. ❤️ LOVE your idea of adding vanilla! That turns it into a special treat. Thanks for your feedback.😍
Anna Anderson
We are extremely allergic to wheat is there a seed or nut I could use instead?
Margaret
There is no wheat in this recipe. As long as you use certified gluten-free oats, and make sure there is no wheat contamination in any of the other ingredients, the bread will be safe for anyone with a wheat allergy.