Special Equipment: One eight-inch (20cm) loaf (This is smaller than your average loaf pan- but I suppose a larger one or similar sized baking dish would do)
Dry ingredients
2 1/4 cups (235g) rolled oats – can be Gluten free- I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats
1 cup (160g) sunflower seeds, hulled and toasted
1/2 cup (70g) pumpkin seeds, hulled and toasted
3/4 cup (90g) almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped (Can substitute other nuts)
3/4 cup (120g) flax seeds
1/3 cup (20g) psyllium seed husks (super important- this is the binder)
5 tablespoons (50g) hulled hemp seeds
3 tablespoons (25g) chia seeds
2 teaspoons (12g) fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
2 tablespoons (40g) maple syrup (or honey)
1/4 cup (55g) olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
2 1/2 cups (600g) water
- Spread the seeds and nuts on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350ºF (180ºC.) oven for about 15 minutes until they are golden and fragrant.
- In a large bowl, add the toasted seeds to all the other dry ingredients. Give them a toss and then add the wet ingredients.
- Oil the loaf pan with a bit more olive oil. Then with clean hands and a pure heart mix the wet and dry ingredients together. You could use a big spoon but I think hands work best for incorporating the ingredients. This is the only time you will ‘work the dough’ in this super easy recipe so give it a thorough mixing. Transfer the contents of the bowl into the oiled pan and smooth out the top so its even and well packed. I then cover it and stick it in the fridge overnight but I think if you have only a few hours you can just leave it out on the counter shrouded in a tea towel.
- When it’s ready for baking remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400ºF (200ºC.) Bake the bread for at least an hour. I find that it can use up to an hour and twenty minutes. Usually at an hour I
Laquer the top with a little more olive oil- I really can’t get enough olive oil. Once finished cooking gently remove the loaf from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours. As tempting as it is, it must cool completely before cutting, so please be patient.
- After at least two hours you can slice the bread and toast until warm and crispy. Eat it nude or with whatever luscious toppings you desire- goes well with soft spreads, pickled delicacies, vibrant herbs and Green Garden Pesto, for which you’ll find a loose recipe below.
Note: If not consumed in one sitting this bread should be wrapped in paper not plastic and be left out of the fridge otherwise it may get gummy in the interior.
Green Garden Pesto
3 generous handfuls of hearty greens (including but not limited to broccoli rabe, mustard greens, collards, kale, chard, turnip or beet greens. I recommend removing any particularly fibrous stalks. Save these for a vegetable stock and just use the tender leaves)
1 large bunch basil
1 cup raw cashews (walnuts, pine nuts and others make great substitutions)
5 cloves garlic confit (prepared by slowly cooking garlic cloves submerged in olive oil. Low and slow cooking is crucial. You do not want to brown the cloves; rather they should be creamy and super soft. The residual oil can be used to add additional garlic flavor to this recipe or can be used for other purposes)
Good quality olive oil (for this recipe I like fruity and herbal oils with some peppery notes but with little or no bitterness such as Arbequina, Ascolano, Taggiasca and Frantoia)
1 half lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste (There are so many wonderful salts all with their own unique taste and mineral profiles. Some personal favorites include himalayan pink salt, grey sea salt, Maldon regular and smoked salt, and a dulse salt I picked up last winter Maine).
- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350ºF (180ºC.) oven for about 15 minutes until they are golden and fragrant.
- If you have room in your food processor for all ingredients at once add the nuts, garlic, basil and greens. Pulse until smooth. Add olive oil in a stream as needed to achieve desired texture. Or work in batches and mix together in a bowl.
- Add a good squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste.
- To store, pack into containers and coat the surface with a shallow layer of olive oil – this will help to preserve both flavor and vibrancy.
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