Gluten Free Loaf of Bread

I recently purchased a cookbook at the bookstand of the Farm to Table Int'l Conference held in New Orleans this past September. I bought several books that day but this one spoke to me in a different way. The book is beautiful, the recipes are fairly simple to prepare and the results are outstanding.

"My New Roots", by Sarah Britton is a plant based recipe book with lots of colorful dishes and great variety. One of the best and most popular recipes in the book is the "Life-Changing" Loaf of Bread. I was intrigued by this recipe because ithe bread looked beautiful but also because it is gluten free. Psyllium husks are what hold the loaf together as it bakes. This bread has a wonderfully nutty flavor when toasted. What I do, generally, is to bake the bread, let it cool completely and then I slice it thinly. I wrap each individual slice is plastic wrap, place them in an airtight bag and keep them in the freezer. The slices are then taken as desired and toasted for several minutes. I changed a few of the ingredients according to my own taste. Feel free to do the same for yourself.

Ingredients

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup golden flax seed

1/2 cup sliced raw almonds

1 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

4 tablespoons psyllium husks

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (instead of 1 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon seeds of your choice (I used sesame seeds)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee

1/2 cup either raisins or kalamata olives (depending on whether you want a sweet loaf or a savory one)

1 1/2 cups/ water

1. Gather a 2 quart bowl and a 1 quart loaf pan. Spray the loaf pan lightly with vegetable oil spray and set aside.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.

3. Pour in the water and mix well. (Mixture will thicken as psyllium husks are moistened)

4. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and press down to pack.

5. Let the loaf sit undisturbed for 3 hours, or overnight

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 Celsius

7. Bake the loaf on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes then tip the loaf out onto a baking sheet and continue to bake for an additional 30-40 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let the bread cool completely before slicing. For best results use a very sharp smooth edge knife to slice instead of a serrated knife. Wrap slices individually and place in freezer bag for easy toast.