I got a bit bored of the staple winter breakfasts that I alternate between – porridge or cinnamon bagels – and decided to shake things up a bit and make a super seedy and slightly sweet loaf of bread instead. I’m rather pleased with the end result and thought you might appreciate the recipe.
It’s studded with a selection of oh-so-good-for-you (especially for your hormones) seeds, some nuts and a small amount of cranberries. It reminds me of the nut-packed dark bread my gran used to buy in her favourite bakery in Krakow. It was the kind of loaf that was crunchy with nuts and slightly sweet with added honey and we would have some more honey on top usually. I used to love that bread! I definitely inherited my love for nuts, coffee and a general sweet tooth from my late grandma. This bread is so easy to throw together, you’ll be laughing. It requires no yeast, kneading or proofing! Thanks to buckwheat flour it’s naturally gluten-free, yet there is no need for xanthan gum (or other gums typically added to make gluten-free dough possible) either. Ground up flax (or chia) seeds hold it together just fine. If you can throw a few ingredients into a bowl and give them a good stir, you will manage on your first go, promise. Dry-toasting nuts and seeds isn’t necessary, but it doesn’t take that much extra effort and gives the bread a deeper flavour so it’s worth it, in my opinion. This bread is an ideal vehicle for open sandwiches, which are a thing in my native Poland (Germany and Scandinavia too, as far as I know). Both sweet and savoury toppings work well and I can personally think of a few dozen different combinations which I am going to try out in the course of the next few weeks. I hope you’ll love this recipe as much as I do!
140 g / 1 heaped cup buckwheat flour* ¾ tsp baking soda* 1 tsp fine salt 2 tbsp ground chia seeds or flax seeds 85 g / heaped ½ cup almonds (walnuts or hazelnuts) 40 g / ¼ cup flax seeds (I used golden flax seeds), more to decorate 35 g / ¼ cup sesame seeds, more to decorate 65 g / ½ cup pumpkin seeds, more to decorate 70 g / ½ cup sunflower seeds, more to decorate 30 g / ¼ cup dried cranberries (dates, prunes or apricots) ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves (optional)*
WET INGREDIENTS
45 ml / 3 tbsp oil (I used mild olive oil) + more to grease the pan 15 ml / 1 tbsp maple syrup 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) 360 ml / 1½ cups water
*SPICES: If you intend to have this bread with sweet toppings, adding some ground spices and optionally increasing the amount of sweetness (to 2 tbsp maple syrup) is a nice idea. I would start with ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp ground ginger and nutmeg and a good pinch of cloves. For a savoury take on this bread, nigella seeds make a nice topping and olives a great substitute for dried fruit.
