Say hello to this beaut. Rye Flaxseed Loaf, the end of gluten free store bought sandwich bread as we know it. I’m so excited to share this with you because I’ve received hundreds of emails the past year about creating a gluten free sandwich bread that would rival the best on the supermarket shelves, yet you also requested it to be easy to make and healthy. It took some time to create this one, but THIS IS IT. I’m so happy to deliver this recipe to you; but first read more to learn why I think this one is “the best”.
BUH-BYE STORE BOUGHT.
It’s a bold statement, and I thought I spoke truthfully about the Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread being the “best bread recipe ever”…but this, this is it. Alright, let me start off by saying there’s multiple reasons why this has quickly become my favorite new bread recipe and one that I’ve already made 4 times outside of the recipe development stages. Reason no. 1, it’s simple. I’m talking like a 5 minute prep and cook kind of simple. Reason no. 2, you can make this bread in a blender (I used my Vitamix). Reason no. 3, it makes the perfect toast or fluffy sliced sandwich bread. Reason no. 5, you can make some now and save it for later, and reason no. 5, it tastes delicious!
Tastes like rye, but isn’t rye. Both caraway and fennel seeds are responsible for giving this bread a rye flavor AND as you would assume, they’re in the recipe for a reason. Both caraway and fennel have been used for centuries with improving digestion ailments, from bloating, constipation, gas, and general gut health. Specifically caraway and fennel seeds contain fiber which helps give bulk to our food keeping things moving right along, these seeds also contain several known volatile compounds carvone, limonene, carveol, pinen, cumuninic aldehyde, furfurol, and thujone which keep our digestive systems happy providing anti-flatulent properties (i.e. it gets rid of gas!). Fennel does the same to our digestive systems, except can be more “cooling” in the body. I’m a big fan of paying attention to how our bodies react to warming and cooling foods in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Depending on the season, what’s going on in your lifestyle, the baseline of your body, something I discuss and figure out with my clients; your body may thrive on having fennel daily to help ease digestive woes on the other hand, ginger may be more of your “cup of tea”. And speaking of tea, not only do I love incorporating fennel in food, but drinking fennel tea is a go-to for me when my stomach gives me troubles, when I accidentally eat gluten or dairy (which happened a few times this Thanksgiving week), or I just want something cool and refreshing.
Besides the caraway and fennel seeds playing a role in keeping our digestive systems happy, chia and flaxseed both have a hand at this too! This bread is LOADED with chia and flaxseed, no flour is used here to bind the bread together, just ground seeds and eggs with a touch of coconut oil making this bread rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and is very filling without being too dense or bulky. Minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, selenium, zinc and magnesium are also found in this bread from the chia, flaxseed, caraway and fennel. Wait there’s more. Eggs are also loaded with protein and healthy fats from the yolk in addition to vitamin D, B12, zinc, iodine, choline, zinc, and iron. Not many breads can say that, yeah?
A word on eggs. Eggs are crucial in this recipe, it’s what makes this bread fluffy, soft, toastable, and light. If you tried to make this vegan, which I did to a fail, the bread turned out way too dense and hard. If you’re looking for a vegan bread recipe try out my Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread, not the best for sandwiches but makes awesome toast!
TOP IT! You’ll see here I had some fun with different toast options, that’s right, you can totally toast this bread! Another win for this recipe and a requirement I had.
+ soft boiled egg with fresh black pepper
+ sliced avocado because who doesn’t love #avocadotoast
+ drizzled honey with sea salt
+ black tahini with sunflower seeds (high in calcium and zinc!)
+ raw almond butter with bee pollen
+ sliced apple with cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups ground flaxseed (golden or brown flaxseed)
- 1 cup whole chia seeds
- 1 1/4 cup almond meal
- 6 whole eggs
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, ground
- 1 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Garnish: extra fennel and caraway seeds
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard bread loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Using a food processor, combine all ingredients and add 3/4 cup of water until the mixture comes together; the flaxseed will start to absorb the water and thicken.
- Pour the dough in the parchment lined bread pan, smoothing the top with a wet spatula, sprinkle with extra caraway or fennel seeds to garnish.
- Bake for 30 minutes until firm. The middle of the load should be firm and bounce back to touch.
- Let completely cool before slicing into thin slices for sandwich bread or larger sections.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or you can slice and freeze individual slices in clear wrap for later.
- Enjoy!
THOUGHTS?
What are your favorite spreads, dips, or condiments to put on sandwich bread? What about your favorite sandwich of all time? Let me know what you think when you give this recipe a go! Leave a comment and rate it, rating helps me continue to improve recipes for you. I love seeing what you come up with so don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #nutritionstripped on Instagram!
Tis’ the season, so get ahead of it. I coach 1-1 with people like you over the world to help optimize your health, reach goals, feel and look amazing! Sign up here to chat with me about how we can work together and take the first step to make this your healthiest and happiest year yet.
xx McKel
