Life Changing Loaf of Bread

I really like this bread. I especially like it toasted for breakfast topped it with an egg, whether it's boiled, scrambled or poached. Or with some sliced avocado, sprinkled with salt. But I have to say my favourite is just a shmear of butter and a drizzle of honey, then dipping it my latte. I know weird. But I'm a dipper.

Everything about this recipe screams healthy! Just look at the list of some of the ingredients and a few of their benefits.
Sunflower seeds. Great source of vitamin E, B complex vitamins, folic acid and many essential minerals.
Flax seeds. Great source of fibre.
Hazelnuts and almonds. Rich in dietary fiber, folate, vitamin E and a complete source of energy.
Chia seeds. Rich in fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium and protein.
Psyllium husks. A great source of dietary fibre.

I found this recipe on Pinterest over a year ago and I have been making it ever since. It's from a website called My New Roots by Sarah Britton. She calls it life changing for a few reasons:
1- Easy clean up. She mixes everything in the loaf pan. (I use a bowl to mix the ingredients. I don't mind washing one bowl)
2- No kneading. Just dump everything, stir, wait a couple of hours and bake.
3- You can substitute ingredients with what you have or like.
4- No rising agent.
5- And this really IS a healthy bread!

When I make a loaf of this bread, I slice the whole thing and freeze half of it. Slicing it before freezing it just makes it easier to remove from the freezer one slice at a time if you want.

The recipe calls for a flexible silicon loaf pan but I have read that others used a regular loaf pan, and it turned out fine. But if you want one,(they're pretty cool) I found mine at Fortino's, my local grocery store.

Life Changing Loaf of Bread

1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds (I used ground)
1/2 cup hazelnuts or almonds
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
3 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 1/2 cups water

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together and add to dry ingredients. Mix very well until everything is soaked and becomes thick. Put it into a flexible silicon loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let it sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. You know the dough is ready to bake if you pull it away from the sides of the pan and it retains its shape
Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the pan in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and place directly on the rack for another 30-40 minutes. The bread is done when you tap it and it sounds hollow.
Store bread in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Freezes well but slice before freezing.

m xo

Irish Soda Bread

I could tell you that I wanted to make this Irish soda bread for St. Patrick's day and that wouldn't be a total lie. But the real reason I wanted to make this is because I wanted to show off my pretty measuring that I found in NYC this weekend at Anthropologie.
When I saw it, I had to have it. How could I not want to make something that needed a liquid measuring cup?

This is a traditional soda bread that I adapted a little by adding raw sunflower seeds and rosemary. I used dry rosemary because I didn't have fresh on hand but I wouldn't recommend it. The dry had no flavour what-so ever. I would have been better off with maybe anise seeds. They definitely have a lot of flavour. Next time for sure.

If you don't have buttermilk, just make your own as I did by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 1/2 cups of milk and letting it sit for 30 minutes. Voila! Buttermilk. 

This is a really great recipe to have on hand if you want to serve fresh, warm bread but don't have the time that usual bread recipes require because of the yeast. You will literally have this made in an hour. 

This bread is baked in a cast iron skillet to form a nice, crunchy crust.

Irish Soda Bread

3 cups flour

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped (preferably fresh)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place the flours, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, sugar, sunflower seeds and rosemary in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and work it in with a fork until completely incorporated. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk and mix until combined with a fork. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until it comes together. Form into a round disk and place in a cast iron skillet. Score a deep cross on top and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

m xo

Johnny's Granola

My husband John's go-to breakfast on the weekend is yogurt and granola. During the week it's a granola bar. No exceptions! He has been having a granola bar for breakfast for as long as I've known him. Only recently has he switched up his weekend breakfast to YOGURT and granola. Not a far stretch, I know. Ahhh, you gotta love him!
Granola is pretty easy to make. It's basically oats, whatever nuts and  dried fruit you like and some spices. I add shredded coconut because John likes it.
The dried fruit and coconut doesn't go in until the granola comes out of the oven, otherwise it would burn.
Just keep on eye on the granola because it could easily burn (or you could forget it) as I learned the hard way one summer. I put a batch in the oven and went out and sat on my stoop right outside the kitchen, chatting with my nieces. As I'm sitting there, I could smell something burning but thought it MUST be one of the neighbours. And I just kept talking and talking. Finally it hit me!! OMG!! My granola! Well needless to say I don't think I made granola for the next year. I was pissed…at myself of course. Hahaha!

Granola with Coconut and Cranberries

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slices almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 300F.
Throw all the ingredients except the cranberries and coconut in a bowl and mix until combined. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 45- 55 minutes. Give it a stir after 30 minutes. When it is golden brown and your house smells amazing, it's ready. Take out of the oven and add the dried cranberries and coconut. Cool and store in air tight containers. I store mine in mason jars.

m xo