Lightly Sprouted Chia Seed Sourdough Bread (Gluten-Free, No-Flour, Build-in-Sourdough)

If you´re going to eat bread, why not make it healthy? This is a super yummy bread with a lovely texture and crust. All gluten-free and you don´t need any starter to get this bread going. (No kidding!) It´s not only sourdough but also lightly sprouted and made from buckwheat groats. Talk about whole foods! In other words; it´s not made from flour.

This bread is sprouted for 1 day, but you can sprout it for two days as well. The texture will then be a bit more dense and more like a Danish rye bread. I love Danish rye bread (after all I´m half Danish). However, this time I made a loaf with a bit lighter texture. I´ve seen people make sourdough bread from buckwheat groats all over the world. But normally it´s very simple with very little variation. And it´s always made in a tin. I´ve taken it to the next level and developed new ways of making this kind of buckwheat sourdough bread. What I have improved is both the health aspect as well as taste and variation.

An essential part of the health aspect is to discard the water in which the buckwheat groats were soaked.

The reason why I do this is to remove the antinutrients from the buckwheat and thereby our bread! When we soak the buckwheat groats we also 'activate them' and they let go of their defense in order to start growing. Their defense in this case being the antinutrients (opposite of nutrients), that protect the plant whilst growing from 'enemies' such as insects, bacteria and fungus. Antinutrients such as lectins and phytic acid (also called phytate), can not only prevent us from getting the nutrients that our food contains, but also harm our gut. And none of this is favorable for our health. So, I usually soak seeds as well, but not seeds that create a gel-like substance in water.

Interesting to think about is that whilst plants defend themselves with antinutrients, animals clearly have other ways of defending themselves..., hence animal source foods do not bring this problem to the table.

This is also a reason why we are able to absorb more nutrients from meat, fish, eggs etc., than what we are able to absorb from plant-based foods. Another reason is also unsoluble fibers. Yet, they vegetables and fruits do of course have other health benefits such as antioxidants.

Something I also like to do is to add a bit of psyllium powder in my gluten free bread, to create a better texture and more possibilities to make different shapes as well as avoiding a bread tin. BUT, also to add more healthy fibers to my bread.

Psyllium fibers have many health benefits. It slows down the digestion and thereby allows you to absorb more nutrients from your bread, it promotes regular bowel movements and makes the bread more blood-sugar friendly.

Well, we like that, don´t me? I now make sourdough bread made from buckwheat groats in all shapes and forms. Buns, baguettes, breads, loafs, wreaths, baguettes etc. In fact, I´ve written a book about gluten free sourdough bread. However, some people are sensitive to psyllium powder. So, pay attention to how your body reacts. In fact, we should always pay attention to how our body reacts to anything we consume.

TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE YOU START:

• Rinse both hands and bowls carefully with water before use. We´re making sourdough bread, so we´re dealing with a bunch of little microbes that really doesn´t fancy things like soap, detergent or such.

• Use organic buckwheat as well. Neither buckwheat groats nor sourdough are any fans of pesticides. (Count me in there too). If they won´t sprout, get another brand!

• Drain both buckwheat groats and seeds carefully before use. The more water in the dough, the longer it needs to bake. And the recipe is made of well drained groats and seeds.

Well people, let´s start out with a fairly simple bread, filled with delicious and crunchy chia - and sunflower seeds.

SPROUTED CHIA SEED SOURDOUGH BREAD

Use a loaf tin, 2 lb (1,5 liters) or larger.

INGREDIENTS:

Day 1

560 g buckwheat groats

Day 2

125 g sunflower seeds

250 ml cold water

15 g himalayan salt (unrefined)

25 g psyllium powder (also called 'psyllium husk powder')

25 g chia seeds

Virgin coconut oil & cassava flour for your tin

INSTRUCTIONS:

Day 1

1. Rinse your buckwheat groats a few times with cold water. Put them in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Now, let soak in room temperature for about 1 day/24 h.

Day 2

2. A few hours before mixing the bread it´s time to soak the sunflower seeds as well. Cover with cold water and let them soak for up to 12 h. But a few hours is enough. Sunflower seeds don´t need as much time in the 'bath' as pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

3. Prepare your bread tin with parchment paper, or grease the inside with cold-pressed/virgin coconut oil depending on how reliable your bread tin is. I usually just cover the base of the tin with parchment paper and then grease the rest. It makes a tastier crust.

4. Now rinse both buckwheat groats and seeds carefully and make sure to drain properly. We don´t want any excess water in the bowl.

5. Transfer your buckwheat groats/sprouts into a large bowl, add clean, cold water and salt and mix until you have a homogenious batter. But no more.

6. Now add your psyllium powder little by little, followed by the chia seeds and sunflower seeds.

7. Finally transfer the bread batter into the tin, level out the surface and sprinkle chia seeds all over the bread surface. Press gently with your fingers to finish off.

8. Cover with a tea towel, and let proof about an inch or less. It takes about 12 hours, depending on the room temperature.

Day 3

9. When your bread has proofed beautifully it´s time to bake! Heat your oven to 200°C and bake for about 2 h and 5 min.

10. Let cool completely. It may take about 3 h or more, but it's necessarily to let the bread absorb all moist before slicing.

Enjoy!

Intuitive Consulting for Happy & Healthy Clients