PALEO FLAXSEED BREAD // here's to a week of sandwiches!

GF   SF   DF   PALEO

This recipe has got me pretty excited for a few reasons:

1. It uses whole ingredients i.e. no premixed gluten free flours;
2. It's a great vehicle for getting melted nut butter onto the tastebuds;
3. There is no kneading or rolling required;
4. It's 100% grainless.

It is from my new food bible 'The Art of Eating Well' by Hemsley+Hemsley. I picked up the book last Saturday from the post office, queuing down the road in the freezing rain - one disadvantage of working Mon to Fri is missing out the convenience of the post man. Another is missing sunlight throughout the entire month of January, but I digress. Since that morning I have not used a recipe from anywhere else, nor to I intend to for another week or more. It was definitely worth queuing for.

Back to the bread. The taste, texture and appearance are quite similar to rye bread if you've ever tried it; nutty, dense and pleasantly salted. It makes quite a large loaf, particularly if it's just going to be you eating it, so I'd recommend slicing it up and freezing it into portions, then taking them out and warming them through when needed.

INGREDIENTS

80g ground almonds
250g ground or whole flaxseed
4 eggs
50g butter at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
pinch of black pepper
optional: 1 tsp oregano, caraway or fennel seeds

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to fan 170°C/gas mark 5. Line a metal loaf tin with parchment paper, or grease a silicone mould.
2. Mix all the ingredients with 100ml of water by hand or in a food processor. It will thicken as you mix. If using whole flax, wait a few minutes for it to absorb the water. 
3. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon or spatula. Bake for around 45 minutes until firm but springy to touch. 
4. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Turn out. Enjoy!

You can find more recipes by Hemsley+Hemsely here.