The Most Amazing Nut & Seed Gluten-Free Bread

August 16, 2023
Breakfast

This healthy whole grain, vegan, gluten-free bread alternative is adapted from My New Roots. It’s the most amazing gluten-free loaf that everyone will love! This bread is chewy and hearty, made with oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, almonds, psyllium husks, and chia seeds.

 

This recipe found its way into my kitchen as I prepared for an adventure-themed movie night with our new home cinema projector.

I invited everyone to bring their own camping chair, a camping bowl, spork, and trail-inspired food. 

And I was excited to share one of my favorite trail-friendly snacks:

Bread with Butter and Quick Pickles

But that seemed too easy, so I researched how to make a dense, European-style bread that would hold up on the trail. In the process, I stumbled upon My New Roots Life-Changing Loaf of Bread.

With 183 praising comments, how could I not try it? As usual, I had trouble sticking to the instructions, but it was everything I dreamed of. 

Bottom line: This bread is good for you–gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and tastes sensational! The texture is moist, too much for some people. I suggest slicing and toasting it before smearing it with butter. Or make it sweet with a drizzle of honey or any other toppings you desire 

I hope this becomes a staple for you on outdoor adventures and picnics.

Video Tutorial: How to Make

Key Ingredient: Psyllium Husk

If you read anything in this post, have it be this: Psyllium husk is the crucial ingredient in this recipe. It acts as a binder, allowing the bread to hold its shape. There are no substitutes for psyllium husk, not even xanthan gum. Regardless, it’s a magical ingredient you can use in other homemade gluten-free bread recipes!

Where to Buy Psyllium Husk

You can buy psyllium seed husks at natural food stores or online. In this recipe, you can use either whole or powdered husks.

Psyllium Husk Health Benefits

  • Improves blood sugar levels
  • Lowers cholesterol 
  • An excellent source of fiber
  • Promotes healthy bowel function

Emma Frisch The Most Amazing Gluten-Free Bread, That Everyone Will LOVE! Recipe

What Makes This Nut & Seed Loaf So Good For You?

The key step here is the resting period which “activates” or “sprouts” the grains, nuts, and seeds. It’s amazing for digestion and nutrient absorption.

More Bread Recipes

Print

The Most Amazing (Gluten-Free) Bread, that Everyone will LOVE!

This is a wholesome gluten-free bread with an irresistibly moist and chewy interior. For best results, take the time to watch the video tutorial. Though this recipe is extraordinarily simple, it requires some patience letting the bread rest and cool. 

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 loaves 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 2 cups raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup flax seeds
  • 1 cup almonds (sub with walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts)
  • 8 tablespoons psyllium seed husks (use 6 tablespoons if using psyllium husk powder)
  • 4 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 6 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus extra as needed
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

Instructions

  1. Grease two bread pans with coconut oil.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, almonds, psyllium seed husks, chia seeds, and salt.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup or honey, coconut oil, and water.
  4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir together with a spatula for about 7 minutes. At first the batter will seem watery; keep stirring until it thickens and fully absorbs the water. It should be hard to stir.
  5. Divide the dough into the bread pans and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or spatula. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for 2 hours minimum, at room temperature, or overnight.
  6. When ready to bake, use a knife to separate the dough form the sides of the pan. If the loaves pull away and retain their shape, you are ready to bake!
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and flip them upside down out of the pans and directly onto the oven rack or a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes more, but begin checking at the 30 minute mark. The bread is done when it sounds hollow if tapped.
  8. Let the bread cool completely before slicing, at least 30 minutes, Don’t let the warm, freshly-baked aroma seduce you into early cutting, or it will crumble in despair!
  9. Store the bread in an airtight container for up to five days, or slice the bread and freeze it for toasting another day.

Notes

Play with flavor combos, like adding 1 tsp crushed rosemary and 1/4 cup black currants, or cinnamon and raisins.

For Currant-Rosemary variation: Add 2 tablespoons of ground almonds or oats, 1/3 cup dried currants, and 1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed with fingers.

For Tropical variation: Add 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/3 cup dried, diced papaya, and 1/3 cup dried pineapple.

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  1. Hi, Your glutenfree bread recipe looks wonderful EXCEPT for the oatmeal.
    Absolutely cannot have oatmeal – could you give me a replacement that would work?
    Thank you so very much,
    Lisa

    1. Hi Lisa! I would check out Amy Chaplin’s cookbook “Whole Food Cooking Everyday”, which has some amazing GF breads that are similar but with rice and other whole grains. Hope this helps, and thanks for stopping by!

      E

  2. Just made this bread primarily for my daughter who is gluten free. It came out amazing. My husband has eaten 2 slices already. Thanks for a wonderful recipe

    1. Oh fooey. I think the only possible alternative would be chia seeds, since they are also good “binders.” Give it a whirl and let me know how it turns out!

    2. I made this recipe as directed but I used olive oil and sliced almonds. It turned out great!! It was easy and is so flavorful. My husband is not gluten free but he loved it too. I sliced one loaf and froze it but I think we’ll be getting it out before too long!! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe…it’s just what I was looking for.

      1. Hi Mary, I am also flaxseed intolerant and I was wondering if you have tried making this recipe and replacing flaxseed with chia seeds? Would love to hear how it came out.

  3. Hi Emma, I just came upon this recipe and it is exactly what I have been looking for! When I get to New York, which isn’t happening these days, I get bread from Le Pain Quotidien, it’s so delicious and your recipe sounds like it will make a similar bread. I have two questions: first, you recommend soaking the seeds/nuts….does that mean soak them ahead of including them in the recipe or is that the reason to let the dough rest for at least 2 hours? Secondly, the recipe doesn’t specify if the almonds are sliced, chopped or whole so I was wondering about that as well. I can’t wait to try this recipe!!! Thank you so much! Be well, Sheri

    1. Hi Sheri! I know EXACTLY which LPQ bread you’re describing. Yes! This one comes close… don’t forget to toast each slice before eating so that it’s not too moist (as a result of the psyllium husk). The almonds can be chopped or whole, since when you slice the bread you’ll slice through whole almonds anyway. And yes, the dough rests for 2 hours because that is the soaking / activating part – no need to soak prior. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out! XO

    1. Something went wrong with the baking. After baking the bread exactly following the instructions, it came out still very raw inside. I put it back in and it started to burn on the outside but inside was still not fully through. I had soaked the oats and seeds overnight. Are there other baking instructions for the instances when the oats and nuts had been previously soaked?

      1. Hi Stef. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out! Ok, so here are a couple ways to troubleshoot:
        1. Do you have an oven thermometer to see if your oven is heating at the temperature it says? It’s very common for ovens to be higher or lower than the temperature it’s turned on to.
        2. Did you soak the oats and seeds separately overnight or as part of the entire batter as explained in the instructions? It’s key to soak the psyllium and other ingredients together so that they can bind with each other.
        3. Did the bread hold together enough that you could cut slices and toast them individually?

      2. Hello Emma,
        Thank you so much for taking the time to help. Good questions.
        I know the oven is heating at the temperature it says it is heating because I made your bread again the same day without soaking anything and it came out PERFECT! Also the tip to toast the slices right before enjoying them was awesome. Thank you. ?
        We ate one loaf in a day and we loved it so much that we are NEVER going back to store bought bread, which btw we were buying only the whole grain, most nutritious artisan varieties and they still pale in comparison plus they had additives which I was mostly concerned about esp. since we have a 3 year old who loves bread.
        I am telling everyone of my friends who doesn’t run fast enough about this truly amazing recipe! This is real bread! Thank you so much.

        To answer your second question, I soaked just the oats and nuts in a pot, not the whole batter. I had read somewhere that you are supposed to discard the water the nuts soaked in to remove the phytic acid and figured I won’t be able to discard the water if I soak the batter. I also don’t see in the recipe where it says one is supposed to soak the batter.

        To answer your third question, yes I got the bread to a finished state and yes I can cut a slice, we will definitively finish that too, but the consistency is more gooey after having been soaked.

        Assuming I soak the batter next time, do the baking instructions remain the same?

        Thank you so much Emma!

  4. This sounds great…unfortunately my wife is allergic to coconut. Do you by any chance have a recommendation for a substitute ingredient in its place?
    Thank you!

  5. Was just given this recipe by Dimity and absolutely love it so much. Thank you so much, Sending warmest wishes to you and your family. Sue E.

  6. Are the flax seeds used whole in this recipe? I was on another website that linked to your recipe and mentioned grinding flax seed is best. I assume you used the flax seeds whole in this recipe is this correct?

    1. Hi Cindy! The flaxseeds are whole in this recipe, though for some recipes they do work better ground. I’m curious where you found a link? Thx!

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