I saw a tv programme a while back which made a bread out of sprouted buckwheat. I couldn't find the recipe anywhere, so I decided to try and my own version. I need a bread which is grain-free, dairy-free and egg-free. Not an easy feat! I've been making my Paleo Bread recipe for a while, but I needed a change. I definitely prefer this new bread.
Interestingly, buckwheat is not actually a grain, even though it has "wheat" in its name. Buckwheat is a seed. Buckwheat is a pseudocereal, which is a type of grain that doesn't grow on grasses like other cereals, yet is used in a similar way. It is gluten-free, a good source of fiber, and rich in minerals and various plant compounds, especially rutin.
Chia seeds are often referred to as a “superfood”. Chia seeds come from the plant Salvia hispanica L., and were at one time a major food crop in Mexico and Guatemala. Chia seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, iron, and calcium. They are contain a decent amount of protein. By weight, they’re about 14% protein, which is very high compared to most plants.
Ingredients:
240g raw buckwheat seeds
35g raw unsoaked chia seeds
Water
30ml coconut oil
30ml coconut flour
10ml baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200ml mixed seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and flax seeds)
Soak the buckwheat and the chia seeds in water, overnight until they swell and absorb the water. If you are in a rush and you need to speed up the process, soak the seeds in hot water and you will be able to use them in about an hour. You will need significantly more water with the chia seeds compared to the buckwheat as these little miracles absorb something like 10 times their own weight in water. Once fully soaked, the chia seeds almost look like little fish eggs and will have a slimy, almost egg-white, gel around them. This is what is going to bind the bread so beautifully.
I put the dry seeds together in a 1 litre jug and then I pour water into the seeds mixture until the total volume reads 900ml, including the seeds. This gives just enough water to allow the seeds to swell to maximum capacity and it's all in one jug, which saves washing up. Give it all a good stir, as the chia seeds tend to form clumps otherwise. Photos below show the buckwheat and chia separately, but rather do it together.
In a food processor, blend the seeds together with all of the other ingredients except the baking powder and the seeds. Blend this together for quite a while until it forms a porridge-like consistency. When you are satisfied that it has been blended enough, add the baking powder and the other seeds and mix it just enough to get the baking powder evenly spread throughout. If you over-mix at this point, you run the risk of making a flop!
Grease a bread tin. Pour the bread mixture inside and let it level itself out.
Bake at 180'C for 40 to 50 minutes. What I like to do, is cook the bread until a skewer comes out clean. Then I remove the bread from the bread tin and I pop the bread back into the oven, with the heat turned off (while it cools down) so that the base of the bread cooks just a little more. I find it tends to be a little soft otherwise.
When the bread is cool, you should be able to make beautiful thin slices which are best toasted. The bread has a beautiful nutty taste and is especially good topped with bacon and avocado.
