Seed Packed Bread
Who doesn't love fresh baked bread?!
This bread was a HUGE hit with my family and friends. The loaf was gone in less than a week and I already have requests to make it again.
One reason why I decided to make this recipe is because I dislike bread that isn’t homemade. My mom always used to make me wraps instead of sandwiches as a kid, because I couldn’t stand many breads. These experiences led me to find a bread recipe that was easy, delicious and also beneficial to my health.
One of the many reasons why this bread is a great alternative to classic white or wheat bread, is because it is jam packed with seeds. This bread recipe contains sunflower seeds, caraway seeds, flax seeds and black sesame seeds. I think seeds are often overlooked as a nutritionally beneficial food, but they are a major powerhouse and should be included in everyone’s day to day diet. For one, they contain B vitamins, dietary fiber, magnesium and more.
It was a fellow graduate student of mine who encouraged me to incorporate seeds into my diet regimen. She provided me with a ton of research that suggested that seeds were a great addition to an individual’s diet that struggle with instances of stress. Following this, my classmate and teacher created a diet plan for me that that had me eating seeds on a day to day basis. Since then I have always incorporated some type of seed into my diet regimen.
Flax seeds specifically, are known to support individuals who struggle with hot flashes. When working with clients who experience hot flashes, I always suggest incorporating these seeds into their diet regimen. Two tablespoons of flax seeds daily can decrease the severity and instances of hot flashes. So, there are number of different health concerns that seeds can support, which is why I will continue to rave about them and encourage individuals to incorporate them into their diets.
This recipe is delicious and a fun way to incorporate seeds into your diet. My family enjoyed the bread the most when it was toasted and had a little grass fed butter or almond butter spread across it…TRY IT! You will not be disappointed!
Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 cups of whole wheat flour
-2 cups of spelt flour
-1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds
*Can toast in oven at 350 degress F or toast on stove top. Can take 6-12 minutes...it varies so keep checking on them and take them out when they have browned.
-1/2 cup of black sesame seeds
-2 tablespoons of caraway seeds
-2 tablespoons of flax seeds
-2 teaspoons of baking powder
-1 teaspoon of baking soda
-2 teaspoons of salt
-1 ½ cup of milk (needs to be at room temperature)
-3/4 cup of buttermilk (needs to be at room temperature)
-2 ½ tablespoons of honey
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat loaf pan (9x5 inch.) with olive oil and then line with parchment paper (leave some paper hanging on the sides). Coat the parchment paper with olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, add the flours, black sesame seeds, sunflower seeds (toasted), caraway seeds, flax seeds, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk contents together.
3. In a separate bowl, add the milk, buttermilk, honey and olive oil. Stir until the honey is dissolved.
4. Using a mixer, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix for approximately 1 minute.
5. Add contents to the loaf pain.
*I added another teaspoon of all the different seeds to the top of the contents before putting it in the oven.
6. Bake for approximately 65 minutes. Make sure to rotate the pan halfway through.
7. Use a tooth pick to check if the bread is done (tooth pick will come out clean). Let bread cool for 20 minutes before cutting into slices.
All done!
