Gluten-Free Bread: Rich with Seeds, Dense with Nutrition, and Ready for Picnics

Picnic weather is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. That means portable food that travels well, that is as good to look at as it is to eat, and that is as versatile as possible in terms of suiting diverse dietary needs. Have a gluten-free guest but want everyone else to enjoy the spread? Enter this seed-rich, gluten-free bread, a loaf whose recipe I have been tinkering with to hit that sweet spot of not-too-dense, not-too-low-in-profile, just-tall-enough, slices-perfectly, toasts-exceptionally, and actually-tastes-like-bread. It accommodates seasonally shifting flavors but can also be a steady workhorse without any esoteric variations.

This recipe for gluten-free bread bakes well as one large brick (it really is dense) or as three small, appetizer-friendly loaves.

This flourless, gluten-free bread is dense and heavy (literally) with seeds. Its heft is made up of a mixture of sunflower seeds, supported by buckwheat and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I also like to use sesame and poppy seeds, as well as wild seeds in season (lambs quarter, or Japanese knotweed). Foraged flavors—like cattail pollen, ragweed flowers, and dried sweet clover—speak to its seasonal versatility. If there is a secret to its nutty goodness, it is toasting all the raw seeds in a skillet for a few minutes before the bread ingredients are mixed and baked. Toasting brings out their flavor.

Instead of the gluten from wheat flour, psyllium acts as a binder; it is the seed husk of Plantago species (commonly known as plantain, a lawn “weed”). You can make your own if you have the patience to collect, dry, and grind the seeds, or you can buy psyllium in stores or online. Tahini adds a richness to the bread, and grinding a portion of the toasted seeds offers a sense of flour, but without flour. Optional honey or maple syrup helps brown the gluten-free bread as it bakes.

Gluten-Free Seed Bread

Makes one 9 x 5-inch loaf or three 6 x 3 ¾-inch loaves

Feel free to use a combination of any* seeds: I  like these loaves to be heavy on sunflower, both for its flavor and nutritional aspects. As supporting seeds, pumpkin and buckwheat are outstanding. For the seed-flour, a spice grinder is essential.

* Seeds I avoid for this bread include amaranth and flax. The first is too sharp and gritty in this application, and the second has a strong flavor that dominates the others.

• 3 cups raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 ¼ cups buckwheat
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/3 cup poppy seed (or sesame)
• ¼ cup Plus 1 Tablespoon psyllium
• 1 ¼  teaspoons sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon dried sweet clover (Melilotus alba), cattail pollen , or bee balm (optional)
• ½ cup tahini
• 2 ½  cups water
• 3 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a loaf pan or pans with baking parchment, leaving the ends a few inches above the pan sides so you can lift out the loaf easily.

Combine all the seeds in a large pan or skillet. Toast them over medium heat until they smell good—about 5 minutes. Stir well several times to make sure the seeds at the bottom don’t scorch.

Measure ½ cup of the toasted seeds and grind them to a powder in a spice grinder. Add this powder to all the toasted seeds in a large mixing bowl. Add the psyllium, the salt, and the wild herbs if using. Stir well.

Mix the tahini with some of the water in a smaller bowl or jug until it is smooth, then add the rest of the water to it gradually. Pour this tahini mixture into the dry ingredients, add the honey or maple syrup, if using, and stir very well. Let this wet mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken, as the psyllium absorbs a lot of moisture.

Spoon the thickened mixture into the lined loaf pan or pans and smooth it evenly, using the back of a wet spoon, until flat. The bread does not rise at all, so your loaf will be as tall as the pan is full.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The top should be turning pale brown.

Remove from the oven and leave in the loaf pan for a couple of minutes before lifting the loaf free. Cool on a wire rack. When completely cool it is ready to slice.

Toast tip: Because this gluten free bread is is very dense and seed-heavy, it takes longer to toast than bread made from wheat flour. Toast at a lower temperature so that you don’t scorch it, and toast for longer than you usually do.

See also:

• A No-Knead Focaccia for Thanksgiving and Beyond
• No-Knead Field Garlic Naan: A Recipe for Wild Comfort
• Persimmons: A Seasonal Spice Bread Recipe to Celebrate