Seed and Nut Sandwich Bread

There’s no denying it: I love bread. I love sandwiches with bread. I love soup with a side of bread. I love bread drizzled with honey. I love bread.

Non-Paleo eaters chide me all the time: “don’t you miss bread?” But what they don’t know is that I can still love my bread and eat Paleo. In fact, I love my bread even more now, knowing that it is wholesome and good for me. So this seed and nut bread is one of my all-time favorite recipes.

In most breads, we’ve become used to wheat flour being the main ingredient. But for centuries, people have made bread out of other ground grains, nuts, and seeds. So this recipe takes a cue from the past and relies on only ground up nuts and seeds to provide the flour for our bread. The result is a gluten-free, Paleo-friendly, protein and fiber-rich, hearty, tasty loaf of goodness.

Almond meal and coconut flour form the basis of the flour-like ingredients. But then, we grind up sunflower, pumpkin, chia, and flax seeds to go along with the almond meal and coconut flour. This variety of seeds added to the nut flours adds a great texture to the final result, and also enhances the taste, as each of these seeds has their own subtle flavor. And they all go well together.

Most people are probably familiar with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but maybe less so with chia and flax seeds. Chia seeds are tiny black seeds that are astoundingly high in fiber for their size and they can be used in a lot of different ways. If you soak chia seeds overnight in water, they puff up and make a great thickener for smoothies or puddings.

Flax is one of the “ancient grains” and its seeds are flat, dark brown little things. They too have tons of fiber. So you can see how this bread is so good for you!

You may be curious about the addition of vinegar to this recipe. Don’t worry – you won’t even taste it in the final product. But it’s there for the same reason your junior high science teacher used it to help make the fake volcano explode: when vinegar meets baking soda, it makes bubbles. And these bubbles will move throughout your bread dough, making the final result light and fluffy. Skip the vinegar and you’ll be left with a pretty flat, solid rock of a loaf of bread. So make sure you add it in!

One reason I love this bread is that it brings so much to the party. Traditional bread is often kind of flavorless and almost always devoid of any substantial texture. This bread is wonderfully rich and nutty and is firm and chewy. You really feel like you’re eating something when you nibble on this bread – it’s not just a vessel for whatever you put on it – it’s part of the meal!

So load slices of this up with your favorite sandwich stuffings (I like roast beef, avocado, and tomato) or serve up a thick slice of it next to a hearty soup or stew. It will not only satiate any of your cravings for bread, but will make you happy and healthy at the same time.

(Make this next: Simple Paleo Sandwich Bread)