"Quick Bread"

Delicious, wholesome wheat-and-gluten-free recipe. 
Does not contain yeast, refined sugar, seed oil, additives or binding agents, and can be made vegan. 

Many a time, people have asked me what is the best alternative to wheat and white bread, especially now that wheat –thanks to Monsanto and other poisonous nature-killer chemical producers – is getting a truly bad press. Wheat is making headlines on a near daily basis, and I believe for good reasons.
We are eating too much wheat and wheat products, gluten, often hidden in many ready-made meals and snacks, but also too often. A MAD (Modern American Diet) day looks somewhat a variation of this:

• Breakfast: Cereals/Toasts/Pancakes + SUGAR!!! + Caffeine (Tea/coffees/Energy drinks)
• Mid-morning snack: Chocolate bar/Biscuits + Caffeine
• Lunch: Sandwich/Crisps/Soda (often on-the-go or eaten at the desk) or carb-based canteen (highly processed, cooked "to extinction") food, for the lucky ones to have a staff restaurant on site. 
• Afternoon snack: Biscuits/Crackers/energy bar + Caffeine
• Dinner: Pasta (any which way) or Pizza, Bread – an no more than 2-5 portions of vegetables

   Recent research has also uncovered that wheat, once ingested, impacts directly on gut permeability. Causing tiny proteins in charge of the tight junctions between the cells of the gut wall to break/give in, allowing bigger molecules of food to enter the blood circulation, together with toxins and pathogenic microbes, which on the long run, may generate inflammation in the gut. It can also become systemic (widespread). Often symptoms include pain and aches in joints, thyroid issues and cognitive dysfunction (from brain fog, poor memory and concentration, to more severe conditions).
   Eating too much wheat and wheat products, and too often, will deeply affect the natural and most effective barrier that our gut is, protecting us from the outside environment.  
   
   In the light of this discovery, I am today inviting you to try a brand new version of bread – if you still cannot have a meal without it –, which is gluten-free, tasty, crusty and very easy to prepare. It tastes even better toasted and is amazing served with avocado and a poached egg. A great breakfast to keep you fuller for longer. 

   The recipe below contains eggs.
   If you prefer a vegan option, and keep it delicious, add 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks.
   This recipe is also yeast-free. 



Serves: 8–10

Equipment: bread tin, 2 kitchen bowls, wooden spoon/silicon spatula, pen-brush

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30–35 minutes

Recipe:

150 g Buckwheat Flour
150 ml Nut Milk (Almond, Hazelnut) or Oat Milk
100 g Teff Flour
2 eggs (room temperature) (or 2 tbsp Psyllium Husks)
1 handful mixed seeds (Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame)
1 handful Oat (or Buckwheat Flakes) (Optional)
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1 tbsp ground Flax/Linseeds
1 tbsp Molasses
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1. Warm oven to 180˚c and place the tin in the oven with 1 tsp of coconut oil. Once the coconut oil has melted, use the pen-brush and spread the oil onto every side of the tin*. Set aside to cool.

2. Make Vegan buttermilk by combining the milk and the vinegar together in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Keep 1–2 tbsp of seeds and half the portion of flakes to sprinkle over the loaf before baking. 

4. Melt the remaining coconut oil and with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula incorporate it gently into the buttermilk, together with the molasses. Add the beaten eggs and pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until well combined. 

5. Pour the mixture into the tin and tap it on the counter top to release any bubble. Sprinkle with the remaining seeds and flakes and with fingers press very gently to even the surface and allow for the seeds to stick. Bake for 15 minutes and reduce the oven temperature to 150˚c for a further 15 minutes. 

6. Turn the loaf upside down. Peel the parchment/greaseproof paper, if you have used it, and bake for another 5–10 minutes to form a crust. Insert a clean skewer. If it comes out clean the bread is cooked. Otherwise, bake for another 5 minutes and check again, wiping clean the skewer before inserting it again. The loaf should sound hollow when tapped with a finger, and feel light. Let to cool on a cooling rack and wait for, at least, 20 minutes before slicing it. 

Tip of the Chef: this bread recipe is extremely versatile and you can make it your own: adding walnuts, for example, will bring even more flavour. And if you are a cheese lover, you can also add a chopped semi-dry fig or two into the mix, to regal your tastebuds and of your guests, family or friends.

   
* If you do not trust your tin and to make it easier, you can line the bottom of the tin with parchment/greaseproof paper. Allow the coconut oil to melt on top. Use as directed and follow the recipe.