Name: Flourless Nut and Seed Loaf
Total time: 5 h 45 min
Ingredients: 1 cup sunflower seeds; 1 cup sliced almonds; ½ cup pepitas; 1¾ cups (5¼ ounces/149 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats; ¼ cup whole flaxseeds; 3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk; 1½ cups water; 3 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; ¾ teaspoon salt

Why This Recipe Works

The secret to this bread's structure is powdered psyllium husk, a plant fiber with strong binding properties when hydrated. We toasted our nuts and seeds to enhance their flavor, mixed in oats, flaxseeds, and psyllium, plus canola oil and maple syrup for a hint of sweetness, and let everything hydrate for two hours in a loaf pan. We baked the loaf briefly to set the outside, then turned it out onto a wire rack to finish baking, which promoted evaporation, avoiding a wet center. The outcome? A loaf full of protein, fiber, and healthy fats, perfect for snacking or breakfast.

Before You Begin

Do not use quick, instant, or thick-cut oats in this recipe. Both brown and golden flaxseeds will work well here. Note that this recipe calls for an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, the loaf will not be quite as tall.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sunflower seeds, almonds, and pepitas on rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer toasted nut-seed mixture to bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in oats, flaxseeds, and psyllium. In separate bowl, whisk water, oil, maple syrup, and salt together until well combined. Using rubber spatula, stir water mixture into nut-seed mixture until completely incorporated.

Line bottom of 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with canola oil spray. Scrape mixture into pan. Using wet hands, press dough into corners and smooth top. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until mixture is fully hydrated and cohesive, about 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic and bake loaf for 20 minutes.

Invert loaf onto wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Remove loaf pan and discard parchment. Bake loaf (still inverted) until deep golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped, 35 to 45 minutes.

Let loaf cool completely on rack, about 2 hours. Serve. (Loaf can be stored at room temperature, uncovered, for up to 3 days; do not wrap. It can also be wrapped in double layer of plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.)