I rest inside the hope of odds to come

In Harmony, Ásgeir

Gluten free, vegan, paleo (adapted from My New Roots)

Lately my quarter life stirrings have reached an all time high. Maybe my Saturn return has arrived (two years early!) or maybe the Universe is running me through a series of tests. Whatever it is, I’ve been yearning for a change – and all at once excited and terrified by what the great unknown can bring. So I decided to stop playing small and I applied for a U.S B-2 Travel Visa (three months of flirting with the idea, a $220 fee and a 112-question application form later). In the nerve-wrecking lead up to my U.S Consulate visa interview of late nights and obsessive Googling I was hardly able to enjoy any food.

When my visa was approved – I simultaneously rejoiced and made Sarah Britton’s ‘life-changing’ recipe to celebrate my life-changing news! The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread sounds like a bold name for a baked medley of nuts and seeds but it really does deliver on the promise. This gluten free, vegan, paleo, high fibre and yeast free wonder bread is easy to make, highly nutritious and outrageously delicious.

I adapted the recipe to what I had in my pantry – in this case pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds and activated buckwheat kernels instead of rolled oats (because unlike the rest of the world, Australian oats are cross contaminated and contain gluten). It is genuinely a joy to make: pop on a playlist, gather all the jars of miscellaneous nuts and seeds, combine ingredients in one bowl (genius), mix, leave on bench overnight, bake the next day in the oven, eat a slice and not feel an ounce of bloating, heaviness or the gluten highs and lows (a rollercoaster you do not want to be on, trust me).

One simple bread loaf, endless breakfast inspiration. I’ve been experimenting with various toppings and have found these yum flavour combinations to work a treat:  1) goats cheese with sliced pear and bee pollen 2) avocado with black sesame seeds 3) cashew and peanut butter with plum jam and 4) almond butter with honey and cinnamon.

In short: a life-changing (slice of) toast to following the call of your heart and to saying yes and figuring it out later!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups buckwheat kernels (I use Loving Earth organic activated buckinis)
1 cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup hazelnuts or almonds (mix if you like)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
4 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 ½ cups water 

METHOD

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients, stirring well.

Whisk maple syrup, melted coconut oil and water together in another bowl. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is combined and dough becomes very thick.

Line a loaf pan with baking paper, press the mixture in and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Leave on the kitchen bench either all day or overnight.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove bread from loaf pan and discard the baking paper. Place the bread upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30 minutes. The bread aroma will fill the house and it is ready when it sounds hollow when tapped (crazy, but true).

Let cool completely before slicing and accidentally devour half the loaf from sheer excitement.

LOVE NOTES

Bread can be stored in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. I refrigerated it at the three-day mark and found it toasts best in a sandwich press.

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