Hearty, Healthy Gluten Free Bread That Will Change Your Life

As a health and Chiropractic professional, I was both intrigued and curious about the recipe that was titled ‘The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread’. I’m a person who enjoys bread but can easily go several days and weeks without having it and not necessarily miss it at all. However, when I was suddenly in a situation where I could not eat a wheat-based satisfying, lovely piece of bread, I was on a mission to find an even better substitute!

A person in our household has a severe allergy to gluten and despite our attempts to be a mostly gluten-free kitchen, there were inevitable cross contamination issues from unassuming crumbs in the toaster to an invisible swipe from toast to butter dab back to toast. In an effort to protect our loved one from terrible pains, uncomfortable audible peristalsis and resulting gas and major mood drops, we quit gluten altogether. The whole house went cold-turkey.

Enter extreme fails and extreme wins in the baking category. After weeks and months of miserable attempts, the grass on the wheat-side of the bakery fence seemed much greener! Never one to give up easily, I found this recipe and gave it a whirl. The outcome was glorious and this bread became my best win by far. I have exuberantly shared this recipe with family, friends and really anyone who will listen. Be fairly warned; it does not resemble in any way, shape or form a luxurious crusty Italian baguette to be dipped in a concentrated olive oil drizzled with aromatic balsamic vinegar. This bread is more akin to a dense, hearty pumpernickel loaf with a texture that requires some formidable mastication in the best possible way. The goodness of this bread oozes from the seeds, nuts, oils and oats. The smell in your kitchen when it is baking is divine; the process of making it is truly simple and quick – who can complain about a 1 pan wonder?

The flexibility of ingredients is also a plus in terms of substitutions. No hazelnuts or cashews? No problem! Almonds to the rescue! No flax? Try hemp! Should I use ghee or coconut oil or both? Once you try the recipe once, you will be able to gauge your preferences for certain flavors and truly make it your own.

It is a beautiful thing to have a gluten free, dairy free bread that is not only delicious but incredibly nutritious as well. The psyllium husk fiber coupled with the chia seeds act together to optimize GI health and the benefits of coconut oil are too many to list here (another topic for our holistic health blog, so stay tuned!). I personally enjoy my bread that DID change my life lightly toasted (in our GF toaster, of course), slathered with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and lightly dusted with either cinnamon or cocoa powder with a sprinkle of xylitol for sweetener. It is a powerhouse of a start to your day!

The recipe comes from a food blog a few years back: Life Changing Loaf of Bread and is absolutely worth a read to hear about the bread’s origins.

The Hemmett Health team encourages lifelong healthy habits to complement our approach to your musculoskeletal health. This anti-infammatory bread is an excellent choice to improve overall gut health, to help to shed a few unwanted pounds, and to pack your day with tons of energy. Give it a try today!