Recipe: Naturally Sassy’s Quinoa And Chia Bread

As the colder days draw closer we’ll start swapping juices for teas and salads for soups. Comfort food is definitely where it’s at, but filling up on glutinous carbs can often leave you feeling bloated and lethargic.

Luckily, this quinoa and chia bread recipe, taken from Naturally Sassy by Saskia Gregson-Williams, is “gluten-free and has a very different texture to regular bread. Plus, it’s ideal for anyone who doesn’t have a bread maker and wants an easy recipe for a loaf to eat over the next few days.”

Best eaten either toasted, or sliced and baked in the oven, it’s the perfect energy booster. But take our advice and bake two loaves… one is just never enough!

Ingredients:

(makes 1 loaf)

• 340g (2 cups) quinoa
• 120g (¾cup) chia seeds
• 240ml (1 cup) water
• 60ml (¼cup) extra-virgin
• olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Generous pinch of salt
• 70g (½cup) mixed seeds for sprinkling

Method:

1. The night before you plan on baking the bread, you need to soak the quinoa and chia seeds. Place each in separate bowls, then pour the 240ml/1 cup water over the chia seeds and enough water over thequinoa to cover well. Place both bowls in the fridge to soak overnight.
2. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 3, then grease a 450g loaf tin with olive oil and line with baking parchment.
3. Drain the quinoa, then place half the quinoa in a blenderwith the chia seeds, bicarbonate of soda, honey ormaple syrup, olive oil and lemon juice. Blend until the mixture is almost smooth, then stir in the other half of the quinoa.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and scatter the mixed seeds over the top. Place in theoven and bake for around 70 minutes, or until you can stick a skewer or sharp knife into the loaf and it comes out clean.

Recipe taken from ‘Naturally Sassy‘, published by Ebury Press.