Hoo doggy this is some GOOD BREAD, everyone.  Wholesome awesomeness and gluten-free too!  Yep, I’ve discovered yet another wonderful vegan cookbook – Yum Universe, by Heather Crosby.  As many of you know, I am not vegan (nor am I gluten-free necessarily) but I do love experimenting and there’s no doubt those two eating styles make me feel super energetic.

I love to grocery shop, and when I see a recipe with a few ingredients I’ve never cooked with before, I grin big.  THIS is going to be an adventure.

• 1/2 C sesame seeds
• 1 C rolled oats
• 1/2 C pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 C almonds
• 1/4 C sunflower seeds
• 1/2 C chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
• 1/2 C poppy seeds
• 1/4 C chia seeds
• 3 T psyllium husk powder (use 1/4 C if you can only find the husks)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 T Sucanat (dried sugar cane juice)
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 C water

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the sesame seeds, oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds and sunflower seeds on the sheet and toast them in the oven for 7-10 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well (feel free to use your hands).  Form the dough into a ball and cover with a towel.  Let sit overnight, about 10-12 hours.

The next day, preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line a loaf baking dish with parchment paper.  Allow 1/2″ of paper to exceed the top edges of the loaf pan so you can easily lift it out once baked.

The dough will be very firm.  Using your hands and a little effort, shape into a rectangle and press the dough into the parchment-lined loaf pan, making sure it reaches all four corners.

Bake for 30 minutes and remove from the oven.  Lift loaf out of the pan by the parchment paper and set onto a baking sheet.  Flip your loaf, making sure parchment paper is flat underneath, and bake another 45-50 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Slice and experience heaven. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge.

fivenineteen notes: oh man, that won’t be the last time I make this bread!  Puts all others to shame!  I hit my local food co-op and loaded up on seeds!  Actually, “loaded up” is probably not the right term here.  They sell most of their seeds in the bulk foods section, so it was a snap to purchase only what I needed.

Given my 40-something eyes I didn’t notice a lot of the recipe notes when I read through it.  So if you didn’t notice to add 1/4 C psyllium husks if you can’t find them in flour form like me, your dough might be a little watery after adding the water.  But not to worry; in a few hours the dough absorbed all of the water and it was easy to scoop into my parchment-lined loaf pan and pop into the oven.

Your coconut oil will be in solid form at room temperature (unless you live in a hot climate).  Scoop a couple of tablespoons into a small glass bowl and microwave a few seconds to melt it before adding to the dough.

It’s easy to cut your parchment paper to size with kitchen shears.  Cut two strips – one to fit the pan horizontally and one to fit vertically.  Be sure to leave at least a 1/2″ extra so you can lift the baked loaf easily out of the pan.  Hooray for parchment paper!

Top your slice of bread with salad, your favorite spread and a pinch of salt or try it toasted.

Buon appetito!