Buckwheat and Chia Bread

A user friendly no-knead bread loaf, and vegan by default. This yeast free bread is very healthy as buckwheat and chia seeds are naturally gluten-free. Buckwheat has a unique and distinct taste that can be difficult to describe, but it is often described as nutty, earthy, and slightly bitter. Some people also detect a hint of sweetness in the flavour of buckwheat. 

When cooked, buckwheat has a slightly chewy texture and a nutty flavour that can be enhanced with the right addition of spices or herbs. 

The alchemy of our 14th century blend SOFRITO  with a mix of herbs, spices, ground dehydrated fruits and vegetables provides the perfect balance. You can see all of the ingredients when you click on the SOFRITO link above. The nutmeg compliments the nuttiness of the buckwheat with its nutty symmetry. The thyme has a slightly minty, herbaceous flavour that pairs well with buckwheat in savoury recipes and a ever so slight garlic undertone adds a savoury, pungent, flavour which enhances the nuttiness of buckwheat flour. 

This loaf is slightly dense, but you can toast it, however butter needs to be soft as it can be a bit crumbly. Nevertheless, it is delicious on its own with a bowl of soup such as our rich tomato soup. Certainly give it a go with some cream cheese or simple scramble egg. The SOFRITO absolutely reduces the harsh earthiness that can come from buckwheat flour. 

Method

1. Personally we would recommend the chia seeds as it cuts through the density of the buckwheat, adding an extra dimension. In a bowl, stir the chia seeds with 1 cup of water and set aside for 20 minutes until it turns to a jelly like consistency. 
2. Preheat your oven to 180  degrees C. Lightly grease a 8x3 inch loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper or coat with a thin layer of breadcrumbs. 
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add the remaining 2/3 cup of water, neutral oil, gel like chia seeds and the SOFRITO spice blend and an optional 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds. We would suggest folding the mixture into itself or mixing by hand with a spatula. Do not be tempted to overmix, as they will inhibit the bread rising properly. 
4. Spoon the sticky dough into the lined loaf tin (8x4 inch). You can smoothy out evenly with the spatula and lift and drop the loaf tin on the work surface a couple of times. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds over the wet loaf mix. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Check after 1 hour as depending on the oven the skewer may come out clean earlier. 
5. Remove from the oven and lift the loaf out of the tin and leave on a wire rack or chopping board to cool. 
6. Slice and enjoy. The butter will need to be soft if you decide to have with butter. 

N.B. 

• During the pandemic we reduced the buckwheat flour to 200g and added 100g of Flaxseed baking flour. This worked very well, but we would only recommend this if you happen to have flaxseed baking flour in your pantry. 
• Slightly unorthodox , but we often eat artichokes in our household. The oil that housed the vegetables in the jar lent itself to this recipe very well, as it was very neutral.  
• The bread will last for 5 days in a sealed container and it also freezes well. Good for batch cooking.