Date, Walnut + Pecan Buckwheat Bread
Date, Walnut + Pecan Buckwheat Bread
This is a twist on my standard No-Knead Buckwheat Bread. Instead of mixed seeds, it uses sticky dates, crispy nuts, sweet cinnamon and honey. It is absolutely perfect alongside a cuppa in the sunshine on your doorstep (with plenty of butter).
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups raw buckwheat groats
1 cup filtered water (we use a Berkey filter for all our drinking, cooking and soaking water)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon fine salt (pink Himalayan or Celtic sea salt)
2 heaped teaspoons of aluminum-free baking powder (gluten free). I use Doves Farm. **Make sure you use baking powder. Pure bicarbonate of soda won’t work here - it cause the bread to darken unevenly and alters the taste and rise**
4 tablespoons olive oil
75g pitted dates, chopped
50g walnuts (ideally ‘crispy’ activated for better digestion, but not essential. Recipe here.)
50g pecan nuts (‘crispy’ activated for better digestion, but not essential)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 tablespoons raw honey
Instructions
Soak buckwheat groats overnight (in additional filtered water). You can also leave them for longer, until they begin to sprout. Sprouting will increase the nutrient content but isn’t necessary for digestibility.
Once soaked, strain and rinse the buckwheat. Place the sieve of buckwheat over the same bowl, to drain.
Line a loaf tin with chlorine-free parchment paper (I use a brand called ‘If You Care’). Or butter the loaf tin well. You can also use coconut oil.
Preheat oven to 200ºc (180ºc fan).
Pour 1 cup filtered water into a jug or bowl. Add the chia seeds and psyllium husk and stir well. Leave for 10 minutes, until congealed.
Place rinsed and drained buckwheat in food processor (I use a Magi-mix). I don’t use a blender for this - I think it would be too much for the groats and may affect the recipe. If you don’t have a food processor, I can’t guarantee the same results.
Add congealed chia seed and psyllium husk mixture.
Add salt, baking powder, olive oil, cinnamon and honey.
Combine in food processor until it forms a smooth, dough-like batter.
Add the chopped dates and whole nuts at this stage. Pulse the food processor only a few times - just to combine. You don’t want to end up chopping them too finely.
Spoon/spatula the mixture into the loaf tin.
Make sure your oven is fully pre-heated. It is important to get this in at a high heat, so it rises fully.
Place on the top shelf of the oven and cook for 90 minutes. The loaf should rise well and get a nice, firm, slightly cracked crust.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the loaf tin before removing to cool on a wire rack.
It’s best just sliced when you need it and it will keep well. We store it in a bread bin or glass container on the counter top for 3-4 days. It is good as it is and can also be toasted. The loaf freezes really well - pre-sliced. Just slice then store in bags or tubs in the freezer and remove for toasting when needed.
