In today’s letter, we are revisiting one from the archives. This is one of my favourite recipes to pull out at this time of year. It has become a prerequesite for quiet autumnal weekends. The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread is cosy, comforting, and delicious.
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I was introduced to this bread when I visited my friend S. in Norway. I can’t think of that trip without recalling what I now associate with the taste of Scandinavia: smoked salmon, eggs, nutty bread, and strong coffee.
S. lives in Stavanger, a picturesque town located on Norway’s west coast. Norway is known for its breathtaking scenery, and I think it would be fair to say that Stavanger and its surrounding areas has more natural beauty than most. We ate this bread on nature trails as a snack and as breakfast in the cabin before we set off each day, which is to say it is versatile, and pairs excellently with coffee.
Because this bread is so healthy you are free — no, encouraged, to load it up with all kinds of flavour combos that really take it to the next level. My favourite remains smoked salmon and avocado, and if I have fresh herbs nearby I’ll generously garnish it with dill or parsley.
As soon as I arrived home in London, I got to work recreating it in my own kitchen, far from the fjords of Norway. The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread has a cult following, hence the name. You’ve likely heard of it before. Sarah Britton created it for her blog, My New Roots, and let me just say it is the easiest bread recipe that I’ve ever made.
Each time I make it, it takes me back to Scandinavia and if I concentrate hard enough, I can phase out the hum of London and instead pretend I am atop a Norwegian fjord.
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks or 3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or honey
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water
Firstly, you want to take all your dry ingredients and combine them in a bowl. Put your dry ingredient mixture to one side. Mix the water, coconut oil or ghee, and honey in a separate bowl. Or, if you’re a little lazy like me, chuck them straight into the dry ingredients bowl because they’re all heading there together eventually.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix, mix, mix, until it is all combined. You want the mixture to be a little ‘sticky’, but not ‘gluggy.’ Add a little extra water here if you need.
Once your powers are all combined, place the mixture into a greased loaf pan. I like to grease my pans with coconut oil or ghee, depending on what I have on hand. Cover the loaf pan and leave it on the side to vibe for at least 2-hours, although you can leave it for longer if that’s your jam.
Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius. Then, bake the loaf for 20 minutes. After this, remove the bread from the pan and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes on a baking rack.
Go with your gut, and trust that your bread is ready when it’s golden brown on the outside and crispy on all the little edges. Leave to cool for a short while before slicing and enjoying with all the delicious toppings your little heart desires.
All images via My New Roots
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