Bread Lovers: Here’s a Healthy, Easy Alternative You’ll Actually Enjoy

Wholesome baking doesn’t have to be hard

There are times when you know the only thing that will satisfy you is a good old cheese toast or a baguette spread thickly with garlic butter.

Bread is a simple comfort to harried professionals, stress-eaters and those who don’t like cooking. According to some, without bread, “civilisation wouldn’t exist in the way we know it today”. While I’m not sure I’d go that far, I’m certainly glad it was invented.

Sadly, modern commercial bread contains far more additives and enzymes than it needs to. As this article explains, the possibilities include everything from preservatives such as calcium propionate, to reducing agents which may be sourced from animal feathers, to bleach — yes, you read that right.

All of this isn’t to say we should stop buying our bread from the supermarket — I certainly can’t do without it. However, it does suggest we could take an extra minute, where possible, to look at the ingredients and select options that are kinder to our bodies.

If you want to go a step further and prove to yourself that baking your own hearty, wheat-free, yeast-free bread isn’t as hard as you think, try this recipe from the Plant Based Jess blog.

It’ll take you 15 minutes to create the dough. It does require an hour and 20 minutes in the oven, so it can be more efficient to time its preparation alongside other items you need to bake.

You need 2 cups of buckwheat flour (you can play with alternatives), 1/4 cup chia seeds (soak these in 1 1/2 cups water for about 10 minutes), 1/4 cup nut butter, 3 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt (I like to add a touch more salt). That’s it!

Buckwheat is high in fibre and nutrients, chia seeds contribute antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids and the nut butter brings creamy goodness to the mix. You can add a generous helping of sunflower seeds to the dough if you like — I’d recommend this.

I’ve tested this bread twice and enjoyed it with cream cheese and salmon. It’s wholesome and filling and lasted outside the fridge for at least 4 days).

For other simple recipes like this, I’d suggest checking out Minoo Makes Stuff on Instagram. She shares a variety of recipes in which she excludes any unnecessary ingredients — I’d suggest starting with her 3-ingredient bagels.

If you choose to attempt this bread, whether you do it once or a few times, try to enjoy the process fully. Be mindful not to make it yet another reason to guilt yourself about not cooking enough or not eating healthily enough. Instead, use it as a reminder that you’re constantly learning and doing your best.

More than this, let it remind you of the satisfying nature of this staple food — it satisfies our souls, no matter where we may source it from.

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