Nut and Seed Bread

Why Should You Make This Recipe? 

If you are a fan of roasted nuts and enjoy consuming superfood-packed seeds, you are in for a treat. Because this healthy nut and seed bread recipe is packed with those and more. But that is not all! Here are a few more reasons why you should give it a go:

• Low carb: While all nut breads are high in protein, my nut & seed bread is also low carb! Served in slices, it is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack when you need an extra energy boost.
• Gluten Free and Keto-Friendly: This vegan nut bread loaf is free of eggs, dairy, and flour. It’s gluten free and with a few minor adjustments, it’s easily adaptable to be keto-friendly, too! 
• Easy to customize: You can take this basic recipe and customize it with what you have on hand. Don’t care for pumpkin puree? Use my unsweetened applesauce. Not a fan of walnuts? Use pecans (or even a mixture of nuts). Sky’s the limit to make it your own.
• Wholesome and Nutritious: This gluten free seed bread is nutritious and packed with healthy fats and superfoods like chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds. Plus, it’s high in protein, which means it is very filling and it goes great with any meal including your favorite soups and salads!
• Perfect Meal Prep: It stores and freezes well so you can make a batch over the weekend and enjoy it throughout the week.

Ingredients:

This list of ingredients might look long, but they are mostly ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry.

To start, grab raw walnuts, pumpkin seeds, old fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free certified), dried cranberries, whole flaxseeds, psyllium husks (also known as psyllium whole husks), chia seeds, kosher salt, ground cinnamon and nutmeg, unsweetened pumpkin puree, water, maple syrup, and vegetable oil. 

Substitutions & Variations:

• Switch up the nuts: The recipe below uses raw walnuts and pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) but you can play with your favorite nut and seed combinations. Chopped raw almonds and raw sunflower seeds is another delicious combination.
• Dried fruits: I used dried cranberries (sweetened with orange juice) but you can use any of your favorite dried fruits. Dried apricots, raisins, and even dried figs would work. 
• Change up the spices: It’s easy to change the flavor profile of this recipe if you’re not a fan of cinnamon or nutmeg.Other spices like ground ginger, cardamom, or even cloves would all go well in this bread.
• Vegetable Oil: You can use coconut oil (melted and cooled), avocado oil, a light olive oil, or sunflower oil in this recipe.
• Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use unsweetened pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling. If you are not a fan of pumpkin you can also use applesauce.
• To make it keto friendly: If you’re on a keto diet simply omit the dried fruit in the recipe and use an equal amount of erythritol syrup instead of maple syrup to make this nut & seed bread keto-friendly. 
• Whole flaxseeds: You do not need to grind your flaxseeds for this recipe.

How to Make This Low Carb High Protein Bread?

1. Roast the nuts & seeds: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spread walnuts and pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and roast until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2. Mix the dry ingredients: Place all the dry ingredients; cooled walnuts and pumpkin seeds, oats, cranberries, flaxseeds. Psyllium husks, chia seeds, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
3. Add in the wet ingredients: Stir in the pumpkin puree, water, maple syrup, and oil. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are mixed with the wet ones.

4. Let it rest: Line a 9X5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray. Transfer the dough into the loaf pan rounding slightly on top. Be aware that it will not rise in the oven as it bakes. Cover with stretch film and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours upto 8 hours.
5. Bake: When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. If preferred, sprinkle it with sesame seeds and bake it for 1 hour 15 minutes. Be aware that the finished product will turn golden brown and feel firm to the touch. Let cool completely and then slice before serving.

How to Serve 

There are so many great ways to serve this vegan nut bread loaf and below are a few of my favorite ways to share it with my family and friends:

• Spread it with cheese: A generous amount of mascarpone or cream cheese spread over this nut and seed bread is guaranteed to satisfy. But if you want to treat yourself, then try my maple cream cheese frosting.
• With your favorite nut butter and/or jam on top: If you prefer to take the vegan route, try it with a generous spread of your favorite almond or peanut butter or jam. 
• Serve it as a part of your meat and cheese board: Slice it and make it a part of your holiday cheese boards to serve with your favorite fruits, dips and spreads.
  

How to Store, Freeze, and Thaw

This no flour nut bread stores well, which is one of the reasons why I always include it as a part of my weekly meal prep.

• To Store: Bring it to room temperature, slice it, enjoy some and place the leftovers in an air-tight container. Store it in the fridge for upto 2 weeks. When ready to serve, heat it in your toaster oven.
• To Freeze: Slices of this nut and seed bread can be placed in an airtight container and frozen for up to two months. Just make sure it is fully cooled to room temperature before freezing.
• To Thaw: Take it out of the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes and toast in the oven or in your toaster.

Expert Tips

Here are a few helpful tips to help you make this healthy nut bread recipe:

• Prep it before bed: If you think that the waiting part is the hardest, do what I do and make it right before bed. That way, when you wake up the next day all you have to do is to bake it and enjoy it for breakfast.
• Roasting Nuts: I get it. Roasting nuts requires an extra few minutes and you can skip the roasting part. However, doing so brings out the earthy flavors of the nuts and IMHO worth the effort.
• Let the bread cool completely: I know how hard it is to wait for freshly baked bread to cool, but it is a necessary step that should not be skipped.
• Not sure what your bread will look like when it’s done? Because this recipe doesn’t use flour or a leavening agent (like baking soda or baking powder), it doesn’t rise. Spread your dough artfully and it will look the same way when it’s finished baking in the oven!