Classic Flax Bread Recipes

BASIC FLAXSEED BREAD (FLAX SEED BREAD)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Stir in the warm water, honey and olive oil until it forms soft dough. Turn out dough onto a floured surface, add more flour if dough is too sticky and knead dough for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes in a warm place.
• On a floured surface cut dough in half. Roll dough to form a French bread like loaf. Place on a baking sheet lined with nonstick liner. Lightly flour the bottom of loaf and place on liner. Cover again with clean towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. I found this took much longer for me.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake loaves for 30 minutes or until sounds hollow when tapped on bottom.

FLAXSEED BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, yeast and salt. In a large saucepan, heat the milk, brown sugar, honey and 2 tablespoons butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in ground and whole flaxseed until blended. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a firm dough. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a loaf; place in a 9x5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Melt remaining butter; brush over bread. Cool.

FLAXSEED BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C.
• Grind the flaxseeds into very fine flour. Ideally, sift the flaxseed flour to make sure there are no actual "seeds".
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the apple cider vinegar and water, and stir until the flaxseed meal becomes sticky and holds together in a lump, for about 30 seconds. Then use your hands to roughly form the dough into a loaf shape. (Don't over-knead the dough. Handle it as little as possible). The loaf should have a nice smooth surface.
• Place the loaf into a greased (or parchment paper-lined) loaf pan. The bread fits perfectly into a 1-pound loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5"). However, if you only have 1.5-pound loaf pan (10" x 5") - like I do - it will work just fine. (If you're working with the larger size loaf pan, form the loaf, place it into the loaf pan, but don't press it into the corners). You can also use a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. The bread holds its shape during baking really well, so the loaf pan is not necessary.
• Mist with water and sprinkle some seeds on top (I use a mix of flaxseeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds). Gently press down on the seeds with your palm to make them stick better.
• Note: if you watched the video that goes with this recipe, I said that I let the bread rest, covered, for a few minutes. Well, if you're using the baking soda, you want to do the opposite. When you mix baking soda (base) with apple cider vinegar (acid), you get a chemical reaction. A product of this reaction is carbon dioxide, producing a lift in your baked goods. The reaction starts as soon as the base and the acid are mixed. So, get the bread in the oven immediately after you mix the two, before the reaction tapers off.
• Bake the bread for 60 minutes. The crust should be golden brown (if using golden flaxseeds).
• Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool inside the loaf pan for 10 minutes. Transfer the bread on a cooling rack, and let it cool completely before slicing.
• Store the flaxseed bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 days. For longer term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to slice the bread prior to freezing, but you can freeze the whole loaf as well.