Lupin & Linseed Loaf

Craving a savoury bread is quite a challenge to overcome when you are not eating grains of any kind. Commercial gluten free breads are filled with nasties that often make the bread worse for us than their glutenous counterparts. And those breads that don't have other grains are generally nut or coconut flour based. Those with nut allergies can't have it or the bread is too sweet.

I decided to create a savoury bread that would hopefully have the ability to be toasted without crumbling to pieces. So here it is, my lupin and linseed loaf.

Lupins are part of the legume family. They are high in protein, dietary fibre and antioxidants, making them a great alterniatve to wheat in cooking. Although they are part of the legume family, they contain negligible amounts of trypsin inhibitors (known to interefere with digestion) often found in other legumes. Studies of Australian sweet lupins have revealed they suppress appetite, low the glycemic load of carbohydrate based foods and improve bowel health, just to note a few benefits. And for those following a Starch free diet, lupins are completely devoid of starch.

Linseeds (aka flax seeds) are high in dietary fibre as well as Omega-3 fatty acids. Paired with lupin flour it is full of healthy and tasty ingredients, that makes it a winner all around.

Equipment:

- Glass bowl
- Sieve
- Bread loaf tin
- Wire cooling rack
- Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

- 1 cup lupin flour
- 1 cup linseed meal
- 1 Tbs baking soda
- 1 tsp dried chives
- 1 Tbs Himalayan pink salt
- 4 eggs (small-medium in size)
- 1.5-2 Tbs honey
- 1 Tbs coconut oil

- spare coconut oil or butter

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 150°C/300°F.

2. Sift lupin flour and baking soda into a bowl with the linseed meal. Add dried chives and salt and whisk together until even combined.

3. Add remaining ingredients and combine using a spoon until evenly mixed.

4. Grease the loaf tin with coconut oil or butter to prevent the mixture from sticking during cooking.

5. Place mixture into the loaf pan and smooth out as much as possible. The mixture is quite thick so this may take a minute. Place in the oven for 45-50 mins.

6. Check if it is cooked by sticking a skewer through the middle of the loaf. The skewer should come out clean. If not, put back in for another 5 minutes and check again.

7. Take out of the oven and remove loaf from the tin. I usually do this using an egg flip to separate from the sides and bottom (in case a little bit got stuck). Place the loaf onto the cooling rack to cool.

*At this stage the sides of the loaf should feel slightly hard. They should harden a little more as it cools. If you want it a little harder you can put the loaf back in the over as is for 5 minutes.

Serve with a spread of toppings of your choice. I have used jams as well as toasted it under the grill topped with ham and cheese. It's completely up to you. You can try adding other herbs to use as a savoury side to a meal or you can use sweeter ingredients (perhaps add some soft fruit) to make a sweet bread.

Have fun experimenting with different flavours. Post a comment to let me know how it turns out.