Tomorrow, I’ll be flying from Toronto to Vancouver and then from Vancouver to Portland, on my merry way to the Vida Vegan Conference! I seriously can’t wait. In my typical fashion, I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety about this trip, but I’m sure I’ll be having too much fun to even notice it. I mean, come on – it’s Portland – only one of the most vegan friendly cities in the world! I’m looking forward to meeting the wonderful people behind many of the blogs I read each day.
Of course, before all the fun happens the traveling has to take place. If I’m going to be traveling for 9-10 hours, I want to have something exciting to look forward to (and of course I mean healthy, great-tasting food). What is it about being trapped on a plane that makes me so hungry? With just a little preparation, I’ll be feasting like a queen. A good book, music, and in-flight TV never hurts either!
This week I racked my brain to think of a new food to bring on the flights. At first, I thought of my Endurance Crackers, but then I decided they were slightly too delicate for travel. I played around with the recipe and this is what I came up with. I’m happy to say this power bread turned out exactly as I hoped. It’s bursting with chia seeds (1 tablespoon per slice!) and it also happens to be gluten and nut-free, making it friendly for many travelers. Best of all, it’s perfectly sturdy for travel.
Plus, it’s only 5 minutes to prep which is a huge bonus, especially when getting ready for a flight. Just like my Endurance Crackers, you simply dump the ingredients into a bowl and stir in water. After that, I spread it into a 9-inch baking dish and baked it for 25 minutes.
Now this is some quick and easy bread – ready in 30 minutes flat! It disappears just as quickly. Try it with all kinds of toppings. I personally love hummus, avocado, and Herbamare as well as almond butter and strawberry jam.
Super Power Chia Bread
Yield
4 slices
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Thick, hearty, and dense – this isn’t your average slice of bread! Packed with 9 grams of protein and over 7 grams of fibre per slice, this bread will keep you going for hours. Inspired by Endurance Crackers.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds*
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into a flour
- 1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats, ground into a flour (or more oat flour)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way.
- Add rolled oats and buckwheat into a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed until a fine flour forms.
- Add all dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well until combined. Stir in the water and quickly scoop this mixture into your prepared pan. Spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. You can use lightly wet hands to smooth it down if necessary. Sprinkle the bread with Herbamare or fine grain sea salt before going into the oven.
- Bake at 325°F for about 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
- This bread keeps for 2-3 days max – any longer and it gets gummy in texture. I suggest freezing it for enduring freshness. I like to toast it straight from the freezer!
Tip:
1) I made a batch without sunflower seeds and it still turned out great. I’m sure you can play around with the seeds (or even add nuts!) and reduce them if desired.
2) A reader successfully made a batch using brown rice flour and quinoa flour- I’m sure you can play around with the flours too.
3) I’m not yet sure how long this stays fresh for – my guess is a couple days. However, I expect it should freeze well, but I have yet to try it. I’ll update this when I do and be sure to leave your own tips in the comments section!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)I hope this bread brightens up your own travels or busts you out of a lunch or breakfast rut. I’d love your feedback on this recipe if you try it out or make other variations.
If you’d like to check out what I’m up to at the conference, you will most likely find me on Instagram documenting my journey. If you are attending the conference, I hope to meet you soon! Please come say hello!
What are your favourite foods to pack on a flight?
Your slices are so…geometrically perfect. I wish I had these when I used to fly back and forth from TO to Vancouver, they look delicious and travel-friendly! Have a great time at the conference, looking forward to reading your recap :)
Haha… it usually lacks me the patience to cut them so geometrically perfect… looks great! Guess we’ll just take some fruit on our flight tonight….
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks so easy & so delicious! Question – do you think it would work to substitute spelt flour or more buckwheat flour in place of the oat flour?
I tried a version using all raw buckwheat flour and it turned out, although the buckwheat made it a bit strange in texture (it gets a bit chalky white on top) but otherwise tasted fine! Im sure you could experiment with other flours too.
This looks so amazing, i can`t wait to try. I am going to dehydrate it tho, will let you know how it turns out !!
Yes please do :)
Teri – did you dehydrate this? I want to try that too and would love to know how long/what temp…and if it turned out. Thanks!
I was already afraid that this could be a dehydrator recipe cause I don’t have one – and it looks like perfectly dehydrated!
I made these using coconut flour. I also added some chopped walnuts. Yummo!! I dehydrated them for about 24 hours at 115 degrees. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad it worked out for you! Thanks for letting me know :)
how much coconut flour did you use and did you use any of the other flours? sounds like a great way to use coconut flour – it’s hard to find good vegan recipes using coconut flour!
Do you know how much coconut flour to use vs. oat flour?
making them right now…will let you know how it turns out :)
I successfully made this recipe in my dehydrator…it was amazing…115 degrees for approx 4 hours…have to play with the time a little…could be a little moister…the flavor was incredible tho…great great recipe :)
Awesome – thank you so much for sharing!! :-)
When this bread is dehydrated does it have a shelf life longer than 3 days? I want to take it on a long canoe trip!
I am wondering this too as I’m going backpacking for a week. I think the trick is to spread them thinner, and get them really dry so there is no chance of spoilage. More like a cracker than a bread. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Hi! I love your site! How long do you think this bread would last in the freezer? I would love to make some, freeze it, and eat it throughout the semester at college.
This bread sounds amazing…it’s do different! I love the fact that it’s gluten free! Great recipe!
These. Look. Amazing. As a Celiac gal who does a lot of flying, these would be the perfect solution to my travel food woes! I can’t wait to whip these up, especially when the toppings involve avocados and hummus. (Two of the best foods known to man, IMHO.)
Safe travels, and have an awesome time at the conference! :)
I put guacamole, tomatos and basil on ….divine !!!!
I love this! I make a spinach bread but yours looks like it holds up a lot better than mine…the spinach can make the bread kind of flimsy so I’m anxious to try your chia bread. Looks so healthful!
Question — is a serving one slice or two??
nevermind I got it!! :)
Oh my gosh, this looks amazing!!!! I love that they are somewhere between bread and a cracker almost. Sooo many possibilities. I will be trying this ASAP. Thanks for another amazing recipe.
Now that is some beautiful bread! I can’t wait to try it!
I’ll always pack some fruit with me on flights. It helps to combat the dry air in the plane as well. Safe Travels:)
I love how these bread slices can work with savory or sweet toppings. And only 30 minutes…almost seems too easy! Can’t wait to try these nutrient powerhouses!
I love love love hearty snacks for traveling! Have fun at Vida, so jealous I won’t be there this year, but I’m shooting for next year : )
Finally! Maybe a yummy bread my son can actually eat! Thank you thank you!
This is such a cool recipe. I can’t wait to try it. I seems like it’d be awesome with a little goat cheese and avocado. Tho that totally de-veganizes it. But I’m only a vegetarian so it works for me! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Maria:
I like your thinking! I’ve just discovered a recipe for vegan almond “cheese” which is out of this world as a spread for this bread. With toppings, it makes a lovely platter for guests.
This sounds great!! BUT, I think I need to try your endurance crackers first because I’ve been saying how I want to make them for forever now!! Happy travels!!!
Man, where were you 3 weeks ago when we left for Kauai? ;-) I know we’ve got road trips coming up so this will be the perfect thing for breakfast on the go! Safe travels!
I love your endurance crackers so I know I would love this bread! Have fun at VVC!! So jealous, I’d love to attend and to spend time in Portland.
This looks so good!
Thanks for the great recipes :)
Have a great time in Portland! It’s really the best city ever for vegans, so many options everywhere! Try to make it Blossoming Lotus for brunch on Sunday, it’s amazing.
Could this be dehydrated instead of baking ??
Yes I can’t see why not! Just keep an eye on it as Im not sure how many hours it would need.
These look great, I’ll be trying them out very soon. If my kiddos approve, I’ll be sure to bring some along on our flight this summer from Ottawa to Calgary. Some of our current favorite in-flight snacks include apple slices, raisins and Lara bars. Those last snacks are bit expensive, but seeing as I have 3 little people to pack for and take care of, I allow myself this small indulgence :)