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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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?
Just made some of your endurance crackers (again!) yesterday as they are our favorite crackers to have with hummus. We had a long flight to Mexico this winter and so I looked up some ideas for food I could make ahead and take on the plane with us. I made your endurance crackers, hummus, rice and lentil salad, a bowl of chopped up artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, a bag of cashews and raisins, and of course a bar of dark chocolate. It would have been plenty to get last us to Mexico, but we missed our connecting flight and had to stay in Houston over night. :(
this bread looks great and I still have your endurance crackers on my LIST!
Also, check out “the life-changing loaf” by My New Roots blog. Similar style bread, so I think you would really like it!
This looks amazing! I only wish it had been posted 2 weeks earlier- as I just got home from my travels- and after a few flights with airplane food, this would’ve been the most amazing thing to have EVER! Definitely bookmarking it for the next time I’m flying somewhere.
Perfect timing! I’m craving crunchy, seedy something and this will fit the bill. I have all ingredients on hand which is a big bonus. Thank you!
Have a wonderful time at Vida Vegan . . . on my list for next year . ..
Yumm! This was such a quick and easy recipe the kids decided to make it for their afternoon snack. They omitted the savory seasonings and then topped the finished product with a smear of fresh honey. Huge hit. Thank you!
So glad it worked out! Love your changes too :)
Looks perfect! Love the idea to include chia in the bread. We made some raw crackers the other day and loved them. Can´t wait t make new versions and this was the perfect inspiration! So thank you :) I love to pack dates and nuts. Take almost no space and filled with energy.
Just made a batch and had it with my husband’s homemade hummus… Yum! I love every recipe I’ve ever tried of yours! I just started following you a few months ago, but I’ve already tried a dozen or so recipes… Not including my face that I’ve made several times already! Keep up the good work and good luck at your conference in Portland!
And by face I mean favs lol!
hah :) Thanks so much for your kind words! That means a lot :)
This looks delicious! Looks like the perfect bread to top with almond butter and pickle slices… it sounds weird but it is so good and totally addictive!
Do you think I could sub almond flour or coconut flour for the oat flour? this looks/sounds amazing!
You might be able too, but I’m not sure just yet. Let me know if you try it out! Good luck :)
Hehe my friends from Vancouver just went to Portland on a bachelorette weekend. They went out in dresses at night and people kept asking them “You girls going to prom?” So anticipate the casual wear, I guess? But I really want to check out that city, it honestly does sound amazing!
You were not kidding…SUPER AMAZING! I love how unique this is. Great recipe Angela and have a great trip!
Have fun on your trip! Since you are into being healthy, remember that you can opt out of the airport body scanners in the States and prevent unnecessary exposure to radiation. Canada does not use scanners that use radiation (the radiation ones have two walls). Microwaving food isn’t that good for you so why would you offer to microwave yourself?! Stay safe & ask for an alternative screening in the States. :)
Made another batch with lentil flour–so good! I love this recipe!
Just a question for anyone who might have the answer, tried googling but can’t seem to find it. I know if you are going to eat raw nuts/seeds you should soak them first in order for proper digestion…does this still hold true if you are going to be cooking them or does cooking them remove the enzyme inhibitors like soaking does? Hope this isn’t a silly question:) Thank you in advance!
Always nice to see someone who clearly practises what she preaches! Your complexion is a great advertisement for the recipes and nutritional help you give out on your site :-)
Wow. I just made this. I’ve been experimenting with gluten free recipes for a friend who is controlling a thyroid issue with diet (so far it’s working). This is delicious!
I did not have garlic or onion powder, so I picked a baby garlic from the garden and a couple Egyptian Walking Onion leaves and ran them through my Vitamix blender with the water. I also used honey instead of sugar (not vegan, but better for people than sugar, locally grown, and the sugar industry abuses its workers).
I just got some locally grown buckwheat flour a couple weeks ago and have been looking for things to make with it. So I scored on that count as well.
Thanks for this recipe.
I was too lazy to grind up my oats, so I used spelt flour and buckwheat flour. Technically not okay for Celiacs, I think (spelt), but it’s not a concern for me. My husband and I both like this bread a lot with guacamole. I’ll be playing with it, making variations for sure! Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback Joelle! I look forward to making other variations too :)
Just wondering what brand of chia seeds you use as I haven’t been able to find one that doesn’t say “may contain peanuts”. My son is severely allergic and I’d love to be able to make these! They look great. Thanks.
This looks like a must-try! We’re traveling to Vancouver next month, from Chicago, with our 20-month-old, so I’m definitely trying to figure out how many non-messy healthy snacks I can cram in to a carry-on!
I JUST saw a chia product in Whole Foods and all I could think was “People are eating their pets?!” Now I know it wasn’t a fluke!