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.
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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?
Hi Angela, I have been reading your blog for a while and always find it very inspiring.
I can’t eat oates, so tried making the bread with 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour (and garden-fresh herbs and garlic!). I also baked it very thin on a cookie tray to get more of a crispy cracker which I am hoping will last out the week for snacks. Maybe. If I don’t eat it all in one sitting ;) It turned out great. Thank you!
Yay! So glad to hear that Bec :)
I made this using chickpea flour, quinoa flour, and lentil flour. I added in a little bit of nutritional yeast and accidentally forgot the sugar. I sprinkled more nutritional yeast and a tiny bit of salt on top. Aside from those modifications, I followed the recipe as written.
The bread turned out fantastic! I’d never really heard of using lentil flour, but I decided to throw some lentils in my Magic Bullet and see what happened. Delicious and nutritious bread is what happened!!
I topped mine with a black bean hummus-type spread and have had to make myself stop eating it all! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Just made it today with rye instead if oats, without pumpkin seeds (didn’t have sny) and with a few extra seasonings including karaway seeds. This bread is amazing! And there is no clean-up! I am sold. I will be making a new one right before my upcoming long flight later this week! Thanks so much for such a great recipe!
yay :) Thanks for trying it out! I like freezing my leftovers and toasting the bread :)
You are right – it is totally addictive. I can’t stop :) But it is sooooo good. I also toasted it today and it tasted gorgeous. Thanks again! I am also working hard on not focusing on calories so haven’t even looked at the nutritional info – the important thing is that it’s good for you.
This looks amazing – a great way to use chia seeds and such good alternative to bread that bloats!
Just made this.. Subbed the oats with ground flax and left out the sunflower seed. Still tastes pretty amazing though.. I’m thinking one could add a bit of shredded zucchini to give it some more humidity.. I think I’ll try next time and report back…
Anyways, thank you very much for this wonderful recipe Angela.
Nora
Tried drying the cooked bread in a 250D oven for about a 1/2 hour. They did crisp up nicely like crackers, but by the next day they were kind of chewy and tough(but still good!). I’d say, unless you are serving the crackers right away, stick with the original cooking time…
HI Angela,
I’m new to the world of gluten free and vegan, just around 6 months now GF & vegan….and find it pretty challenging at times. These are a delight! It took 5 minutes to measure and mix…then voila! Delicious and hearty. I’ll be packing these for work the next couple of days. Thanks for the inspiration and creative recipes!
Thanks for a great recipe! I just made these with ground quinoa instead of the sunflower seeds, and 1/4 of a cup chia seeds & 1/4 of a cup ground flaxseeds instead of 1/2 a cup chia. (Chia is a bit expensive for me!!) The bit I snuck while slicing was really tasty, now to wait for trying them cold.
Thanks again :)
Hi Angela, I’d like to try your recipe. I’m from South Africa and chia seeds are hard to find and on the expensive side here. Do you think flax seeds could work as a substitute.
Thanks
Re Deyhydrating…does that make the bread stay fresh longer? I’d love to take some of this on a backpacking trip, but need it to stay edible for more like 4 days without refrigeration.
Thoughts? Thanks! I’m new to the dehydrator world but excited about it.
Hi Nadia, It could…but I’m not positive. I found the baked version to get gummy after a few days, so I would def. try dehydrating before your trip to test it out first. Let me know how it goes if you try it! Also, I’m sure if you got most of the water out it would avoid the gummy factor.
I made this for the second time, this time I spread it out making it thinner, it is so good and so filling. My husband loves it!
I made them! :)
Here they are: http://oi42.tinypic.com/260wqkw.jpg
Awesome recipe, thanks and a bunch of love from the Netherlands!
Hi:
Looks great and easy too. I’m not a huge fan of savoury breads, but love sweet ones. I was wondering about switching the spices for cinnamon, stevia and perhaps raisins in place of the sunflower seeds? Would that affect the baking time or or amounts of other ingredients, do you think?
I love this recipe!!! Love the ingredients; love the result. I added a bit of baking powder and didn’t have any onion powder, but otherwise I followed it just as written. It was great for a sandwich with avocado and tomato. Even my two year old loved it. I can’t wait to play with it for different flavors. Thank you for the fabulous base recipe and idea.
I just made this and it’s awesome! With my various dietary restrictions I have had trouble finding a good bread that holds together and is easy to make, this is just perfect!
Thank you for sharing this and I can’t wait for your cookbook!
Thank you so much for this recipe, it is flawless and fantastic. I made another batch tonight, but split it into two tart pans (1 cup of batter each) flattened it out, and baked for only 14 minutes. Then topped with homemade garlic hummus, veggies (peppers, onions, cauliflower, artichoke hearts) from the fridge and broiled it 5-7 minutes, until browned. My 9 year old daughter calls it Hummus Pizza.
I just have to say that this recipe is by far my favourite. Not only is it easy to make but it is so delicious and taste good with all the toppings you suggested. My only problem…….I cannot stop eating it!!! Thanks for an awesome recipe and website. Love your recipes!!!
Peace
Shari
Thenk you so much for this recipe! I made it this morning following your recipe precisely, and it turned out delicious! My husband and I both teach fitness classes, so these will be the ideal non-sweet energy boost we often need between classes.
I just found your blog, jumped up, made the Super Power Chia Bread, read “your story”, took the bread out . . . and am waiting for it to cool . . . . ! Want to eat it NOW. LOL. I am diabetic and have just given up wheat – so happy to find your blog and also happy for you that your life is now in balance. *bless*
Thank you Helen, I hope you enjoy it!
Update . . . next morning . . . Angela, I would not have believed it but when my other half came home last night he scoffed several slices of the Super Chia bread!! He loved it. It goes without saying that I loved it too. *swoon* This morning I had Chia pudding with four prunes and a touch of (real) vanilla essence soaked overnight in soy milk and warmed through. Thank you for these marvellous recipes, Angela. I think Chia is my new best friend. Now, if I could just convince the boy to give up wheat. . .
Hello Angela.
I was so excited to make this recipe and finally got around to it tonight. While the flavours and texture of the bread are delicious, my bread actually stuck to the parchment paper. Nothing I couldn’t salvage, but just wondering if you might know why? I followed the recipe, but am wondering if maybe my oven is too hot or if I should have sprayed the parchment with olive oil beforehand. Any tips would be appreciated.
Thanks, and keep up the great recipes!
Hey Ashley, Hmm…I have no idea! I don’t think I’ve ever had any food stick to parchment paper before! What brand are you using?