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?
My oven decided to stop working the morning I tried to make this so I cooked it like pancakes… and it turned out deliciously!
Really?? Wow that sounds cool :) curious now…
Great recipe?! Can I substitute the oat flour for another flour, and what would be best? We have allergies to soy, almonds, and oats.
Angela– I recently found your blog and I love it! I made this bread today as well as your “perfect” veggie burgers. Both came out amazing– really fantastic textures and taste. I used 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour for the bread and it came out great. I also took your tips on freezing veggie burgers and have 5 in the freezer now for quick meals later! Thanks so much for your blog and your great recipes, I’ll definitely be making more of them very soon!
Thank you Lauren! :) So happy to hear this.
Angela, just made these and love them! Thank you. Quick question-should i keep them refrigerated them or just leave in tupperware on counter. (I live in South Florida-it’s humid here.)
Is there anything we can use to substitute for the sugar?
Hey Nicole, Yes you can absolutely leave it out (it’s not essential) I often don’t include it anymore and I don’t notice much of a difference. Enjoy!
I have made this bread several times – it is now a staple in my rotation! My daughter loves it even more she has named it ‘elvish bread’. I have to be sure I have a batch available for her when she comes to visit.
I’ve made several variations using almond flour, coconut flour, garbanzo bean flour, I like to vary the herbs as well, but adding some rosemary is my favorite.
Thanks for another great recipe and another bonding moment for this mom and her daughter!
Dear Angela,
First of all, I would like to thank you for this amazing recipe! I tried it last week and since then I made it 3 times already (2 times as written, which is new for me;). We were traveling last weekend and these were perfect snacks/breads to take with us for our long car trip. No one has mentioned this yet, but they also help bowel movements if there are any troubles with constipation (I apologize to report it here, but it works wonders:).
As I mentioned above, I always change recipes, even the healthy ones, to make them healthier. This recipe does not require that. It is healthy, really healthy, without any changes. Also, it is versatile enough to try out different ingredients. I loved the “savory” version with my avocado and olives in the morning, but I wanted to try a “sweet” version with my nut butters. I kept the flour, chia, and seed ratios the same, but I used mix of quinoa and buckwheat flours, I added hemp seeds and zante currants instead of seeds, and I used cinnamon, ginger, all spice, nutmeg and cloves (gingerbread spices) instead of garlic and onion powders. The end result was amazing! I thought about adding a tablespoon of sweetener, but I did not and it really did not need it. All these warming spices and currants made it sweet enough to be eaten as a soft gingerbread cookie. I wanted to share this “sweet” combination with you since you asked for our experience, but seriously I cannot thank you enough for the recipe. It will be my to go recipe for healthy “flat bread”!
All the best,
I love this recipe……….I changed a few things; I didn’t really like the oregano, so I omitted that and used rosemary instead and some herbs de provence; also I used chopped walnuts in place of 1/2 of the pumpkin deeds. I just liked the taste better….I’ve made it three times and I thank you so much for the recipe.
This bread is amazing a d oh so versatile. I have made a few variations including a raisin cinnamon and cranberry walnut. I play with the spices as well.
It really is a wonderful recipe!!!
So glad you enjoy it Barb!
This bread is SO wonderful. Thank you, thank you, for sharing the recipe! I made my second batch today and I absolutely love it. I freeze it in individual portions, then toast in my toaster oven with nut butter (cashew butter this week) on top. Marvelous!
LOVE THESE! Made them several times, customizing to my mood. Once left out garlic/onion powders for a more neutral taste. Once subbed coconut flour for the buckwheat flour. My fav tweak is to split the 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds into 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds & 1/4 cup sesame seeds. Thanks Angela for an awesome recipe!
This looks so great! For whatever reason, for all the other goodies I’ve whipped us, I just haven’t tried any homemade breads (vegan, dehydrated or otherwise) yet (intimidation, maybe?). Anyway, I can’t wait to give this a try- but I’m wondering if you use the special “dry blade” container with your Vitamix? I’ve used the regular one to gently process oat flour, but learned it easily becomes pasty and sticks all in the bottom if you’re not careful, since it pulls the flour down to blend, instead up pushing it up to grind. Any tips? Thank you! Every day I see one of your posts in my inbox I get excited and can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Wow, this bread turned out so much better than I expected! These are so delicious. The flavor was savory, hearty, and quite satisfying. It’s a perfect snack on its own, but also paired well with my husband’s homemade hummus. I tried toasting it straight from the freezer like you suggested and it turned out well. I think I prefer it straight from the fridge though!
Thank you for an amazing recipe! I’ll be making this again for sure.
I cut the bread into 4 pieces, then sliced each piece horizontally, and made a grilled cheese sandwich, but first turn the bread inside out……..so you grill the inside part instead of the outside…….add great cheese and whatever you like on a grilled cheese……..don’t forget some coconut oil spray on the pan or the bread……..so delicious!!!
I am psyched to find this recipe! I was actually searching for seed bread, like Dave makes in the grocery store :) Previously, I have made your endurance cracker recipe many times, and dehydrated those, Fantastic! I tweaked the recipe a little, subtracted the onion, added soy and ginger and they’re to die for. My neighbor has a huge issue with onions, so I try to avoid those.
Anyway, so glad to see that others have successfully dehyrated this recipe, but I might try baking it since it was the garlic in the crackers that made me want to keep the temps low.
I love this recipe! I personally don’t even bake mine. I did the first time and, of course, it’s great. However, for my personal diet I don’t cook food much, so I have this sandwich raw. Every day w my homemade nut butter and either organic apricots, dates, or half a banana. My version of a PB&J. happy food for the brain. sustaining. & yum!!
I made a batch of this bread this morning, using sorghum and buckwheat flour, and I really like it. I’m quite surprised at how good it is actually… And I love how easy it is to make! This will be my breakfast for the next while for sure. :)
For those of you who are subbing coconut flour for the buckwheat and oat flour, are you just subbing it in exactly the same measurement or using a smaller amount of coconut flour?
This looks amazing, although I don’t particularly care for buckwheat. What would you recommend I use to replace it? I know it’s important for the ingredients to stay together for the bread to be… well, bread, so I figured I’d try to find the best substitute. Thanks!
Do you think this would work instead of a bun for burgers? I can’t have yeast or gluten and am looking for something bready for vegan burgers :)