Gluten-free · Soy-free

 

Did you know that sorghum is considered one of the 5 most important crops in the world? There are about 25 varieties of sorghum and most of them are native to Australia. Lately, this grain is getting more attention than ever because it’s gluten-free and it’s usually used in salads, stews, and sauéed. But have you ever made sorghum bread before??

I was inspired to make this recipe by vegetarian chef Amy Chaplin who, in her book Whole Food Cooking Every Day has a whole chapter on gluten-free bread. They’re all made by soaking a grain overnight (in her book she uses millet + buckwheat or brown rice) draining and rinsing it, and then blending it up with some other ingredients into a wet dough. That wet dough is then baked in the oven and voilá! A beautiful gluten-free bread comes out.

I decided I wanted to make some bread using the same technique but this time using sorghum. We happen to have a lot of sorghum in the house (we ordered a large batch once) and Ariana doesn’t seem to like it very much, so I wanted to experiment with different methods of cooking it to see if she’d like it better. Turns out, she loved this bread, so it was a success!

A lot of people don’t eat sorghum at all because either they’re not familiar with it or, like Ariana, they don’t like the texture of it (the grain tends to be quite chewy). So this is a fantastic way of eating sorghum without really knowing you’re eating sorghum. And even if you weren’t interested in it for the sorghum, it’s still a delicious bread that you can eat as a dessert or a snack.

As well as being gluten-free, this bread can also be made nut-free, just omit the walnuts. It’s also refined sugar-free, sweetened only with a small amount of coconut sugar and dried fruit.

The advantages of making this bread include:

• Make it and store as a sweet treat throughout the week-

• It’s a quality, whole grain bread with no preservatives

• It’s fast to put together

• It’s naturally sweetened

• It’s gluten-free and can be made nut-free

• It can be frozen and can store up to 4 months in the freezer!

So do yourself a favor and try this delicious bread. You won’t regret it.

Substitutions

• Substitute the dried figs for your favorite dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, prunes, etc)

• Make it nut-free by substituting the walnuts for sunflower seeds, pistachios, or sesame seeds. 

• Use coconut oil instead of olive oil (keep in mind that the flavor might change).

• If want to make it sweeter, add 60 more grams of coconut sugar.

Equipment

For this bread, you’ll need:

• High-speed blender

• 9.5”x 3.5” x 3” loaf pan + parchment paper

• Rubber spatula

• Large bowl

Uses

Use this bread as:

• Breakfast toast served with nut butter or jam to spread on top

• French toast

• Gluten-free canapé

• A side for lunch or dinner

• Savory toast (use savory toppings for a nice contrast with the sweet!)

• Sweet bread for a vegan “cheese” board

 

 

watch the recipe video here:

 

Makes: 1 9.5”x 3.5” x 3” loaf

Ingredients

314g sorghum, soaked overnight in 1300ml of water

16g psyllium husk powder 

480ml water, divided

15g sea salt 

30g coconut sugar 

200g rolled oats 

26g baking powder 

140ml coconut oil 

140g chopped organic dried figs 

55g chopped toasted walnuts 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse the sorghum thoroughly using a fine mesh strainer and leave to drain over a bowl.

2. Hydrate the psyllium husk in 100ml of the water. Whisk to incorporate and set aside.

3. In the blender, place the rest of the water, the drained rinsed sorghum, salt, and coconut sugar. Blend on high until the sorghum is completely disintegrated (about 1 minute).

4. Stop the blender and add oats, hydrated psyllium husk, baking powder, and coconut oil. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds, the mixture should be thick. Scrape down the sides of the blender if necessary and blend again.

5. Transfer the mix to a large bowl and fold in the walnuts and dried figs.

6. Bake for 40-60 minutes at 350ºF. Check it after 40 minutes. It should be cooked but still very moist in the middle, so I recommend baking it for 20 more minutes.

7. Remove from oven and let cool on a resting rack for 5 minutes. Carefully take it out of the pan and place directly on the rack to completely cool. Once cool, slice and enjoy or slice and freeze in an airtight container. Will store in the freezer for up to 4 months or in the fridge for up to 7 days.