14
Jul
Nut-Free Bread
Saved in:- Raw Food Recipes, Raw Recipes
My Mediterranean Almond Bread caused quite a stir when I posted it, getting me some very kind comments on various discussion boards. It’s so fantastic to know that something I’ve created has helped someone find a piece of the puzzle that they so needed to help them live a healthier life, in this case, an alternative to bread. That tactile feeling of holding something when eating (get your head out of the gutter!) is very important to me, as it is to a lot of people.
When I mentioned, what seems like ages ago, that I was developing a nut-free version of my bread I had quite a few emails asking me for the recipe. So here it is, and I have to say I’m very pleased with it and have been enjoying mushroom sandwiches for weeks now, they’re so great – once you have the bread made it’s so quick and easy to build a sarnie! Enjoy!
Nut-free bread
Makes 18 ’slices’
1/2c olive oil
1 ½c sun dried tomatoes
3c sprouted buckwheat (2 ½c dry & unsprouted)
1 ½c flax meal
3 ½c peeled courgette, roughly chopped
2c apple, cored and roughly chopped
3T lemon juice
2 avocados
1 large onion
½c minced parsley
- Process the olive oil, sun dried toms, sprouted buckwheat, courgette, apple, lemon juice, avocados, onion and herbs until thoroughly mixed.
- Transfer to a large bowl and mix with the flax meal by hand. The reason you do this separately (not in the processor) is that you are likely to have too much mixture for the size if the processor at this point, and when you add the flax meal it will become quite heavy and sticky and overwork your machine.
- When mixed, process the whole batter in the machine again, but in small batches to achieve a light fluffy texture.
- Divide the mixture in half and place on Paraflexx sheets on dehydrator trays.
- Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly to all 4 sides and corners of the Paraflexx sheet. If mixture is too sticky you can wet the spatula to make things easier. With a knife score the whole thing into 9 squares.
- Dehydrate for 2 hours and then remove the Paraflexx sheets by placing another dehydrator tray and mesh on top and invert so that your original sheet of bread is upside down. That will allow you to peel the Paralexx sheet off and continue to dehydrate the underside of the bread.
- Dehydrate for approx 8 hours more (do this overnight so you’re not tempted to eat it before it’s ready) or until bread feels light in your hand. If the pieces don’t fully come apart where you scored, use a knife to cut them.
Cashew Mayo
1c cashews
2T lemon juice
½t salt
2T chopped onion
¼c water
½t agave
- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.
For the mushrooms pictured…
- Cut portabello mushrooms into thick 1cm wide strips. Marinade them for a couple of hours or overnight in equal parts of tamari and olive oil.
- Arrange them on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate overnight.
You can also sign-up for updates from this site here, so when I post you’ll automatically receive an email…it’s so easy to stay ‘in the loop’!
nae says on 14 July, 2007
I am trying to find out if Xylitol is considered raw. Can you help me with this? Would you use it in raw cooking?
Thank you
Karen Knowler says on 14 July, 2007
Mmmmm mmm mmmm.
Can personally vouch for the 100% yumminess of Russell’s bread (and all his recipes come to think of it!)
Many say it is the best bread they ever tasted…
(Me included)
Russell James says on 15 July, 2007
Nae, I would hazard a guess that Xylitol isn’t raw as it has to be extracted and reduced from maize (or a number of other sources).
I wouldn’t consider using it as it’s a sugar alcohol that has been hydrogenated – therefore, in my opinion, has undergone too much refinement and processing.
Hope that helps.
Ellen says on 31 July, 2007
I’m fairly new at eating raw foods. Can you tell me what and how to make sprouted buckwheat? I would very much appreciate it. Thanks! Love your blog – it is a great resource.
jessica says on 1 August, 2007
must try this bread when i get back to usa. here in brazil i have no access to ingredients and do not have a dehydrator here.
Russell James says on 1 August, 2007
Ellen,
The good news is that sprouted buckwheat is so easy.
You’ll need some buckwheat which comes in the form of a seed – should be available in a health food store wherever you are in the world.
Soak them overnight and rinse the next morning, leaving them without the water. Rinse a couple of times a day until they form little tails that are as long as the seed itself.
The whole process should take 2 – 4 days, depending on your local climate.
Katerina says on 9 August, 2007
Mr James, I think you are a genius.
I am very curious whether you hold private lessons and/or whether the un-cooking book is currently in the making. In either event – I am a disciple. You are a miracle. Heartfelt thanks.
Katya
p.s. The photographs of the dishes on Flickr are enough to send my appetite racing wild. Fabulous!
Russell James says on 11 August, 2007
Katerina,
Thanks! I am planning classes and also to be making some recipes available in the form of a series of eBooks. This is something I’ve been planning for a long time but it is now coming together.
I would also love to do a printed book so watch this space…
Spewy says on 26 September, 2007
Well, I tried this recipe today and it worked very well. As with a lot of raw food it was relatively expensive to make but I like to keep in mind that I am just emulating the look and feel of bread, not making a nutritional replacement for bread. With lots of sun dried tomatos, courgettes, avocado and flax seed this sort of ‘bread’ is far more nutritionally dense. Good stuff!
Wisteria says on 4 October, 2007
Hi Russell!
What, besides the obvious cashew cheeze, mushrooms, greens, & tomato, do you have in your sandwich fillings?
What are your favorite fillings to use?
Dima says on 8 October, 2007
This is a great recipe. I prefer it to the almond version.
But when I prepared and packed it for lunch i discovered that it becomes soggy pretty quickly. So now I just pack each the bread and stuffing separately, and then assemble the sandwich during my break.
My colleagues are quite amused!
debbie says on 21 December, 2007
sorry to day I have no idea what a courgette is???
When I get my dehydrator I will make this bread first!
debbie
Debbie Took says on 22 December, 2007
Hi Debbie
By coincidence I’m making another batch of Russell’s excellent Med bread today. I’ll presume you’re in the US. Courgette is the UK word for the vegetable you know as zucchini. Love, Debbie (UK)
From Russell: Thanks, Debbie :-)
ciara writer says on 11 January, 2008
Courgette is zucchini!
Tom Michael says on 11 March, 2008
Russell
I am looking for the med bread that is served at Moxie’s. Would you have the receipe for this?
Thank you.
From Russell: Moxie’s?
Rose Bush says on 20 March, 2008
Debbie I think you make an important point re language. I spent days trying to find cilantro and even the stall holders had no idea what I was talking about. It prevented me from making some fab raw food. Finally I did an internet search and realised it was coriander! It would be useful if someone who was culinary bi-lingual (UK/USA)could write up a list.
Russell you are a food artist and should definately produce your creativity in book form.
Bex says on 8 April, 2008
GIVE ME THAT SANDWHICH NOW!!!!!!! Xxx
Maureen says on 2 July, 2008
Just made your bread for the first time and love it – love it – love it. Thank you, no longer need to buy bread when I feel like a raw sandwich!
The recipe made enough for 18 sandwiches, so for one person, can the bread be frozen? Or how long will it keep in a glass container in the fridge?
From Russell: I’ve kept the bread in the fridge for a week and it’s been OK. You should also be able to freeze it fine.
Suze says on 22 July, 2008
Maureen – I’ve kept bread, which has been dehydrated, in my refrigerator for several months, actually, while doing a juice feast, and it was still fine.
Lily says on 24 July, 2008
Can’t wait to try the bread! It looks (and sounds) absolutely delicious.
I tried the Cashew Mayo today and it’s even better than the original dairy version! I did, however, add some dried herbs and garlic to give it more of an italian flavor. I’m sure fresh herbs would be amazing in it as well. Thanks for the inspiring recipes and photos- each one is a masterpiece!
Jennifer Somer says on 30 July, 2008
My mouth is watering! Great job. I have to make this now!
Avigail Teumim says on 26 August, 2008
Russell this looks divine, but my question is about the mayo. I am under the impression that cashews are not 100% raw as they have to be steamed to get the poisonous resin off them them?
Source http://www.wisegeek.com/are-raw-cashews-really-poisonous.htm
On the other hand I have seen adverts for truly 100% raw cashews and am wondering what your knowledge is about the whole issue.
Thanks for your input.
And please keep sending us these amazing recipes, its so encouraging. And literally saving some lives here.
From Russell: Hi Avigail. Cashews normally are steamed to get the shells off but the truly raw ones, sold by raw food websites, should be mechanically extracted (I hear they literally use a machine with a blade to crack open each one individually) and are therefore raw. I’m interested in the toxic issue around raw cashews, I hadn’t heard of that before, I shall have to do some more research.
Thanks for your comments.
Diana says on 4 September, 2008
Russell,
Your recipes are remarkable! I am struggling to be a 100% raw foodist, most recipes that I want to make either cashews,walnuts or macadamia nuts. I am allergic! Is there a plan to also add variations to your recipes for people who are faced with this dilemma.
From Russell: My girlfreind happens to be allergic to nuts so it’s something I’m becoming more aware of – it’s an interesting challenge!
mimi says on 17 October, 2008
as i waited for the bread to finish, visions of eating a sandwich raced through my head. this bread exceeded my expectations. i’ve made other raw bread recipes, but this was by far the best one. finally a bread that is satisfying and better than cooked bread. can’t wait to try another of your recipes. thank you so much for all your talent and sharing it with us.
carolyn Rutter says on 26 March, 2009
looks and sounds great-but i still can’t eat it! I have a very common food allergy – raw apples ! and nuts too. It’s really really common.
From Russell: You could substitute the apples for pears. Mango would be nice, too.
kaybee says on 5 May, 2009
hi–just wondering if you know if it would work to substitute chia seeds for the flax in your bread recipes….? No matter what I try it in, im not a fan of flax…. I tried this bread recipe and it was really good, but i could still identify the taste and texture of the flax, which im not too keen on… chia? or chia + ? Anyway, bread was good, it was great to eat a sandwich again. :) but still would like to cut the flax….
thanks
kaybee
From Russell: We don’t get chia seeds in the UK so I’ve never actually used them! But I was talking to someone about them last week and it sounds like they will work fine.
kaybee says on 6 May, 2009
hmmm. thanks. ill try it and let you know. im in ireland but american and brought some from the states. was going to see if i could get some here when i ran out…but apparently not!
Jessica says on 16 May, 2009
I love the Cashew Mayo – I’ve made it twice. I did switch the volume of the water & lemon juice, using 1/4 c lemon juice & 2 T water. Sooo yummy! The bread was good as well, but seemed like it needed a bit of salt. With adding a sandwich filling it tastes just fine. The bread makes a lot, so you could half all of the ingedients if you wanted. I actually had to put it in my food processor in 2 batches for the full recipe. Overall, the 2 recipes are a wonderful combination together.
Kat says on 19 May, 2009
I was wondering if I could use fresh tomatoes instead of sun-dried ones?And sprouted buckwheat? How do you sprout buckwheat?Can I just soak it and wait until it’s dry?
Thanks a lot I can’t wait to make that bread :)
From Russell: Yes you can use fresh tomatoes, and you may also want to add some salt to the recipe to allow for the substitution as sun-dried tomatoes are salty.
Buckwheat can be soaked for 15 to 20 mins and then rinsed off. The leave it to sprout at which point it should start to grow within the first 24 hours, rinsing twice a day. It can be used wet in the recipe.
Veronica Kashlinsky says on 24 May, 2009
Hi, could you please clarify couple of things about buckwheat. If I am using the dry buckwheat and it came out of the processor not smooth and fine, but still have little shells in there, would it still be chewy in the bread? Or it softens in the dehydrator?
From Russell: The buckwheat should be sprouted so it has a little tail, or at least soaked overnight. There should be no shells in there.
Mary Lomax says on 6 June, 2009
Hi Russell
I’m having great fun exploring some of your recipies and loving them all so far. Wanted to give this one a try but I am currently off all sugars, including fruit. Do you think it would work to use extra courgette instead of the apple and perhaps a pinch of Stevia for sweetness?
Thanks for the inspiration…
Namaste
Mary
From Russell: Yes, it would work with the courgette. Haven’t used stevia before but I’m sure it would work if you didn’t use too much.
Johnna says on 29 June, 2009
Hi Russell,
I just got my dehydrator and can’t wait to try this bread!
I read the comment above that substituting fresh tomatoes for the sun dried would work, and was wondering the amount of the fresh you’d recommend…
Thanks!
Johnna
From Russell: Use the same quantity
Alex says on 31 July, 2009
Hi Mr. James,
I have a quick question about the buckwheat. You have 3C Sprouted (2.5C dry Unsprouted). The 2.5C is amount you initially start working with, correct?
I’m getting my Excalibur Dehydrator in the mail next week and this will be the first thing that’s going in it (along with the marinated portabella mushrooms, of course :-). There will be much rejoicing and a lot of RJ praise. You R Da’ Man!
Thanks in advance,
Alex
Orlando, FL
lindy says on 3 August, 2009
I love all the wraps, etc that the creatives have concocted for our dining pleasure… however, your bread looks divine… I’ve thrown some buckwheat into the water as soon as I started reading the ingredients… thank you for sharing this with us!
BatCountryBlogger says on 12 August, 2009
Hi Russell, Thank you for generously sharing these recipes and the scrumptious photos that go with them! It’s truly a gift in my life. I’m a newbie and still haven’t sprouted anything; how do I pick the right kind of buckwheat to do that with?
From Russell: Just make sure they aren’t the roasted type – they should be light in colour.
sonja says on 15 October, 2009
I love the taste of German vollkorn brot (e.g. http://www.germandeli.com/pemclasryebr.html), and it seems like a great candidate for raw-ifying! Have you experimented with ryeberries or wheatberries?
Christina says on 18 November, 2009
Hi Russell, I tried your almond bread and it turned out awesome! I added some raw sesame seeds on top! By far the best bread I’ve ever made. I love rye bread and I was wondering if you have a recipe for a raw rye bread?
Christina says on 18 November, 2009
By the way, I am very eager to try this new bread recipe you have up here now! It looks amazing along with the cashew mayo.
Renee says on 15 December, 2009
HI Russell,
I’m wondering if you’re familiar with Paul Stamet’s work – he’s a mushroom researcher in the US (or Canada?)…anyway he wrote in one of his books that the class of button mushrooms – included in that are the Portabella mushrooms – must be cooked to over 415 degrees Farenheit to disable a mutagenic toxin they contain called agaritines, that are thought to cause multiple tumors. I was disappointed to learn that as since going raw, have been eating the Portabellas for satisfying that desire for a dense food.
RawPortabella and plain button mushrooms are used by many raw chefs and I think if this is the case, it’s important to get the word out to both pro chefs and the public…
for more info please see
http://www.dhlovelife.com/v2/show/archive/?wk=24
(at about 6:10 into video).
Thess says on 19 December, 2009
Russel,
I am interested to purchase your classes in DVD. Are they available for purchase?
I am wondering if you have recipes compiled without nuts.
Thank you so much.
From Russell: Hi Thess, the DVDs will be out soon – they’re with the editors at the moment but if you check out http://www.tinyurl.com/rawfoodchef you’ll be able to sign up for the early notification of release.
I think I will make my next eBook a ‘no nuts’ one.
Heleen Jonker says on 2 February, 2010
Hi Russell,
a no nut e-book, that would be great!!!
More every day recipes.
I love all the recipes with nuts and love to make them too, but my body doesn’t want to eat so much nuts.
All your recipes are mouthwatering.
Heleen