Savory Superfood Whole Grain Bread Recipe

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Love to bake during the holidays? Me too! This year, why not bake something savory with a little added nutritional oomph? My Superfood Whole Grain Bread Recipe with Olives and Thyme is just the thing. And no fancy bread machine required.

Is there anyone out there who could resist a warm, crusty loaf of bread with a soft, chewy inside?  Especially one that is speckled with savory olives and thyme?

Did I mention the rich and aromatic olive oil for dipping?

Savory Superfood Whole Grain Bread Recipe Packs Nutrition with Flavor

No matter what I am baking, I always make it a point to sneak in some added nutrition. Since I can find plenty of very good reasons to eat more chia seeds and hemp seeds, these two superfoods are winding up in so many of my recipes these days. Just recently, on the day we put our Christmas tree up, I decided to tweak the standard whole grain bread recipe I have been making for years now by spiking it with chia seeds and hemp seeds and while I was sure someone in my family would ask me what I had done differently to the bread, no one suspected a thing.  The superfood addition worked like a charm to boost the fiber, omega-3, phytonutrient, antioxidant and overall nutritional content without altering the flavor profile of my bread recipe one bit. And that’s a good thing, because this was one bread recipe that already had an amazing flavor! Thank you olives and thyme.

A Few Words About Choosing Your Whole Grain Flour

As for the flour, I prefer to make this recipe with GMO-free Isis brand biodynamic whole wheat flour, which is free from the toxic herbicide glyphosate that is now being considered as a contributing factor to the increase in gluten sensitivity in recent years. Even if you are 100% committed to being gluten free you will still want to read this article on biodynamic farming since gluten-free does not mean glyphosate free. If you want to substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour for the biodynamic whole wheat flour, my favorite choice is Bob’s Red Mill Al-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, which you can buy online at a discount from Vitacost.com (one of my favorite online shopping destination for discounted healthy lifestyle products.) Of course you can always use white whole wheat flour too.

The Perfect Finishing Touch

For the ultimate finishing touch, be sure to pick a superior quality olive oil for dipping your bread into. For the price, the award-winning Gold Medal series California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil Miller’s Blend is one of my favorites. California grown, GMO-free and from the first cold press, this award-winning oil has a bold and peppery flavor that perfectly enhances the bread.  You can purchase this superior quality oil for a discount at Vitacost.com also.

Savory Superfood Whole Grain Bread Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped black olives
• 4 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 4 pitted dates
• 3 cups biodynamic whole wheat flour (such as Isis, all-purpose gluten-free flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill) or white whole wheat flour)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Lightly oil a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with olive oil.
2. Place the olives, thyme and olive oil in a food processor; process until well blended. Set olive “paste” aside.
3. In a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix), process the water, hemp seeds and dates until well blended. Set hemp seed liquid mixture aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, chia seeds, baking powder, salt and pepper. Use a fork to drop the olive “paste” over the top of the flour mixture and stir in to distribute. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add in the hemp seed liquid mixture. Using a whisk or fork, and starting from the center, gradually stir in the flour until most of it is incorporated. Gather the moist dough inside the bowl with lightly floured clean hands. Bring the dough together, turning it over in your hands 10 to 12 times, and form into a lumpy ball. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and set aside to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Turn out the shaggy dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour your hands and gently knead the dough, while forming an oblong loaf. Place the loaf, seam at the bottom, in the lightly oiled pan. Using a knife, make 2 diagonal cuts that cross in the center, about 1/2-inch deep. Dust the loaf with flour, cover the pan with a dish towel, and let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Put the loaf in the oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until well-risen, crusty and slightly browned. This bread is best served warm or toasted, dipped in olive oil.

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