Nuts About Seed and Citrus Bread

The sunflower seeds and citrus in this delicious bread recipe are both excellent for immune health. Couple them with oats, and you get one satisfying breakfast loaf. Serve with apple butter and assorted fruits or with a dairy-free cheese substitute topped with crisp greens and fresh papaya

Thumb(print)s up

Making the dough into thumbprint appetizer bites is another way to prepare this delicious recipe. Press a tablespoon of rested dough into the cups of a silicone mini muffin pan, filling each 3/4 full. Press an indent in center of each with your thumb. Bake for 45 minutes, or until firm and dry. Thoroughly cool and gently pop out. Pipe centers with a dollop of hummus and garnish as you like. Serve at once.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup golden flaxseeds

1/3 cup white chia seeds

1/2 cup unblanched almonds or hazelnuts

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Juice and zest from 1 large navel orange

1 to 1 1/4 cups water

3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 Tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup

Directions

1. Line 8 x 3 x 2 inch deep loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing paper’s ends to extend beyond edges of pan.
2. In bowl, combine oats, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, almonds or hazelnuts, and salt. Stir to blend.
3. Into 2 cup large measure, add juice and zest from orange. Add water to measure 1 1/2 cups in total. Stir in melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir into dry ingredients until evenly mixed. Dough will be like a very thick bowl of oatmeal. Place into prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Cover with tea towel and set aside on counter to rest, preferably overnight. Dough should be firm when gently pulled away from sides of pan after sitting.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake loaf in pan, uncovered, in center of oven for 30 minutes. Remove loaf from pan using parchment paper to gently lift. Place loaf with paper directly on oven rack and continue to bake for 45 to 50 more minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
5. Thoroughly cool loaf in refrigerator until firm before slicing and storing. Then, using sharp serrated knife, cut loaf into 16 slices and store slices in tightly sealed container in refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze. Slices are delicious on their own or toasted and served with a variety of toppings.

In each delicious slice:  169 calories / 5 g protein / 12 g fat / 14 g carbs (2 g sugar, 5 g fiber) / 76 mg sodium