Chia Seed, Buckwheat & Quinoa Bread {egg free & gluten free}

I've been playing with different variations of gluten free breads for a while now, trying to figure out one that works well without eggs. I've finally found one! I got some ideas from different recipes, and after some tweaking I came up with this bread, which is made from ground up chia seeds, buckwheat and quinoa, along with tapioca or arrowroot starch and xanthum gum. It's simple, not too expensive, and tastes great! The texture isn't crumbly at all - the chia seeds and xanthum gum work really well to make it soft and pliable.

I know someone's going to ask me if this can be made without yeast - I haven't tried that yet, but it may work with baking powder instead of yeast... If you try it, let me know how it goes.

The secret to getting the texture right on this bread is to cook it for long enough that it's not still sticky inside. The crust will get quite brown - don't worry, it won't dry out. It needs to rise for an hour and cook for an hour, maybe even a little more. You can make two loaves at once by grinding the dry ingredients in two lots, removing the first lot to a bowl, and mixing the two loaves separately. The dough is very thick and sticky, so it's a bit too much to do two loaves at once.

Because it's a moist bread, it lasts really well for a couple of days. Great for sandwiches, or toast. Add in a couple of handfuls of seeds towards the end of the kneading time if you want a seeded bread.

Recipe makes 1 loaf

1. Grind on speed 9 for 1 minute:

- 65g buckwheat

- 80g white quinoa

- 40g chia seeds

2. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining dry ingredients, mixing on speed 6 for 10 seconds:

- 170g arrowroot or tapioca starch (preferably additive free, like the one in the picture)

- 1 heaped tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp xanthum gum

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp fine sea salt

This is the arrowroot starch I buy -

it's cheaper in bulk, and this one is additive free

3. Add wet ingredients and mix on speed 6 for 10 seconds, or until dough comes together. (It will be a very thick, sticky dough - not as 'dry' as regular bread dough, but not as wet as a cake batter.)

- 30g macadamia oil

- 25g raw honey

- 250g warmish water

4. Knead on interval speed for 2 minutes.

5. Use the Thermomix spatula to scrape the dough out of the Thermomix bowl, into a baking paper lined loaf tin. (Once you get most of it out, the easiest way to get the sticky dough off the blades is to whiz for a few seconds on turbo, then you can scrape the rest out with the spatula.)

If you like, you can sprinkle the loaf with a little water, using the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Cover loosely with a plastic bag (so it doesn't touch the dough) and leave to rise for an hour in a warm spot.

6. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place bread in oven and cook for an hour or so, or until nicely browned. Turn out of bread tin and check underneath the loaf to make sure it's browned all over. If not, cook for another 5 to 10 minutes upside down, to brown underneath. Allow to cool on a rack before slicing.