Life Changing?

I tend to be dubious of anything that proclaims that it's "life changing".   After all, I have a bathroom cabinet full of serums, creams, and potions, all of which lured me in with proclamations of life changing-ness.  While my skin may be pretty damn good for a woman of my age, I'm here to tell you that none, repeat none, of those creams, potions, or serums has, despite their claims, actually changed my life.

Lately Deborah has been making this "life changing bread". No, that's not what she calls it.  The name of the recipe is  actually Life Changing Bread.  I kid you not.  Nothing like putting on the pressure.  In fact, I think "life changing" is a lot of expectation to put on bread.

But that's just me.

I have to tell you that, at first glance, this is not a bread that really sounded like something I would like.  There are some very strange ingredients called for in the recipe.  Phyllium seed husk?  What the hell is phyllium seed husk?

I'm still not sure, but there are two things you should know about phyllium seed husk.  First of all, you won't find phyllium seed husk in the department where the flax seeds or the chia seeds are.  Instead, you will find phyllium seed husk in the "health and wellness" department at Whole Foods, right next to all the other high fiber colon cleansing items.

Okay, so perhaps the phyllium seed husk has left you scratching your head.  All the other ingredients are found in the grocery aisles, not in the colon cleansing department, so let's move on from there.

I'm not going to lie to you.  This is one strange recipe.  Basically you mix the ingredients together and then let it sit on your counter for at least four hours, although I found that overnight was even better.  What happens during that time is that the oats and all the other husks and seeds soak up the liquids and sort of expand into a congealed loaf.  You then bake the bread for 20 minutes, at which time you remove the loaf from the pan and bake it face down on the oven rack for another half hour or so.

Sounds strange?  It is.  It's also surprisingly tasty.  Ted even liked it, and he rarely likes anything with any obvious health benefits.  There's absolutely nothing bad in this bread.  Rather, it's full of nuts and seeds and oats and phyllium seed husks, all of which are good for you.

While I'm not quite sure that this bread changed my life, it's worth a try.  Who knows? Maybe it'll change yours.

Recipe:  The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups water

Directions:
In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.

Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!