10 September, 2008

My Favorite Flax Bread




I stumbled upon this recipe for flax bread in a low-carb forum, and I've been addicted to it ever since. It's as simple to make as an omelet (in fact, maybe simpler), absolutely delicious, and endlessly variable. I've made it into a sweet "nut-bread" style snack with the addition of some sweetner and cinnamon. I've gone savory with sea salt and rosemary. The other day I decided I needed pizza for breakfast - and 20 minutes later it was out of the oven and burning my mouth!

In addition to it's great taste and versatility, though, this bread is just plain good for you. The flax seed gives you a good serving of Omega-3 fats (the same fats you might eat salmon or take fish oil for), and all the carbohydrates in flax are in the form of fiber. In fact, in Germany they list fiber separately from carbs, and flax is considered a no-carb food.

So, for anyone following the Sommersize diet or food combining - or just watching their carbs - you can have sandwiches again! Pizza is no longer off limits! Turkey and swiss with a dab of mustard... cold cuts with tomato... go ahead, knock yourself out!

I do have to note - this isn't a low-calorie bread. There is a lot of fat in it, but it's all the healthy kind. And two pieces will give you a lot of fiber, so you may want to start out eating just half the recipe. Other than that - enjoy!



Quick and Easy Flax Bread:
To keep your flax at it's freshest, buy whole flax and grind it in a small coffee grinder before each use. If you do purchase pre-ground flax, be sure to store it in a sealed, opaque container to prevent rancidity.


Ingredients:
1/3 cup flax seed, ground
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
Seasonings: rosemary, garlic, black pepper, etc

1 egg
1/2 Tbs water


Preheat the oven to 350°

If you have a Silpat or other silicon baking mat, lay it out on your baking pan. If you don't have a silicon mat, lay out a sheet of parchment paper. And if you don't have that, just grease your pan well so you can remove your bread in one piece after it bakes!

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and water and stir briefly. Pour the batter onto your baking sheet and smooth to your desired thickness.

Bake about 12 minutes, until cooked through. If you want to use this as pizza crust, bake about 8 minutes or so, then add your toppings and continue baking until the cheese is melted.

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