as our journey toward whole health continues as a family, the hardest things i’ve struggled with, food-wise, are breads and desserts. funny enough, growing up i was never a “sweets” girl. the more i read about thyroid functioning, adrenal issues, and other health sensitivities, the more i realize that beyond incorporating more whole foods into our diet (translate: get back to green and colorful stuff!), i need to find some alternatives that we really enjoy.
enter: grain-free sourdough bread.
ok, traditional sourdough bread may be my all-time favorite food group. no red wine, dark chocolate, or arugula needed – just give me the sourdough. with some salted butter, please.
here’s the thing, though – it doesn’t make me feel good. i eat it, then i’m all puffy and unhappy. so when i found this recipe from my beloved blogger, the urban poser, i had to try it. i was nervous – it looks like a lot of work, and not cheap. but can i tell you? it was worth. every. effort. (definitely click over to her blog to get hints that will really help you in the process!)
ultimately, i found an easy-to-follow version of the recipe here at the saffron girl (another beautiful food blogger), which i then tweaked to make my herbed version. full disclosure: these photographs might appear to be herb-less. that’s because our first batch was true to the original recipe. which, by the way, does not need herbs. but because i can’t leave any recipe untouched…
here’s my version of this insanely delicious bread. which you must make now. please promise you will. kiss me later.
Gluten-free, grain-free sourdough herb bread.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups ground, raw cashews (see note)
- 1/2 cup water
- 20-30 billion probiotic strains (we used a powdered probiotic we give our children to reach this amount)
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- coconut oil (we used this one for amazing flavor variation!)
Instructions
- To make a starter, grind the cashews and water in your food processor. (I tried this in my high-speed blender first, and for this recipe, it was NOT a good idea - it globbed up and was very hard to remove. I prefer this food processor instead.
- Pour the cashew mixture into a glass bowl and add probiotic powder. Stir with a non-metal spoon and cover with tightly sealed lid or plastic wrap.
- Place the bowl in your oven with the light (NOT the heat) turned on, and let sit overnight. Again, see The Urban Poser's version for wonderful culturing tips.
- Once your mixture has cultured for 12-24 hours, preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Grease a standard size bread pan and line with parchment paper, overlapping on the sides.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form.
- Meanwhile, stir egg yolks, 1 tablespoon water, baking soda, herbs, and salt into the cashew mixture.
- Gengly fold egg whites, 1/3 at a time, into the cashew misture. Do not over-mix.
- Pour your batter into the pan - it should be 3/4 full to achieve the proper height; we doubled our recipe.
- If desired, mix an additional yolk with 1 teaspoon water, and brush gently onto top of batter, to create a shiny crust.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, and use a cake tester or toothpick to test center for doneness. (We doubled the recipe so it took 48 minutes.)
- When bread is baked through, increase temperature to 375 degrees for an additional five minutes to brown the top of the bread.
- *Very important: COMPLETELY cool your bread before removing from pan and slicing. We did ours early the first time, and while it was RIDICULOUS AWESOME, it also crumbled to bits.
one. happy. consumer.
do you have a foodie “weakness?” a favorite healthful version of it? please share – i’d love to give yours a try!
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Jillian Babbel Mendioro
June 27, 2014 at 5:05 amI’ve been looking for a low carb sourdough recipe for a LONG time. I seriously can not wait to give this a try! Thanks for sharing
admin
July 3, 2014 at 9:25 pmJillian – let me know what you think! (I know you’re going to MELT…)
Jordyn
July 2, 2014 at 10:51 pmI would’ve been over before this was even out of the oven
admin
July 3, 2014 at 9:24 pm…and i’d have had some ready for you with a slab of butter. 🙂
joanna
July 8, 2014 at 12:19 amhi! i’d like to make this and wanted to know if already made cashew meal would be ok for the cashews? i just picked it up at trader joe’s and the ingredients are ground cashews.
admin
July 9, 2014 at 4:49 amHi, Joanna! I DO think that would work! I just bought a bag of that cashew meal at Trader Joe’s myself and I’m going to give it a try. 🙂 Let me know how you like it!!
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alix
August 27, 2014 at 4:53 amAs a San Francisco native, I am very eager to try this twist on my hometown FAVORITE food! Question, can I substitute Almond flour for this recipe, or is cashew the best? Thanks!
admin
September 22, 2014 at 1:37 pmAlix – I haven’t tried it with almond flour, but they are very similar! If you can get your hands on the cashew, it is amazing. I just found cashew meal in Trader Joe’s, too! I often make mine, though, just by whirring it in a food processor. Just be careful not to over-process, or you’ll end up with cashew butter! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
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CindyB
July 11, 2021 at 6:32 pmI used the cashew meal and some probiotics I had on hand. I left it in 24 but no culture = no rise in the bread. Can you recommend a probiotic powder and measure. It was so dry too with such little water. Do you have a picture of what it should look like after culture stage? Thanks