Monday, January 16, 2012

Easy Grain-Free Flat Bread

 
I posted the other day on my Facebook page about an "accidental" recipe I had made and have been really excited about... so here it finally is! I wanted to test out a few more things with it, so I've been working on that.

What I was aiming to make was some simple grain free crackers and ended up with a great flatbread instead! I was sent some Psyllium Fiber by Konsyl to test out for gluten free baking, so I was also eager to incorporate it into my baking to see how that went. Turns out the Psyllium powder is great- especially as an egg replacer and binder so it works well to keep the bread together.

I have really enjoyed this bread because (other than the few ingredients) it's so easy to roll and flexible- it doesn't crumble or break like a lot of gluten-free tortillas and breads do and is reminiscent of Persian Lavash bread.
I've given two variations- one is the basic recipe, and then you can add on whatever you like to adjust the taste or make something a little different.

Easy Grain Free Flat Bread
(gluten free, egg free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, nut free)

1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/8 cup (2 TBSP) Konsyl Psyllium Fiber Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1 cup boiling water 

optional:
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning herb blend

Whisk the coconut flour and psyllium together in a bowl along with the salt and herbs if using. Add the coconut oil. Add the hot water a little at a time, stirring as you add it (will melt the coconut oil).  Mix well making sure all the dry bits are incorporated.

Roll (with rolling pin) or pat (with moistened spatula) the bread out on a Silpat/Silicone Liner or unbleached parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan until thin and even. The dough is forgiving, so feel free to move pieces around and repair patches as you go along. I tried baking as two separate pieces (picture below) and as one large bread and both worked out well.

Bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes depending on your oven and how thin you've rolled the bread. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing/eating. The taste will mellow out the longer it cools and sits out.

Enjoy! 
(ps- if you haven't been eating a lot of fiber recently, don't eat the whole pan at once!!)

 


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42 comments:

  1. So excited about this! I am going to have to get some of the psyllium powder... I don't like when some grain free recipes call for tons of eggs. Thanks you so much for posting this!!!

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  2. This flat bread looks perfectly moist. I love that it is grain free too!

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  3. This is right up my alley! I have lots of psyllium husk - but have not seen the powder before. These look appetizing - but also super virtuous and easy to make! Thanks for sharing! Claudine

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  4. This looks awesome! Where would you buy the psyllium powder (other than amazon?) and what else would you use it for?
    How did your crackers turn out?

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    Replies
    1. I found it at CVS and WalGreen drugstores, HEB and WalMart grocery stores here in Texas.

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  5. thanks ladies! let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
    @eileen- you can buy it at any natural store, or i used to buy this one from iherb:
    http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Psyllium-Husk-Powder-12-oz-340-g/1446?at=0
    use my coupon code (LEP856) at checkout and you'll get $5 off your first order.
    i also use it in smoothies for extra fiber. crackers were great! recipe coming soon :)

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  6. I'm so glad you mentioned iherb. It's the site I use for most of my grain-free cooking supplies as well! Just in case anyone is wondering, they've also got a few different brands of coconut flour available. And if you really like coconut oil, the Nutiva 54oz is a great value. Just be advised that it does have a little more coconut flavour than some of the others, so if you like the oil but not the flavour, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

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  7. This is absolutely amazing! I'm going to make this ASAP! Thank you for this terrific recipe!!

    Be Well,
    --Amber

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  8. You have a very good blog! I am gonna share this with a family member that has to eat in this manner. I know we both will enjoy visiting.

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  9. This is a great discovery. I had been thinking about psyllium as a substitute in my own recipes for a dear friend who is sensitive to flax. My first attempt on your recipe was just one big flatbread that I cut into pieces for my taste testers. For myself the warm bread's psyllium smell was off-putting. Plus the sweetness of the unrefined coconut oil did not play well with the herbs. But after mellowing for a day the recipe was found to be a real winner if using refined coconut oil. I will be writing about it soon. Your recipe gave me the courage to try psyllium in one of my own recipes and it is an an ingredient that is here to stay in my baking supplies. Thank you for posting this and giving me the courage to get in there and try it!

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    1. thank you so much for your feedback gretchen! i agree that the psyllium can be strong. i definitely agree letting it rest helps (i think i mentioned letting it cool first). i'm going to post a modified recipe hopefully today that you might like better, but let me tell you- it's just cutting the psyllium in half. that makes the taste milder but the drawback is it doesn't roll easily. instead it's more of just a sandwich bread that can fold but has a good texture.

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  10. Can I substitute ground flaxseed for the psyllium?

    Like many other gluten-sensitive people, I find that psyllium completely blocks my gut. I have made cake and sandwich bread with a combination of coconut and ground flaxseed that lets my gut move smoothly, just wondering if this combo will work for flat rather than raised bread. Thoughts?

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    1. I tried making it with flax this morning (1/4 cup)and it turned out more like (tasty) crackers. it definitely would not roll or fold over. I'm going to try again using different ratios and I'll let you know. If you try and something works, please let me know! thanks!

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  11. Can I use almond meal instead of the coconut? Can I use olive oil instead of the coconut? Coconut doesn't agree with me.

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    1. I haven't tried using almond flour yet. I would imagine if you did the liquid ratios would need to be adjusted since coconut flour absorbs so much water. I did try using olive oil today and it was okay- not as good as coconut but it works. You might want to increase the amount a bit and use light olive oil.

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  12. Do you know if you can replace coconut flour with another GF flour, or flour mix and what about replacing psyllium fiber powder with ground flax seed?
    These I have on hand ;o)

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    1. I'm not sure about replacing the coconut flour, as I haven't experimented with others yet... these are the flours that are agreeing with me these days :)
      I tried flax for psyllium and it became more like a cracker. I'll post if I do come up with alternatives that work though, so stay tuned!

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  13. I understand Coconut is considered a tree nut...therefore this would not be allergen free...oh dear.
    "An estimated 1.8 million Americans have an allergy to tree nuts. Allergic reactions to tree nuts are among the leading causes of fatal and near-fatal reactions to foods. Tree nuts include, but are not limited to, walnut, almond, hazelnut, coconut, cashew, pistachio, and Brazil nuts. These are not to be confused or grouped together with peanut, which is a legume, or seeds, such as sunflower or sesame." http://www.foodallergy.org/page/tree-nut-allergy

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  14. Coconut IS NOT considered a tree nut, nor in the same allergen risk category. I'm not sure where you're getting than information but it's not accurate. Coconut palm are a member of the grass family and aren't a true tree at all.

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  15. Did you use flax seed or flax meal? That could make a big difference and reduce it back to the 1/8 C. I'm thinking on the fly here regarding the musilaginous nature of flax meal v psyllium powder.

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  16. I used the meal- not the whole seeds. I still might play around with it a bit because thankfully even the things that don't come out well still taste great :)

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  17. Thanks for posting your progress.

    I'm trying to work out a recipe for high protein and fiber grain-free, legume-free vegetarian burgers made with seeds, quinoa and shredded veggies. We can eat eggs, dairy and nuts so I thought to include walnuts and/or pecans along with sunflower seeds and sun butter.

    My spouse won't touch meat and I'm somehwere between allergic and intolerant of most meat proteins.

    Fish is so contaminated.

    A couple of weeks ago the USDA announced it will allow the poultry industry to conduct private safety inspections with no government oversight. SCARY!

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  18. I am now cooking grain-free so I'd love to make this tomorrow if possible. Do you think hemp fiber powder could replace the psyllium husk powder?

    Thanks!

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    1. I've tried flax and chia (didn't work), but not hemp yet. If you do try, please let me know! Good luck with going grain-free- it's been very good to me! :)

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  19. No on the hemp fiber powder. I tried today. The flavor was great, but it was very crumbly. It didn't stay together at all. So you think the psyllium husk powder really binds it together, huh? I guess I will order me some now.

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    1. definitely- it's amazingly powerful as a binder! the strongest i've used so far.

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  20. I don't tolerate coconut so I substituted a chickpea/garbanzo flour and olive oil and added about 1/4 tsp of garlic salt... it was tasty! I will use just a tad less water and oil next time though.

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    1. that's great to know, thanks so much for sharing! i might try that out myself :)

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  21. Just made these today and they are fabulous. I wish they made more in this recipe.

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    1. thanks anon- you can always double or triple it and use multiple baking sheets as well if that helps!

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  22. you don't have to get psyllium husk as a laxative powder, get it from web food stores like http://www.redonionspice.com/Psyllium-Husk-Powder-Organic_p_195.html

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  23. Would u say this makes 2 servings as pictured? Trying to figure the carbs. Thanks!

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  24. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  25. Thank you so much for this recipe. My toddler had to go on a very restricted diet for his eczema, and this recipe has been a life saver. We even put the dough in our waffle maker and made waffles and they fooled him! Thanks so much!

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  26. Thank you for this awesome recipe! I used psyllium husk (as didn't read the recipe correctly) and they have still turned out amazing! I have been dying for something soft on a low carb diet instead of all the seed type crackers. Loving these - batch in the oven now :-) I also made one with cinamon, xylitoll and cacoa powder as a sweet treat! Yummo. Thanks again :-)

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  27. I made these today. After rolling them out I cut them into 4 even sized squares so they could fit in my toaster. This reminded me of the Julian Bakery paleo bread...except they use a lot of egg whites. From batch to batch their bread is either too moist or it falls apart. I like the idea of the flat bread. I gave some to my mom today with some jam and she really liked it. I haven't tried it yet because I've already met my quota for fiber **wink**. But look forward to having it with my breakfast tomorrow morning. I think I might be able to get away with using slightly less oil next time

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  28. Hi, nice post. Well what can I say is that these is an interesting and very informative topic. Thanks for sharing your ideas, its not just entertaining but also gives your reader knowledge. Good blogs style too, Cheers!
    Gluten free, wheat free bread is considered to be much healthier for your body and it tastes great when used for delicious sandwiches.
    - The wheat free bread

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  29. This looks fabulous! Did you use coconut oil for the taste mainly or would olive oil work as well?

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  30. Thank you SO much for this amazing recipe. To the comment regarding that this is not nut free, therefore, not allergen free, not true in respect of what is in nuts that is not in coconut. Nuts are all high in oxalates and coconut flour is very low to nearly no oxalates. I cannot eat nuts but I can eat coconut flour. If one googles the NEED for low oxalate diet, you will learn how oxalates are deadly. I simply love this recipe!!!

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  31. Bonjour! I have just tried your recipe today to use with hummus and this is the first time my daughter actually enjoys a vegan grainfree bread! Thank you so much! This recipe was so easy to make and so good, it is a staple in my kitchen from now on! I was about to give up on coconut flour (pancake fiasco followed by muffin apocalypse), but now I know there is hope! Merci beaucoup!

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  32. 3 Studies REVEAL How Coconut Oil Kills Belly Fat.

    This means that you actually get rid of fat by eating coconut fat (in addition to coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from major medicinal journals are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world around!

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