Easy Peasy Hormone-Loving Flaxseed Bread

I LOVE flaxseeds!

I would say they’re probably one of my top five hormone-balancing foods. They’re incredible for flushing out used oestrogen AND they act as a weak oestrogen in the body so they tick lots of hormone-loving boxes.

They’re also very versatile and can be used in quite a few different ways.

They’re surprisingly good in baking as they have a slightly gooey texture which helps to bind other ingredients together. In fact, they often get used as an egg replacement in vegan recipes.

This recipe isn’t vegan as it uses eggs but it could probably work without the eggs (although I haven’t got round to trying it yet!)

So yummy…and so easy to make!

This recipe is SUPER easy to make and is a fabulous way to incorporate seed cycling into your routine. (This is when you eat different seeds in the two separate halves of your cycle).

Even if you don’t seed cycle this is a fabulous hormone-loving bread, and even if you’re not a fan of baking I really recommend you try making this because it’s so so so easy (and much better for you than any shop-bought bread!)

Having a moment….mmm…….

I love making this bread on a Sunday and then having it to tuck into the rest of the week when I’m busy and don’t always have time to prepare a full blown meal.

I love spreading nut butters, mashed avocado and even chocolate hummus over it (yes you read that right - my new obsession!)

It’s totally grain free so it won’t spike my blood sugar and because it’s so high in fibre I feel totally full after a couple of slices which is great!

The recipe couldn’t be simpler, it’s just a question of mixing some wet and dry ingredients together, placing them in a loaf tin, baking for 50 minutes et voilà!!!

Let’s start with the dry ingredients:

Freshly ground in my nutribullet.

First up ground flaxseeds.

You already know why I love them so much so I’m not going to bore you with that again…the important thing here is that the flaxseeds need to be ground up for this recipe. I prefer to grind my own in my nutribullet (is there nothing that machine can’t reduce to a pulp???) but if you don’t have a decent blender you can buy ready-ground ones.

What I would say is that because flaxseeds contain lots of oils that can easily go rancid it really is better if you can grind them up yourself as this will preserve the oils and stop them from going off.

BUT don’t let this stop you from making this bread - just make sure you buy them in a pack that shields them from the light (they quite often come in protective foil packaging so go for that if you can).

Baking powder: a surprising source of toxicity….

Next up we have baking powder…you would think there wouldn’t be much to say about this humble baking ingredient but you’d be surprised!

First of all, lots of baking powders have aluminium in them and they DON’T have to tell you about it on the label!!! I mean WTF???? (Excuse the swearing!!)

The only way to ensure your baking powder is aluminium-free is by buying one that specifically states it’s aluminium free. They’re easily available online and from most good health shops so please please don’t scrimp on this.

Aluminium is a heavy metal that can have a huge impact on our bodies (and our hormones) and is in all sorts of beauty and household products so it’s important to do what we can to lessen our exposure to it.

And that’s not it…baking powder can also be a hidden source of gluten.

Gluten isn’t a problem for everyone but for those of you following a gluten free way of eating it’s important to be aware that many brands of baking powder can contain gluten.

This recipe is naturally gluten free so it seems a shame to unwittingly add gluten to it which is why I went for a gluten free version.

Salt: another surprising source of toxicity.

Next up we have salt. Again, this might appear like an unremarkable ingredient but it’s really important to make sure you’re using good quality rock salt and not highly processed table salt as this type of salt has no nutritional value AND can be quite bad for us. It can even mess up our thyroids…eek!

So go for nice unprocessed bug chunks of rock salt and grind them up yourself.

Next up, the wet ingredients:

Organic eggs all the way!

The eggs here help to bind the bread. They also pack a protein punch AND give us a boost of good fats (both very important for happy hormones).

I really recommend you buy organic eggs as they have much healthier fats in them, plus they won’t have loads of weird hormones in them.

And let’s not forget that they will have been laid by happier hens.

Looks like water…or vodka!

Next up: melted coconut oil.

Again, this helps to give the bread a lovely moistness AND is a great source of good fats.

It also withstands heat really well so is perfect for baking. Just make sure your coconut oil is extra virgin (this means it hasn’t been heated or tampered with in any way).

Like I said, this recipe is super simple, just mix the wet and dry ingredients together, using water to loosen the mixture and then pop in the oven for 50 minutes or so….

Just before going in the oven.

…It really couldn’t be simpler!!

And …it comes out looking like a proper loaf of bread which I always find very impressive!

Look at that beauty!

Here’s the full recipe…..enjoy!

EASY PEASY HORMONE-LOVING FLAXSEED BREAD

INGREDIENTS

320g ground flaxseeds

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 teaspoon rock salt

4 eggs

120ml water

70g coconut oil, melted

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 180C.

• Mix the flaxseed, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

• In a separate bowl beat the eggs and add the water and melted coconut and mix until combined.

• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix through thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes.

• Place the mixture in a lined loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes or until cooked through.

• Once cooled, store in the fridge for up to seven days, or slice and freeze for up to a month, it really couldn’t be any simpler!!

Smug :)

As you can see from the photo I was very pleased with myself when this came out of the oven!

I’m having it with that delicious chocolate hummus I was talking about earlier and it was sooooo good!

I’m very excited for you to try this recipe - like I said even if you’re not a fan of baking I REALLY recommend you try this!

Your hormones will thank you for it!

Don’t forget to let me know how you get on and make sure you tag me @hormones_in_harmony in any photos you post so I can send you some flaxseed high fives!

Giulietta x