Chickpea Flour Flax Sandwich Bread {vegan, grain-free, oil-free}

August 11, 2020

Wholesome chickpea flour flax sandwich bread that tastes like whole wheat! Made with 5 ingredients, it is vegan, grain-free, oil-free & easy to make.

Grain-Free Bread that Tastes like Whole Wheat

Your eyes are not deceiving you: the bread pictured above looks like whole wheat bread. It tastes like whole wheat bread, too. Yet it is 100%wheat-free and grain-free. Really and truly!

It gets even better. This wonderful bread is also:

Vegan (no eggs, no dairy)
Oil-free
Yeast-free
Fast to make (ready, start to finish, in under an hour)
Easy-peasy to make
Frugal

It is perfect for sandwiches, toast, and all manner of random nibbling. Sweet spreads? Savory fillings? All are harmonious with slices of this, your new favorite loaf.

Introducing Chickpea Flour Flax Sandwich Bread (a.k.a., Wheat-Free Wheat Bread).

Ingredients for Wheat-Free Wheat Bread

The ingredients for this recipe are minimal: five, to be precise, plus water and optional salt. They are inexpensive, as well, which is a very good thing, since you will want to make this bread over & over again. Here's what you will need:

Chickpea flour
Flaxseed meal
Coconut sugar (or the sweetener of your choice)
Baking soda
Vinegar (any light-colored vinegar, such apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, or sub with lemon juice)

How to Make Chickpea Flour Flax Sandwich Bread

The hands-on time for making this bread is under 5 minutes (hooray for quick breads!). 5 ingredients & 5 minutes of work is my kind of bread recipe.

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients

Place the dry ingredients (the chickpea flour, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar, baking soda and optional salt) in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Break up any an all lumps and bumps, especially with the chickpea flour.

Step 2: Add the water & vinegar

Combine the water and vinegar (in the measuring cup, or in a small bowl) and pour into the bowl of whisked dry ingredients.

Step 3: Stir to combine

Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to combine the wet and the dry until blended (no dry ingredients visible).

Definitely opt for a rubber spatula or wooden spoon here, not a whisk. The batter is thick and will glom onto the whisk like nobody's business (I "tested" this so that you would not make the same mistake:)).

Step 4: Spread and smooth batter in pan

Working quickly (the baking soda will begin reacting with the vinegar straight away, so get this in the oven as soon as possible), spread the batter in a 9x5-inch loaf pan that has been greased or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Since the batter is thick, I like to dip the spatula or a butter knife in water to (more easily) smooth the top.

Make a Lengthwise Slash in the Loaf

I have one more (quick) step before the loaf goes into the oven: make a slash.

Take a sharp knife and run it through the top of the loaf (about 1/2 inch deep, no more), lengthwise. This helps release steam from the bread as it bakes, leading to an even, well-risen loaf.

Keep in mind that this is more of a batter than a dough, so the slash will not look significant. It may even close in on itself as soon as the slash is made. Not to worry, that's exactly how it should look!

How to Bake the Bread

Slide the bread into a preheated 375F oven for 45 to 50 minutes until it is risen, golden brown, and sounds hollow when gently tapped on top. Simple, yes?

It smells so good!

Let the loaf cool in the pan, on top of a cooling rack, for 20 minutes. To remove the loaf, run a butter knife or other dull knife around the edges of the pan to loosen, and then invert the bread onto the cooling rack. Turn the bread right side up and let cool completely before slicing.

Hello, delicious.

Does this Bread Taste Like Chickpea Flour?

No! I know many of you were wondering as you read along. The bread has a very neutral, whole wheat flavor. So regardless of your feelings about chickpea flour (love, hate, somewhere in between), you will be pleased with the go-with-everything flavor of this bread.

Slice it Thick or Ultra-Thin

You can slice this bread whichever which way you like, it is not a crumbler! Slice it super thin for open-faced tartines, thick for toast, medium for sandwiches, or any which way that you please.

Can I Leave out the Sugar?

Yes, the sugar cab be omitted without any affect on the structure of the bread.

Nevertheless, I strongly recommend adding it. I added the tablespoon-ful after several rounds of testing, and wow, it adds so much to the "whole wheat" flavor of the bread! to mimic the flavor of wheat bread.

Happy baking & may this lead to many delicious sandwiches!