Vegan Teff Bread

Gluten Free recipe.

Sassafras-Emulsified Teff Bread (Vegan, Low-Oxalate, Autoimmune and Gut Microbiome Friendly)

A baker’s balance of science and intuition—moist, protein-rich, and defiantly gluten-free.

Teff flour is brown in color and this batch of bread is too compared to using sorghum flour instead of the Teff flour.

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Ingredients

1. Emulsifier Gel

• 1 cup boiling water

• 1 tbsp ground sassafras leaves (pure gumbo filé)

• 1 tbsp slippery elm powder

• 3 tbsp pumpkin seed flour

2. Starch Slurry

• ½ cup cold water

• ½ cup arrowroot or tapioca starch

• ¼–⅓ cup raw sugar (presoaking helps the large crystals dissolve - honey or Pure Maple Syrup could also be used and less or none would work too)

• 1 tbsp real vanilla extract

3. Dry Mix

• 1 cup teff flour

• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour

• 1 cup white rice flour (lower-oxalate than brown rice flour, but brown rice flour or sorghum flour could be used)

• ½–1 cup pumpkin seed flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp cardamom

• ½ tsp sea salt

• *Or for a standard gluten flour recipe use ~4 cups of flour, possibly 2 cups white flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour, or for the higher protein bread, 2 cups wheat flour and one cup garbanzo bean flour and pumpkin seed flour. Retaining the Arrowroot/Tapioca starch step will make the final bread moister whether using wheat flour or gluten free flours. The non-yeast emulsifiers would make it a bit like muffin bread compared to a kneaded yeast dough.

4. Fat & Final Adjustments

• 1/4 to ⅓ cup coconut oil

• Water (as needed to reach muffin-batter consistency)

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Method

1. Emulsifier Gel

   • Whisk sassafras, slippery elm, and pumpkin flour in a small bowl.

   • Pour in boiling water, whisk vigorously, and let sit 5 mins.

2. Starch Slurry

   • Mix cold water, arrowroot, sugar (or other sweetener as preferred), and vanilla.

   • Let rest 5–15 mins (critical for the starch to absorb moisture prior to being heated!).

3. Dry Mix

   • Whisk all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

4. Combine

   • Melt coconut oil into the hot emulsifier gel and whisk until melted and fully emulsified/combined.

   • Pour warm emulsifier mix and cold starch slurry into the large bowl of dry mix. Stir along with about two cups of water (or a milk equivalent) or as much water is needed to make a thick, pourable batter (~ like muffin batter, but not as thin as pancake batter but thinner than a kneadable yeast dough).

5. Bake

   • Divide into 4 greased small loaf pans.

   • Bake at 350°F (175°C) for ~ 45 mins.

   • Cool on a wire rack.

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Key Science Notes

• Sassafras/slippery elm: Hydrocolloid emulsifiers mimic gluten’s binding. Gumbo file/sassafras leaves also have anti-cancer and other health benefits (see this post) and Slippery Elm powder and Gumbo file are beneficial for gut health.

• Starch slurry hydration: Prevents "dry sand" texture by allowing arrowroot to swell.

• Pumpkin seed flour: High protein/fat helps balance carb calories in a vegan diet.

Storage

• Fridge: ~ 1 week in an airtight container.

• Freezer: 3-6 months (slice before freezing, tinfoil is more protective than plastic wrap for freezer storage).

Gumbo File - anti-inflammatory and possibly anti-cancer

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.