Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread recipe. It’s full of healthy ingredients and is gluten and dairy free. Makes the most amazing toast.
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Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread with millet flakes
This recipe for pumpkin seed and sunflower seed bread is one of my oldest bread recipes on Gluten Free Alchemist. But old doesn’t mean bad. And in the grand scheme of gluten free bread development, this recipe still deserves recognition.
It was my first foray into ‘seedy’ bread-making and also into the world of millet (which is used in this loaf in flake form). Millet makes me think of bird seed. To be honest, that image probably prevented me from considering it as ‘food’ for a long time… Certainly until after Coeliac came into the home. But then I started trying to find out more about it and how to use it.
What is Millet?
Far from being consigned to feeding the local wildlife, it turns out millet is a staple in many parts of the world and particularly throughout Asia and Africa. A small-seeded grass, it is a good source of protein, fibre, vitamin B and other essential vitamins and minerals. It has an interesting texture (the flakes are a little ‘porridgy’) and is mild in flavour compared to some other grains. This means that it is well suited for use in bread without becoming too over-powering. It also offers extra structure to the bake.
What else is in Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread?
Apart from adding millet to the mix, this bread also has a goodly amount of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (hence the name). I always think seeds add interest as well as nutrition to bread, especially when they are dotted through the loaf. Pumpkin seeds are particularly gorgeous for their nuttiness, colour and crunch. And sunflower seeds add an almost creamy nutty quality to the bake.
In creating this bread, I wanted a loaf which was wholesome, but also balanced in flavour, so that the taste and texture of the seeds really shone. It worked. This loaf is deserving of its name.
The flour blend
Like many recipes on Gluten Free Alchemist, this loaf uses a unique home-mixed flour blend, specific to the bake. This is not done to be difficult, but because when it comes to some gluten free recipes, the specific blend of flour can make a huge difference to the result. This is particularly the case for gluten free bread.
I tried a number of combinations of flour for this pumpkin seed and sunflower seed bread before I settled on the one used. In the end, a base-mix of brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, potato and tapioca seemed the way to go. I also played around with different quantities of liquid, yeast and honey.
The result? A loaf which is moist, mild and nutty. It has a fantastic bite and tastes great with anything from cheese, fish or meat to houmous, peanut butter or honey. It holds together well (always a bonus with gluten free bread). And… it makes the most fantastic toast. Oh… And it’s dairy free too.
So here it is… Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread recipe
Made Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread? Don’t forget to let me know! Leave a comment below or tag me on social media (links at the top of the page). It always cheers me up to know my recipes are being enjoyed.
And if you are seeking out more options for home-baked gluten free bread, check out our dedicated gluten free Bread Index. For everything else, the Main Recipe Book Index is full of inspiration.
Pumpkin Seed and Sunflower Seed Bread
Key equipment
- 2 pound (900g) non-stick loaf tin
- Kitchen scales
- measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Large mixing spoon or spatula
- kettle
- whisk (hand or electric)
- Oven
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 160 g fine brown rice flour
- 80 g quinoa flour
- 60 g buckwheat flour
- 50 g potato flour
- 60 g tapioca flour
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds heaped
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds heaped
- 50 g millet flakes
- 4 tbsp boiling water (60 ml/g)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp golden caster sugar
- 20 g easy bake yeast I used Allinson’s
- 250 g hand warm water
- 2 large eggs UK large
- 2 tbsp runny honey
Instructions
- Lightly oil a 2 lb/900g non-stick loaf tin.
- In a large bowl, weigh and mix together the brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, potato and tapioca flours, xanthan gum and salt, making sure any lumps are completely broken down.
- Add the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and stir through.
- In a separate small bowl, mix the millet flakes with the boiling water thoroughly and leave to stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a 3rd medium-sized bowl, whisk the lemon juice, sugar, yeast and warm water and leave to ferment for 10 minutes.
- Add the eggs and honey to the flour mix and blend together using a mixer with a dough hook attachment or a large mixing spoon.
- Add the soaked millet and yeast mix to the flour blend and continue to mix until thoroughly blended.
- Spoon the dough-batter into the loaf tin and smooth the surface. Gently press a few pumpkin and sunflower seeds into the surface and sprinkle a little brown rice flour across the top.
- Loosely cover the surface with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour until more or less doubled in size.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6.
- Remove the cling film and bake the bread for 10 minutes at this temperature and then turn the oven down to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4 and bake for a further 30 to 45 minutes until the surface is nicely browned and a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- If you want to freeze, cut and seal in a freezer food bag and freeze as soon as it has completely cooled.
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