There are some things that you should try to create in your kitchen from scratch at least once. Bread is at the top of my list; I know that it can be an intimidating process full of potential disasters and wasted ingredients. This honey hazelnut loaf is the perfect starter loaf if you’ve never baked a loaf. The pleasure of pulling a warm, fragrant loaf out of the oven and slathering it with jam or even better, some homemade hazelnut butter is one of the life’s great pleasures. Bread made by your two hands is always infinitely more delicious and memorable than anything you can buy in the store. I haven’t shared a lot of bread recipes here but there was a time when I baked a loaf every week for my family. Since we discovered Ben’s dairy allergy I’ve gotten away from that ritual but I think it’s time to start again with some dairy-free versions of our favorite recipes.
I’ve had my share of bread baking disasters. Once I spent 2 weeks cultivating a sourdough starter, spent a day and a half making a dough and letting it rise, shaping it, resting it numerous times. Then during the last and final rise I left it sitting too close to the back of the stove, and it ended up baking on the stovetop into a crusty horrible mess, and I had to scratch the whole thing. Now if I can bake bread after that debacle, then you should try it too, and this is infinitely easier and enjoyable
If you’ve hesitated trying bread baking before this is the perfect loaf to start with, it’s practically foolproof. There is no yeast so there’s no time waiting around for it to rise and you can have it ready to pop into the oven in a matter of minutes. Since my son can’t tolerate any dairy this is a vegan loaf but you could substitute regular buttermilk in exchange for the almond milk and vinegar.
It’s ideal for a last minute addition to dinner, deliciously paired with a nice steaming bowl of soup or perfect for breakfast lightly toasted with a drizzle of honey. If you don’t have hazelnut meal, you can just use 2 cups of whole wheat flour instead or experiment with almond, spelt or millet. You can make your own hazelnut meal by adding a cup of toasted hazelnut to your food processor until it’s finely ground.
If you’ve always thought that you can’t bake bread give this loaf a try, freshly baked bread can always be at your fingertips anytime you like!
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a picture #scalingback on Instagram so I can see what you came up with!
- 1 cup almond milk or non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- • 4 tablespoons olive oil
- • 1 cup whole wheat flour
- • 1 cup all-purpose flour
- • 1 cup hazelnut meal
- • ½ cup rolled oats
- • ½ teaspoon baking powder
- • 1 teaspoon baking soda
- • 1½ teaspoons salt
- • 2 tablespoons honey (sub maple syrup if you are a strict vegan)
- • a little bit of almond milk for brushing
- • 2 tablespoon oats
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the cup of almond milk with the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Put the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix to combine the ingredients. Add the four tablespoons of oil, ¾ cup of the milk, and the honey. Mix the dough until it comes together and forms a barely sticky ball. If it's too dry, add the remaining milk one tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Be careful not to overwork the mixture, you want it to just combine and be able to shape it into a ball.
- Form the dough into a round and put it on the baking sheet. Slash a deep cross into the top of the dough ⅔ of the way through. If desired, lightly brush the top of the loaf with one tablespoon of the reserved almond milk mixture and sprinkle with a tablespoon of oats.
- Bake the loaf for 35-40 minutes or until the loaf is golden and crusty on the top and bottom and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before serving.
Is it possible to replace the almond milk with fresh cow milk? Is the apple cider vinegar necessary?
You could replace the almond milk and apple cider vinegar with buttermilk instead. You need the acidity to get the rise without yeast. Hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try!