Alexandra's Kitchen

A food blog with mostly simple, sometimes fussy, always seasonal recipes.

Quinoa and Flax Toasting Bread

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In the fall of 2016, I posted a recipe for curried apple and egg salad. It was pictured piled atop slices of quinoa-flax bread, a recipe I couldn’t yet share because it, or a variation of it, would appear in Bread Toast Crumbs the following April. I’ve been meaning to share the recipe ever since BTC made its way into the world because it’s one of my favorites—of the 40 variations of the peasant bread included in the book, this (along with a variation of the focaccia) is the one I make most often.

Like all of the bread recipes in BTC, this one is simple—stir together dry ingredients, add wet, mix to form a sticky dough ball. There is no need to cook the quinoa before adding it to the dough, and I love how it, along with the flax seed, punctuate the loaves with red and brown specks, offering the loveliest crunch throughout. I prefer making 1.5 times the recipe in BTC and baking it in loaf pans, because we go through it so quickly: my husband and I toast this bread for breakfast nearly every day—it’s so filling and satisfying.

As always: for best results use a scale to measure the ingredients. More than anything else, a scale will make bread baking a breeze.

Here’s how you to make this quinoa-flax bread: Gather your ingredients: flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, quinoa, flax, lukewarm water, and oil. Stir together dry ingredients, add wet, mix to form a ball.

Quinoa and flax seeds. No need to cook the quinoa ahead of time. I don’t rinse it anymore either. I love using the red quinoa because it looks so pretty in the finished loaf, but you can use any kind of quinoa you have on hand.

The mixed dough should be wet and sticky but should be able to hold together in a rough ball.

Let it rise:

Divide the dough:

Place in buttered loaf pans:

Let it rise again:

Bake it:

Here’s another step-by-step visual guide. This dough I mixed at night before going to sleep, so I used cold water and 1 teaspoon yeast. On the left is the dough destined for loaf pans; on the right is the dough destined for Pyrex bowls. Tip: You can do the long (12 to 18 hours), overnight rise with any bread you bake by simply cutting back the yeast to 1/2 or 1 teaspoon and using cold water in place of lukewarm—just keep in mind that the second rise will take much longer. You have to be patient—when the dough crowns the rim of the vessel it is in, it’s ready for the oven.

Delicious with soft-boiled eggs:

And a pinch of dukkah:

Also delicious as the base of a beet and avocado tartine:

Bread in the kitchen! Almost there … waiting on the hood and some shelves and some molding. I’ll keep you posted.

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Quinoa and Flax Toasting Bread

★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews
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Description

Adapted from Bread Toast Crumbs. This is essentially 1.5 times the recipe in BTC. It’s baked in two buttered loaf pans (as opposed to two Pyrex bowls). I love it toasted for breakfast smeared with butter and salt or almond butter — it’s so filling and satisfying. See notes below for baking it in 2 Pyrex bowls.

* To create a warm place for your dough to rise, preheat your oven for 1 minute, then shut it off—you should be able to place your hands on the oven grates; it should be about 100ºF. 

Scale

Ingredients

  • 6 cups (768 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2½ teaspoons instant yeast
  • 3/4 cup red quinoa
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons flax seed
  • 3 cups lukewarm water, made my combining 2.25 cups cold water with .75 cups boiling water
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons softened butter

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add quinoa and flax seeds and toss to coat. Add the water followed by the oil. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the flour is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. 
  2. Cover bowl with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot* to rise for 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease two loaf pans with the softened butter—be generous. Using two forks, deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it towards the center. Rotate the bowl quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball as you bring it towards the center.
  4. Using your two forks and working from the center out, separate the dough into two equal halves. Use the forks to lift each half of dough into the prepared pans. If the dough is too wet to transfer with forks, lightly grease your hands with butter or oil, then transfer each half to bowls. Let the dough rise for 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or other warm, draft-free spot) or until the top of the dough just crowns the rim of the pans. 
  5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden all around. Remove bowls from oven and turn loaves out onto cooling racks. If the loaves look pale or feel soft, return them to their pans, and bake 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven, turn out onto cooling rack, and let cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Notes

If using two buttered Pyrex bowls, use these proportions:

  • 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
  • ½ cup red quinoa
  • ¼ cup flax seed
  • 2 cups lukewarm water, made my combining 1.5 cups cold water with .5 cups boiling water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter

· In: Baking, Bread

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{ 54 Responses }

  1. I’m going to try this tomorrow. Please clarify the instructions for refrigerating the dough overnight. You say 1/2-1 teaspoon of yeast. Please specifically say how much for each batch of bread: for the Pyrex bowls, how much and for the two loaves, how much. Thanks. I love the rustic bread, the seedy bread and have used sprouted wheat flour with good success. Thank you!

    Reply

  2. Hi Leslie!

    Yes, sorry for the confusion here. I didn’t refrigerate this dough, though you definitely can do that. If you want to refrigerate the dough, I keep the proportions of everything the same: same amount of yeast, warm water, etc. BUT, I let it make it’s first rise in the fridge for at least 12-18 hours, then I pull it out, deflate it, divide it, transfer it to pans, and let it rise again—this second rise may take as long as 2 to 3 hours. Then bake as directed.

    If you want to do what I did in the photos above, I simply let the dough rise at room temperature. Because this is a heavier dough (with all the seeds and oil), I use 1 teaspoon of yeast in each of the batches of dough (loaf pans and pyrex bowls). If I were just making the peasant bread or an overnight pizza dough, I would use 1/2 teaspoon yeast. Also, because my kitchen is cold, I use 1 teaspoon of yeast. In the summer, I might be able to get away with using 1/2 teaspoon yeast.

    Let me know if you need anything else clarified!

    Reply

    • Thanks for the clarification. I made this bread in two Pyrex bowls and subbed 128 g KAF Sprouted Wheat Flour for some of the white flour. I added about a Tbl. more water just in case. It rose overnight in the fridge, but looked pretty flat, so I stuck it in the microwave with a cup of boiling water (another proofing box) and it looked better. The second rise went quickly and the bread is beautiful,has great texture and crunch. I’ll be making this one again. The extra protein from the quinoa keeps me from getting hungry! Thanks for sharing this attractive and healthy recipe.
      Question for you: I’d like to use up a small bag of Spelt flour. Any ideas?

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • So happy to hear this, Leslie! I find this bread keeps me sated for hours. Re spelt flour, you can substitute it as you have the sprouted wheat flour in any recipe — I would say use 25-50% spelt flour and the remaining all-purpose. I love spelt flour! It’s great in bread recipes.

        Reply

  3. This bread looks so good. I’d like to grind the flax seeds in order to benefit from their healthy goodness. Can the recipe be adjusted for ground flax seeds?

    Reply

    • I’m sure! You may have to add more water as the flax may absorb some of it — try to reference the photos (I know it can be hard) of the mixed dough — it should be wet and sticky. So if the dough is stiff when you are mixing it up, add water by the tablespoon or so until it gets to the right consistency.

      Reply

    • I’m back with a report. After I ground the flax seeds and mixed them with the flour, I had to throw it all away because the flax seeds had turned. Urgh. Luckily, I hadn’t yet added the quinoa and had plenty of flour, so I started another batch. The only substitute for flax seeds on hand were sesame seeds, so I toasted them (raw sesame seeds weird me out?), and OH. SWEET. KITCHEN. GODS. This is maybe the best bread I’ve ever tasted. I ate half the warm loaf by myself, standing at the counter and wolfing it down — plain, with Kerrygold salted, with Nutella, with peanut butter, and each slice was a winner. Toasted the next morning for egg sandwiches, it was heavenly. Will make again with flax, but I really think you can’t go wrong, even with sesame. Yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

      • I am so, so happy to hear this Carolina!! What a bummer about the turned flax seeds … glad you didn’t ruin a whole batch of dough. I love this with a frid egg on top … so good. ALSO: salted Kerrygold is a treat in itself. 🙂

        Reply

  4. Hi Alexandra, I am a great foodie and experimental cook :-). Your recipes are amazing and easy to follow, and I am one of your fans! I have made a few things from your site that have been staples at home, like the tomato sauce (using Marcella Hazan’s recipe) and your rosemary shortbread. I will make this quinoa and flax bread, too, hopefully this weekend! Do you think you could at some point include some caloric information about the recipes you share?

    Thanks for making life easier and more fun, good food is always something that brings a smile to my face and to my family!

    Cheers,
    Cecilia

    Reply

    • So happy to hear this Cecilia! Thanks so much for the kind words! Stay tuned re caloric info—there may be a way to tie my recipe plugin with a nutrition label … on my to-do list!

      Reply

      • Yay! I look forward to that!

        I have in the past, been intimated by bread making. For some reason, I was always afraid of the yeast (which is funny because it acts like baking soda or baking powder as a rising agent), but I think I feared the “letting the dough rise” part. You have made me conquer my fear of baking breads!

        Reply

    • Yay! I think it might. You may have to add more water as the flax may absorb some of it — try to reference the photos (I know it can be hard) of the mixed dough — it should be wet and sticky. So if the dough is stiff when you are mixing it up, add water by the tablespoon or so until it gets to the right consistency.

      Reply

  8. Hi! This bread looks amazing. I’ve made your original peasant bread a bunch but none of the variations until I saw this post. I only had ground flaxseed so I’m trying it with that. Also, I’m trying it with 1/2 einkorn flour so hopefully it works out. ???? I just left the dough rising on my counter while I go out for my favorite breakfast which will keep me from peeking and prodding at dough like I normally do. I’ll probably post on Instagram if it works out well!!

    Reply

  9. The quinoa and flax seed bread was the first I made of the recipes from you BTC cookbook. It is still my favorite for toasting in the morning. Last night however, we had some of the rye bread (your recipe) left over which was just the right amount to dry out in the oven and slather with gruyere, melt under the broiler, and serve over the cabbage soup recipe in your book. I couldn’t find that recipe on you blog so I am commenting on it here. We were blown away at the soup and wonderful cheese topped toasty bread! My husband commented that if he had it in a great restaurant, he would know why it was called a great restaurant.
    Can you proportionately increase the amount in all of your bread recipes as you have done here to make two loaf pan loaves? Can’t wait to delve further into your book!

    Reply

    • Sunie!! I’m so happy to hear all of this … truly. It means the world.

      And yes: for loaf pans, I generally do 1.5 times the recipe. You don’t need to always do 1.5 times the yeast, but increase it a little bit for sure. And I generally bake the loaves at 375 for 40 to 45 minutes.

      Reply

      • Thanks. I have done the loaf pans a few times and they turn out great. A side note is that I went to make the quinoa and flax loaves and found I had run out of flax. I read the recipe in your book hoping to find what I could substitute. You said any seeds would work. I used about half of the amount each of poppy seeds and sesame seeds and what resulted was awesome! Toasting the bread really brings out the flavor of the seeds.

        ★★★★★

        Reply

  11. Hi Alexandra!
    I’ve been loving your IG stories and it has definitely inspired me to make many of your recipes at home (thank you Dukkah!).
    I have a couple questions for you:
    1. How do you think the addition of chia seeds would affect this bread? Perhaps 3/4c quinoa, 1/4c ground flax (I saw your note about possibly adding more water with ground vs whole flax) and 1/8c chia seeds.
    2. How long should this bread rise if I was letting it get its first rise in my instant pot on the yogurt setting?
    Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • This makes me so happy, Lacy! Thanks! and YES to dukkah.

      In regard to your questions:

      1. How do you think the addition of chia seeds would affect this bread? Perhaps 3/4c quinoa, 1/4c ground flax (I saw your note about possibly adding more water with ground vs whole flax) and 1/8c chia seeds. I say go for it! I’ve never tried chia in bread, but I love chia and think it would be really nice both texture and taste wise. Your proportions seem good.

      2. How long should this bread rise if I was letting it get its first rise in my instant pot on the yogurt setting?
      Thanks!       Gosh, I don’t know! I have yet to explore the yogurt setting, but I am so curious now. I think you’ll just have to play around … You want the dough to double in bulk, so it may take some trial and error.

      Please report back if you make any more discoveries!

      Reply

  12. I love this recipe from your book, and this is a wonderful variation. So pretty too and it comes together very quickly. If the weather is especially humid, which can make the dough a little wetter, I just scoop up the dough with olive-oiled hands and plop the dough into the pans. The bread bakes with a very nice crumb.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Sorry for the delay here! If you have active-dry yeast, dissolve the sugar into the lukewarm water, sprinkle the yeast over top, and let it sit for 15 minutes or until it gets nice and foamy. When it’s ready stir it into the dry ingredients. Add the oil then, too.

      Reply

  14. Hi Ali,
    This bread is absolutely delicious. I used organic white quinoa, rinsed in a French press to get rid of residual bitterness. It’s wonderful with the olive oil, even when a person makes a mistake and adds too much. I’m going to make it again today – following instructions – and hope it’ll be as good. If not, I’m going back to the error of my ways.

    And thanks to the commenter who mentioned the cabbage soup in your book. I marked that to try right after I got the book and then forgot: spoiled for choice, as the Brits would say. Ironically it was this blog post that motivated me to finally try this bread too, even though I’d marked that too.

    Thanks!

    Reply

      • I made the bread again yesterday Ali, and your original is by far the best balanced of the two. And addictive. Still, I also loved the taste and toasted texture with all the extra olive oil and may make it again – my guilty secret, the kind of thing you can never recommend to anyone because it’s well, you know, weird.

        Thanks for another cabbage soup recipe too. I also love cabbage, all the brassicas in fact. Caramelized some onions last night so the BTC cabbage soup is on the menu today. Such good food Ali, thanks.

        Reply

  15. I made this bread and it came out perfectly! I used 6 cups of flour but my dough was much wetter than shown in pictures. Nonetheless, the bread was delicious. I baked an extra 10 minutes. Thank you for the recipe. I’ll try the kalamata bread next.

    Reply

    • Hi Mina! Wetter is better than dry—so glad it turned out well nonetheless. Baking extra was a good idea given the dough was wet. Mina, do you have a scale?? I can’t recommend using one enough.

      Reply

  16. Hi Alexandra – could I use some white whole wheat (KA brand) to replace 1/2 of the AP flour? If so, would you do so by weight? Thanks!

    Reply

  17. Hi Alexandra! This is the recipe from your book I make the most. But often I’ll just cut the recipe in half to make one loaf. Will half the recipe be enough for a loaf pan?
    Thank so much!

    Reply

      • Ha ha, no…I actually meant I make half of the original recipe that is in the book. So I was kind of thinking that half of that recipe might not be enough for 1 loaf-size pan. But silly me, was not thinking last night and I can just make half of THIS recipe that you say is 1.5x greater than the book. I am very confusing, aren’t I? Or maybe the entire recipe that is in the book would fit in a single, larger loaf pan? LOL

        Reply

  18. Hi Alexandra,

    Thank You for this beautiful and tasty bread recipe. I tried it today and it came out wonderful.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  19. I tried this recipe and it is absolutely AMAZING! The bread loaves are so tasty and are perfect for making sandwiches. Thank you so much for another wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  20. 1st, thank you for sharing your approach to bread, the basic recipe encourages creativity and no matter what tweak I make, the result is delicious.

    I made this recipe as written with amount of flour but I used 3 c KA bread flour, 2 c KA white wheat, 1 c KA sprouted wheat. I used the amount of quinoa but cooked it 1st so the nutrients are more accessible. I pulsed the flax in food processor to bust some open. I added 1/4 c chia seeds and 1/4 cup toasted black sesame. Since the quinoa was cooked, it was wet and I added an extra 1/4 c water and 1/2 tsp yeast to adjust for the extra seeds. I also used coconut oil in the bread and to grease the pans.

    Like I said,, your basic “recipe” encourages and rewards creativity and utility – you can use what you have and what you like. The result was amazing. It reminds me of the Ezikiel Sesame bread but with way better texture and flavor. This week we are eating this bread toasted with curried chickpea salad piled on top. Every time I eat this I feel lucky that I found out how to make it! Thank you!

    Reply

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