This homemade flaxseed bread has a soft, fluffy texture and a crunchy crust. It toasts well and is perfect for sandwiches. One slice of this high fiber, gluten-free bread contains just 1.3g net carbs.
I am so excited to share with you this new flax bread recipe. It is gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, sugar-free, low carb, keto friendly, dairy-free, egg-free and yeast free.
And it tastes delicious! It reminds me of the dark farmer's loaves I grew up with in my home country Germany.
I often use ground flaxseed as an ingredient in bread recipes, because it adds fiber and helps with a stronger bread texture. My keto flaxseed bread contains a fair amount of flax, as does this keto Irish soda bread.
But, this is the first time I am publishing a bread that has flaxseed (also called linseed) as the main ingredient.
I made this bread 4 times before publishing this post to make sure the recipe is bulletproof. This means I now have the privilege of working my way through 4 loaves of wonderfully rustic bread. I can't wait for you to take yours out of the oven!
Reader Reviews
"This bread needs six stars. Nice and soft and taste like a whole grain gluten type bread. Made twice in one day, it was so good!" (Susan)
"I used hemp seeds in place of the sunflower seeds, but otherwise followed the recipe as is. Came out wonderful! Very flavorful, with a dense, chewy crumb - and so quick and easy to prepare." (Emilye)
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Simple and quick. My flax bread requires only 4 main ingredients. Plus, I've added a few extras that improve the flavor (flax all on its own is not the best tasting). The dough comes together with just a spoon and minimal kneading. The total prep time is only 10 minutes!
Versatile. The bread tastes great toasted and it works with sweet and savoury toppings. It also freezes well. Enjoy it for breakfast, as a sandwich or alongside soups or salads. It is filling and very satisfying.
Ingredients
- Flaxseed - I used whole golden flaxseed. Measure or weigh it whole, then blend it into a fine powder in a high-speed blender. Brown flaxseed also works, but it has a stronger taste and the bread will be darker. I prefer the flavor of golden flaxseed.
- Sunflower Seeds - Complements the flavor of flax.
- Psyllium Husk - The psyllium husk powder makes the bread soft and light. If you only have whole psyllium husks, grind these to a powder after the flaxseed and measure them after grinding.
- Baking Powder and apple cider vinegar - These are the raising agents we use for fluffy flax bread.
- Oil - You can use either toasted sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil. Both lend flavor and improve the texture.
- Seasoning - I used both sea salt and cracked black pepper in the dough. I think they are essential for a good flavor.
- Water - The water must be warm for the recipe to work.
Why To Grind Your Own Flax Meal
Milling your own flax meal at home from whole flaxseeds has two benefits:
Firstly, this guarantees the flax meal is fresh. Milled flax oxidises quickly and goes rancid if stored at room temperature. This causes an unpleasant fishy, bitter flavor.
Secondly, you can grind the flax to a very fine powder. This is essential for a fluffy bread texture and the success of this recipe.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
It's really easy to make flaxseed bread at home. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions, ingredient amounts and nutrition data.
STEP 1
Blend the flaxseeds to a fine flour in a high-speed blender.
STEP 2
Put the flaxseed meal into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the psyllium husk powder, sunflower seeds, baking powder, salt and pepper.
STEP 3
Pour in the apple cider vinegar, oil and warm water and stir with a spoon to combine. Then, knead with your hands for a few seconds until a smooth dough forms.
STEP 4
Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes to allow the flaxseed to expand. Then, fill it into the prepared loaf pan and smooth with a spatula. Top with seeds.
STEP 5
Bake the bread in the preheated oven on the middle shelf until golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Then, turn off the heat and leave the bread in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Let the bread cool fully before cutting. I like to make it the night before and leave out to cool overnight.
Tips For Perfect Flaxseed Bread
Many people shy away from baking bread because they think it is difficult. It is not! Follow my tips and this flaxseed bread recipe is going to be a great success.
A non-stick loaf pan. I used an 8 x 4 inch non-stick loaf pan which I oiled very well before adding the dough. This way, it was not necessary to line the pan with parchment paper and it gave the bread a lovely crust. If your pan does not have a non-stick coating, it may be safer to use parchment paper.
Fresh baking powder. This may sound obvious, but it is essential. Check that your baking powder is not out of date. You can test for freshness by putting a little in water. It should fizz.
Measure with kitchen scales. Weighing ingredients with digital scales is much more accurate than using cups and spoons. I recommend using scales in all bread recipes, this one included.
Patience. This bread needs to be baked a little longer than other breads and has to cool FULLY before you can slice it. The additional drying time with the oven turned off (and the oven door shut) is essential to help it dry. Then, let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
Let it rest. If possible, let the bread sit for several hours untouched. I left mine out overnight and covered it with kitchen paper. This further improves the texture, making it soft and fluffy inside.
Variations
#1 You could replace the sunflower seeds with pumpkin seeds.
#2 Or, omit the seeds altogether. I have not tried this yet, but if you prefer not to use any seeds, add one additional tablespoon of ground flaxseed to the dough.
#3 As mentioned above, option to use brown flaxseed for an even darker, more rustic bread.
#4 It is also possible to form a round loaf with the dough or make 6 flaxseed rolls. For bread rolls, the baking time in the oven should reduce slightly.
Flaxseed Bread Rolls - Reader Image
My reader Nick made rolls from the recipe and sent me this image:
He asked me quite a few questions and together, we figured out what he had to do to get the texture of the bread just right. This is what he wrote:
"Success at last. With the mill attachment you suggested I got a flax seed grind as fine as yours. I made rolls, which took 1 hour 20 minutes at 150C fan. The fine grind improved the texture and made the taste sweeter. It's great bread, by any standard. I don't feel as if I'm giving up grains or sugar." (Nick)
I thought it was interesting that Nick baked the rolls longer than I had to bake my bread loaf.
But, this goes to show that ovens can differ and that it is ALWAYS worth persevering and giving a recipe a second try, tweaking to suit YOUR ingredients, YOUR equipment and YOUR palate.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but I do recommend that you re-grind it at home so it is fine enough. Otherwise, the ratios may be different. Also, always store ground flaxseed in the freezer once the pack is open to help it stay fresh for longer.
No. Sprouted flaxseed is different to regular flaxseed and the wet/dry ratios would have to change.
In most recipes, ground flaxseed is an acceptable replacement for psyllium husk. However, I don't recommend it in this recipe. This would completely change the texture. It would make the bread dense and not fluffy at all.
Some psyllium husk brands can turn purple when baked. This does not affect the taste. I have used BonPom, Just Natural and Green Origins without issue. The NOW brand is also supposed to be fine.
It is essential that the bread is baked for long enough (test it with a skewer) and that the additional drying time and resting time are followed as per recipe instructions. Also, mill the flax yourself so it is super fine and measure the ingredients with scales.
Recipe Note: The photos in this post are from my first attempt at the recipe. I then tweaked the ingredient amount and the dip in the middle lessened. Using less water prevented it, but it made the texture dense (which I did not like).
Serving Suggestion
This bread tastes great toasted. Often, I simply eat it with a little butter and a sprinkle of salt.
Breakfast: spread it with blended cottage cheese and top it with sliced tomatoes and chopped chives. Or, enjoy it with sugar free strawberry jam.
Lunch or Dinner: Flax bread is perfect as a sandwich bread. My go-to fillings include sliced avocado, lettuce, mozzarella and tomato or keto egg salad.
It is also a filling side for hearty soups.
Storage
Store the bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or, pre-slice and freeze it for up to 3 months.
I layer parchment paper between slices so they don't stick together. Then, I toast a slice straight from frozen.
More Flaxseed Recipes
- Flaxseed Wraps (4 Ingredients!)8 Minutes
- Flaxseed Muffins30 Minutes
- Flaxseed Crackers30 Minutes
- Easy Sesame Flaxseed Crackers25 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Flaxseed Bread
Equipment
- 8 x 4 inch rectangular loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups golden flaxseeds whole, 290g + ½ tablespoon for the top, see recipe notes **
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds 36g+ ½ tablespoon for the top
- 4 tablespoon psyllium husk powder 35g
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon flaked sea salt
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil or olive oil
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 cup warm water 354ml
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 340F / 170C (or 150C fan) and oil a nonstick loaf pan well.
- Add the flaxseeds to a blender and blend until finely milled. Transfer the flaxseed meal to a mixing bowl and add the sunflower seeds, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the apple cider vinegar, oil and warm water. Mix with the dough blade of a hand or stand mixer or use a spoon, kneading it with your hands for a few seconds until fully combined and doughy. Don't over blend as this will make the dough heavier.
- Allow to stand for a couple of minutes. Then, transfer the dough to your prepared loaf pan and flatten it with a spatula. Top with sunflower and flax seeds.
- Place the bread on the middle shelf in the oven and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until golden. Test with a skewer that the middle is baked and no crumbs are sticking. ***see recipe notes
- Turn off the heat and leave the bread in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Do not open the door until the additional 10 minutes are up. This will prevent the bread from deflating.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 - 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool fully completely before slicing. This is essential for it to dry out. My recommendation is to make it the night before and leave it to cool overnight, covering it with kitchen paper.
Frank&Maggie
p.p.s Made a new loaf, this time with full quantities (and more). Added 25g unsweetened desiccated coconut powder. A nice hint of coconut flavour!
Took time to sieve and regrind the unsieved particles, and it made a HUGE difference. The bread really rose out of the tin - looked amazing! Thanks for your explanations. Wish I could share the photo - black sesame seeds on top make it look grand!
Katrin Nürnberger
What a wonderful outcome! So happy that it worked out so well. Send me the photo to katrin@sugarfreelondoner.com, I'd love to share it on my Facebook page.
Frank&Maggie
So easy to follow instructions!
I used ground chia seeds because no psyllium (soaked the powder in warm water for 15 minutes, stirring often to avoid clumping). Also, used brown seeds. Just formed the dough on an air-fryer paper., 50 minutes at 150C.
It didn't rise particularly well, but it was moist and had a fluffiness about it. The taste was very good, reminded us of McVitiie's HobNobs 🙂
I sliced half, and air-fried the slices into crackers - excellent with hummus, sliced bananas, salsa and no doubt cheese. Will make twice a week.
Will browse your other recipes.
p.s. we're not vegan, it's just that it makes sense to eat like this!
Katrin Nürnberger
Thank you for sharing your tweaks. Glad you like the bread!
Nadia
I've just made this recipe using cup / tablespoon measurements with dark flaxseed and I only had pecan nuts (I didn't have sunflowers) and it turned out so so delicious!! I baked at 160 for 1 HR 40 m + 10 minutes in the oven. Yummy, thank you for this amazing recipe!
Nick
I've switched from milled flaxseed (Dhillons Golden) to whole flaxseed (Infinity Foods golden organic). The taste and texture of the bread is better. Grinding to a powder with my Kenwood grinding mill attachment is easier. It's half the price - £4.84 vs £9.49 per kg. And it's so fresh that it's probably more nutritious.
Linda Cofini
I want to try the recipe however, my flaxseed is already ground into meal. Given this, how much flaxseed meal should I use? (I'm assuming it would be a different measurement than what you indicate for the whole seed)
Katrin Nürnberger
Re-grind it in a blender to make it finer. Ideally, use the gram measurements.
Nick H.
My best result is when I cook for 2 hours at 160 (fan). This is a true 160, checked with a gauge. I also add Stevia sweetener.
Katrin Nürnberger
Thank for sharing. I must try the bread at a longer baking time and see what my results are.
Nick H.
I should that it was a 2x loaf. Great crust and a properly cooked middle.
Katrin Nürnberger
That’s useful additional info. I did wonder about the very long baking time.