Grain-Free Sourdough Bread

I generally don’t make New Year’s resolutions, first because I tend to not stick to them, and second because I tend to not stick to them…but one of my goals this year is to become a better food stylist and photographer. However my impatience seems to be getting in the way, at least in the first few days of the year. I’m so eager to share this incredible recipe with all of you, that I’m still making pictures with my iPhone, instead of my camera.

Last year, I had an excuse: my 5-year old computer was not working properly or uploading my pictures. But, as I received a lovely gift from my husband for Three Kings Day, a new computer, I really have no excuse.. except that I haven’t yet loaded my Adobe programs onto it. (I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m an impatient procrastinator.)

Therefore, here goes this post with photography of which I’m not so proud. The recipe is from Urban Poser and is absolutely delicious. I suggest to follow her recommendations on the size of the baking tin, as my loaf came out a bit flatter than hers since I used a slightly wider tin. (I’m already planning to purchase a new loaf pan just for this bread, in addition to using different nuts, such as chestnuts and almonds!)

I didn’t make any major alterations, except that I cultured the cashews on the countertop overnight instead of in the oven (which I was afraid to leave on all night and potentially cause a fire). Additionally, I did adjust the baking time due to the size of my loaf pan.

GRAIN FREE “SOURDOUGH” BREAD

Ingredients, one loaf

  • 2 3/4 cups ground, raw cashews (I weighed out the 10oz of cashews required, ground them up and measured them in cups to make this recipe easier)
  • 4 oz water (1/2 cup)
  • 20-30 billion probiotic strains (I used the contents of two capsules of Ultimate Flora, each contains 15 billion Active Cultures)
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 egg yolk, plus 1 teaspoon water for Egg Wash
  • olive oil or grease of choice

Recommended loaf tin should be 7.5 inches x 3.5 inches.

Process

  1. For the “sourdough” starter: As I do not have a food processor, I used my Black & Decker blender. So, instead of grinding the cashews with the water together, I ground the cashews in small batches alone. The texture should be that of packaged ground almonds or almond flour.
  2. Once the cashews are all ground, pour into a small glass or ceramic (non reactive) bowl and add the 4 oz of water and the probiotic powder. Mix well with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be thick and gooey. Cover with a plastic cover to keep airtight.
  3. I cultured my mixture overnight (24 hours) on the countertop. The Urban Poser recommends a number of ways to culture the mixture. Please click here for her recipe and culturing ideas.
  4. When the culture is ready, preheat oven to 150C or 300F.
  5. Prepare the 7.5 x 3.5 inch pan by lightly greasing and lining it with parchment paper. Make sure the paper is long enough so that it flaps over all sides of the tin. Additionally, I greased the inside of the paper with a bit of olive oil.
  6. If your loaf pan is larger than this, you should double the recipe. The loaf pan should be 3/4 full of batter to achieve the height of a regular bread. (As this was my first time making this, I did not double the recipe; hence the thinner looking slices.)
  7. Using a rubber spatula, transfer the cashew mixture to a larger bowl.
  8. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the yolks and a tablespoon of water to the cashews. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
  9. If using the same hand mixer, wash, rinse thoroughly and dry the beaters. Before beating the egg whites, add the baking soda and salt to the cashew mixture and stir in well.
  10. Beat the egg whites, until soft peaks form. Do not over beat.
  11. Gently fold in the egg whites into the cashew mixture, until they are no longer visible.
  12. Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
  13. Prepare the egg wash by mixing the egg yolk with the water.
  14. With a pastry brush, very gently brush the egg wash on top of the bread batter. (This gives the loaf a nice crusty finish.)
  15. Bake for 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out dry. (You may need to adjust baking time for the size of your loaf pan and if doubling the recipe.)
  16. At 40 minutes, increase the oven temperature to 180C or 375F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the top is golden and crusty.
  17. Remove from the oven and allow to completely cool before slicing.

 

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16 Comments

  1. 4.11.13
    Mary said:

    I’ve never made a sourdough loaf before, so don’t know whether the cashew culture is supposed to change in volume or texture.
    It tastes sour. Is that all that happens?

    • 4.11.13
      thesaffrongirl said:

      Hi Mary, It changes in flavour; and you want it to be sour, so you did it correctly.

  2. 4.29.13
    Jamie said:

    Hi πŸ™‚ So I was wondering when you say ground cashews, is that going to need to be the consistency of a nut butter or more of a flour? BTW I think your pics look great!!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe πŸ™‚

    • 4.29.13
      thesaffrongirl said:

      Hi Jamie! By ground cashews I mean the consistency of a flour, sort of like ground almonds or almond flour. If you do grind them too much, it will start turning into a butter! Thanks for the compliments on the pictures! and thank you for stopping by. πŸ˜‰

  3. 7.15.13

    Do you think this could be done with almonds to lower the carb content?

    • 7.16.13
      thesaffrongirl said:

      Yes almond flour (ground almonds) will also work. The flavour won’t be the same though since cashews are sweeter, but the texture will be fine. πŸ˜‰

  4. 6.29.14
    robert said:

    I did the banana bread. Tastes great. Excellent site:-) rw

    • 6.30.14
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Thank you Robert! I’m glad you liked it. Debra xx

  5. 8.25.14
    Martha Yee said:

    The loaf pan I have is slightly larger than what you’re calling for so I doubled the recipe to ensure it was 3/4 full. It ended up being about a half inch con top of loaf pan. I didn’t want to throw out any of it so I need to know how to adjust baking time.

  6. 9.22.14
    Joanne said:

    Looks yummy

  7. 4.27.16
    jane lewis said:

    I have been looking for a recipe like this. I am wondering though if I could use almond flour for this, and if I could use 1/4 cup kefir and 10 billion probiotics. I use kefir all the time in smoothies and breakfast “cereal” so I already have it handy.
    Thanks for the recipe …. I will be experimenting πŸ™‚

    • 4.27.16
      The Saffron Girl said:

      Hi Jane,

      Yes, you can totally use almond flour. Since making this recipe, I would definitely use kefir/yoghourt/or even natural, raw buttermilk. I’m now looking into learning about fermenting the flour itself like one would do with wheat sourdough… I hope to report back shortly. Thank you for stopping by! Debra xx