Monday, April 12, 2010

Focaccia-Style Flax Bread



*Note from About.com: "I call this "focaccia" because it is baked in that style -- flat on a sheet pan, and then cut up into whatever sized pieces you want. It works for toast, sandwiches, and other bready uses. It is "rough" in texture like heavy whole grain breads. Since it isn't made with wheat, it doesn't have the same kind of grain as wheat breads, but the carb in flax is almost all fiber. Flax is very useful on a low carb diet, as well as being amazingly good for you.

So we made it on my mom's recommendation, and guess who asked for more?! France! Yeah! We kept it in the fridge in an airtight container and toasted it. Pretty good bread for being carb-less wouldn't you say! :)

For the Flax Bread:
  • 2 cups flax seed meal
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
  • 5 beaten eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicon mat. (I use silpats now, I can no longer live with out them!).

1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.
2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)
4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).
5) Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.

1 comment:

  1. Nice. I made mine a little thicker and it still cooked good. It's interesting isnt it?!

    ReplyDelete