Sarah Britton is a Toronto-born, Copenhagen-based holistic nutritionist. Her blog, My New Roots, has earned her the title of Quinoa Queen, but as we learned when talking to her for our new year’s health series, Britton’s knowledge goes way beyond ancient grains. And no, we’re not going to talk about kale, either.

Photo credit: Sarah Britton

Oh, the Danes. Such good bread makers, they are. How could any of us ever compete?

With this recipe. It produces a loaf that’s just as dense and rich as that Danish stuff, but it’s stupid simple. You can mix the ingredients right in the loaf pan (no extra bowls!), there’s no kneading (just some sitting), no yeast is involved (leavening is kinda scary), and the ingredients aren’t overly precise. Says nutritionist Sarah Britton, who gave us the recipe: “What if I told you that if you don’t have hazelnuts, you could use almonds? If you don’t like oats, you could use rolled spelt? Out of maple syrup? Use honey! See where I am going with this?” Yes, Sarah. Yes, we do.

Plus—and here’s the real kicker—this bread is good for you. Studded with sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and almonds, it’s high in protein and fiber. It’s gluten-free and vegan. And its ingredients get soaked for optimal nutrition and digestion (we’ve already learned that lesson).



Take that, Redzepi!

Photo credit: Sarah Britton

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

Makes 1 loaf

1 cup sunflower seeds

½ cup flax seeds

½ cup hazelnuts or almonds

1 ½ cups rolled oats

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)

1 tsp. fine grain sea salt

1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)

3 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee, melted

1 ½ cups water

In a loaf pan, combine all dry ingredients. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a separate bowl. Add mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick, adding 1-2 teaspoons water if dough is too thick to stir. Smooth top and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours or overnight.

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Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake bread for 20 minutes, then remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down, directly on a rack, and bake for another 30-40 minutes (it should sound hollow when tapped). Let cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.