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– raw, vegan, gluten-free, grain-free –
Something is grounding about a good piece of toast. Over the years, I have come to learn that toast is a very personal thing. People tend to enjoy it in their own particular way.
For me, I always enjoyed it made from a thick slice of dense bread. I liked it well toasted but not too toasted, you know, crunchy on the outside with a little dense softness in the center. “They,” say, that the exterior should be 12 times crunchier then the middle. I don’t know who “they” are, but I have to agree.
Cafe Gratitude inspired this Almond Toast. As I have made it over the years, I have found a sweet spot that I have come to love, and it’s all in how it is dehydrated.
Here’s the thing with dehydrated raw foods, many people over-dehydrate them, which can suck not only all the moisture out our them but also all of the flavor. They get caught up in the fact that they need to dry it until all the moisture is gone so that it will last longer. Where this idea is excellent when dehydrating fruit leathers, dried fruits, and veggies for long-term preservation… it can get us off track when we start to dry other types of foods.
We can’t lose sight that raw foods, is about eating whole foods, in their freshest state, with the least amount of processing. They are meant to be eaten right away or within a few days.
I am not against having raw food staples in the pantry, fridge, or freezer… I am for that, too. It allows us to have “convenient, fast foods” for those days that we are on the go-go. And trust me, with Bob, who loves to graze all day… I need a hefty stash set aside for him. But I guess what I am trying to say here is that I want you to become mindful of the foods you are preparing and have ultimate control of their outcome during the drying process. Don’t just throw them in the dehydrator and forget about them. You wouldn’t do that if you baked them in the oven.
For me, I love this toast dried almost all the way through. It may be more or less for you, so please use my dehydrating times as suggested guides. When making this recipe for the first time, designate one piece that you can nibble on throughout the drying process. After about 3-4 hours, start removing a little chunk off of it and tasting it… does it need longer or is it perfect for you? Once you hit the sweet spot, be sure to document that time so you know just how long to dry next time.
Also, it’s good to understand that you can change the use of this recipe and many others just by the texture that you create. For example, if you dry this bread all the way through, it is sort of reminiscent of biscotti and would be great served with a warm cup of Golden Turmeric Almond Milk. It would even be great to crumble over a green salad, replacing croutons. Then, next time, dry it for less amount of time to create a softer piece of toast, slather some jam or honey on top, and enjoy it with your breakfast.
That my friend is the joy of raw foods. One recipe can play many different roles in your daily menu. I hope you enjoy this recipe. I want to raise my bread and “toast” you to a happy day. :) Blessings, amie sue
Yields 12 slices (-/+)
Hi Anie,
I just made this wonderful toast and my 19 month old son just loved it! I didn’t have enough almonds so I used 1/2 a cup of brazil nuts for chopping. Your recipes are amazing and instructions are so helpful! You should put a book together:)
oh, we also tried the cauliflower popcorn and loved it! It completely satisfied my cheese craving.
This is wonderful Liana!!
Hi Amie,
I have the loaf in the dehydrator right now and am really looking forward to trying it. I was wondering if you could give an approximate dehydrating time. I was thinking maybe 24 hours? I’m here in NJ and I know that where you live and the season makes a difference with the dehydrating time. I made almond milk in my slow juicer and got the almond pulp doing it that way and the same goes for the carrot pulp. I am enthused that I can now use the pulp from vegetables for breads and crackers. Thanks for the recipe, Amie!
Vivian
Hi Vivan… yes it could take up to 24 hrs. It depends also on thick your slices are. My advice it so check at the 6 and 10 hour market and see how it is making progress. It also depends on how moist or dry that you want the final product to be. I hope you enjoy it! Keep me posted. Blessings, amie sue
Amie-Sue,
I am pleased to say that it came out terrific! I only have a tiny bit left. I intend on making more mid week as I’d like to have some ready for when my brother visits us. I’d like to show him that a dehydrator does more than just preserving food. He was very interested in seeing my new Excalibur dehydrator and he expressed an interest in making jerkey which I’ll have to try in the near future. Right now I have your recipe for apple/oat in the oven and later today, I will do mango-banana leather. I’ve done the cocoa-strawberry leather which didn’t last too long!
Thank you Amie-Sue for a lovely website. You have some very nice recipes that I will be trying!
Vivian
Thank you Vivian… I appreciate you sharing all of that with me. :) I hope your brother is equally impressed and enjoys the treats you make for him. Have a wonderful time with him. amie sue
Hi,
I made these and loved them (thank you!) and wanted to try something different so I used some cinnamon in place of the garlic, almond milk sweetened with agave instead of the carrot juice, and chopped Brazil nuts instead of extra almonds. I also left out the broccoli. They came out with a vinegary smell and taste and I can’t figure out why. I’m new to raw foods and dehydrating, so I’m wondering if cinnamon interacts funny with anything or if there is something else I might be missing?
Hi Brianne, first of all I applaud you for experimenting. :) You basically, made a completely different recipe than what I shared on-line here. I don’t think cinnamon was the issue. Because you used vinegar to describe the smell and taste it sounds to me like it might have started to ferment some. I can’t say for sure because I can’t see or taste it myself, nor did you follow my recipe… but often times when that smell and/or taste is present and that ingredient wasn’t used, fermentation comes to mind. This could be to the lack of freshness of the almond pulp.
Questions to think about that can apply here and in other situations: Where the almonds fresh or rancid? Did you taste them before even starting the process? When you made the almond milk, how long did you soak the almonds, did you over soak them? Did you keep them on the counter top during this process? If so, was the room temp warm and humid? In the wrong conditions, slight fermentation could start. After making the almond milk and you had the pulp to use, did you use the pulp right away or did it sit in the fridge for days? If almond pulp sits for to long outside or inside the fridge, fermentation can start. If fermentation had started at all prior to making, it could have sped up during the drying process.
So, those are some things to think about. I hope it helps. Let me know, amie sue
Thank you Amie-Sue, that is a lot to think about, I didn’t even realize that the almond pulp could do that. I don’t remember anymore how long it sat or how long the almonds soaked, but I will watch it more carefully now and make sure it smells and tastes good before I use it.
Your welcome Brianne,
It’s a good habit to get into no matter what you are making. Fresh foods; veggies, fruits and nuts, all taste so different from one to the next. As you are well aware. Therefore every recipe can taste different from one to the next. So learning to taste test at every step is vital. Have a blessed and relaxing weekend, amie sue
Did you juice the carrot and the brocolli first, and then use the pulp and juice from that? Thanks :-)
Yes Holly, juice the veggies first. :) Have a wonderful day, amie sue
I thought I’d add this. I juiced the carrots. and not the broccoli. I put the broccoli in the processor and it came out very fine….that way I would just have the straight carrot juice, with no broccoli juice. I liked the way it turned out. k.
Thanks for sharing Kate. Sounds wonderful. amie sue :)
Hi Amy,
You are so inspirational for me! I can’t stop cooking, and I am is very excited about every recipe I make. Today I made your almond toasts and followed your instructions exactly. I ended up with 14 toasts. I am wondering how you can stretch that dough into 36 toasts :)
Thank you Natalia… so thrilled that you are enjoying the recipes and that they bring you such joy. That is why I share, for that very reason. :) Have a terrific day! amie sue
Superb recipe, Amie-Sue. Thanks again. Being one of your lazy fans, I didn’t go the veggie pulp route since I didn’t want to get out the juicer. I pureed 5 big red bell peppers and used that instead; since bell pepper is so watery, I didn’t use any carrot juice, either. And I used almond meal instead of pulp/soaked almonds. But who can quarrel with the result? A superb bread, and very pretty with the red bell pepper speckled through the slices.
That sounds divine Ben… I always appreciate it when you share your alterations with me. I need to try that for sure. :) Thank you for sharing and many blessings to you and your family. :) amie sue
My only gift is laziness, Amie-Sue. You’re the one with the chef gene!
Somehow I don’t believe that you are lazy at all! :) But thank you for the kind words! Blessings and have a wonderful day, amie sue
Hi I am new to your site but have been on raw for approx 10 years – I must congratulate you on the Almond bread recipe – I just tried it came out DELISCIOUS the only thing is I did not get 36 slices I only got about half of that – I am goign to try it again tomorrow with Sundried tomatoes.
you mentioned in the beginning that it came from ” I am grateful recipes from the cafe gratitude, do you remeber which edition I would like to get the book…thank you again.
Good morning Monda,
Thank you for sharing :) I don’t recall the edition of the book but I will do some digging. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
MMMM
On your veggie pulp, is this from juicing or did you run the veggies through a juicer and kept with the juice?
Just the veggie pulp Gayle :)
This looks delicious! I was wondering how I can make it without a dehydrator?
Thank you!
Good morning Anat,
I am sorry that it took me a bit to respond to you. I have been on a “walk about” for the past 6 weeks (see blog posting). I am not fully integrating back into things but I wanted to start tackling some of the questions that have been collecting. :) All that to say, I appreciate your patience with me. :)
I would like to refer you to a post I did on using an oven instead of a dehydrator if you haven’t invested in one. I hope you find this helpful. Keep me posted. Blessings, amie sue
https://nouveauraw.com/dehydrating/conventional-oven-food-drying/
Thank you so much! You gave great instructions on your post! I guess I need to conduct an experiment with my oven… My main worry is that it will take several hours to use the oven as a dehydrator and it will make a dent in my electric bill..
You are welcome Anat. Good luck and keep me posted. Have a wonderful day, amie sue :)