Sourdough Bread / Buns
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
I think sourdough is an acquired taste, you either like it, or you don’t. There really never seems to be a middle ground. If you are one of those who are unsure about sourdough, allow me to encourage you to give this recipe a try. The beauty is that you can control just how strong you want the sourdough flavor to shine through.
I, for one, didn’t care much for sourdough as I was growing up. But in my adult years, I have come to enjoy its tangy flavor. In this recipe, probiotics are going to be the critical ingredient that helps us achieve the sourdough flavor.
I thought to myself that if we can use probiotics to create nut cheeses, why not use it to make a fermented bread! And much like a nut cheese, you can control how intense to make the flavor. The longer you leave it to ferment, the stronger the sourdough taste.
Sourdough is usually made with both yeast and its little helper called Lactobacillus, which produces lactic acid. The lactic acid gives the bread a slightly sour, tangy taste. Since we don’t want to use yeast in our recipes, I turned to probiotics that contain Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in our intestines. They play a crucial role in our digestive tract. We know that our digestive tract needs a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria, so what gets in the way of this? Poor food choices, emotional stress, lack of sleep, antibiotic overuse, other drugs, and environmental influences can all shift the balance in favor of the harmful bacteria. So, now we can enjoy this raw bread knowing that it is “gut healthy” and umm umm good!
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and your tummy gives it a thumbs up. Please leave a comment below. Blessings, amie sue
Ingredients:
Yields 16 buns
Ferment Stage:
Dry Ingredients:
Wet Ingredients:
Topping:
- black sesame seeds
- dried onion flakes
- ground flax seeds
Preparation:
Fermentation stage:
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the almond pulp, almond milk, and probiotics. Mix well and cover the bowl.
- Place the covered bowl in the dehydrator set at the lowest temperature, I did 95 degrees and let it sit for up to 36 hours to ferment.
- Please taste test throughout this process. Once it reaches the strength of “sourdoughness,” you like, move on to the next steps.
- Also, be aware that if you live in a warmer climate that you might not need to ferment it as long otherwise, mold might develop. Be mindful of your climate.
Creating the buns:
- In the food processor, combine the oat flour, ground flax, psyllium husks, onion flakes, onion powder, Italian Seasoning, and salt. Pulse to combine.
- Transfer the dry batter to a large bowl and hand fold in the fermented almond pulp, water, honey, and lemon juice, making sure everything is well combined. I dove in there with my hands. Much more fun to connect with your food!
- Create the buns using a 1/2 cup measuring cup.
- Scoop up the dough and level it off.
- Remove the dough from the cup and shape it into a bun and sprinkle the top with; ground flax meal (gives it that “browned, baked” look, dried onion flakes, and black sesame seeds.
- Place on the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator.
- Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour to form a crunchy crust on the bread. Turn the temp down to 115 degrees and continue drying for 4-8 hours or until desired moistness is achieved.
- Shelf life and storage: My recommendation would be to store this bread in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for 3-5 days.
- The more moisture that is left in your bread, the shorter the shelf life. Therefore, shelf life will vary with your drying technique. Whenever I make this bread, it never lasts very long enough to spoil.
- Keep in mind, the whole purpose of eating a raw diet is to eat foods at their peak of freshness, so don’t expect this bread to have an extended expiration date.
- These buns are meant to have some moisture left in the center. If you want them to dry out, slice them in half, and return to the dehydrator until the desired dryness is achieved.
The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™
- Raw honey isn’t vegan, but I still use it now and again. Read (here) why I like to.
- Learn about the characteristics of Raw Coconut Nectar (here).
- What is Himalayan pink salt, and does it matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
- Are oats gluten-free? Yes, read more about that (here).
- Are oats raw? Yes, they can be found. Click (here) to learn more.
- Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats? Not required but recommended. Click (here) to see why.
- Learn how to grind your own flaxseeds for ultimate freshness and nutrition. Click (here).
- How does psyllium work in a recipe? Learn more (here).
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is essential to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do, however honestly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free, Vegan
I look forward to trying this.
I hope you do try it Roberta… please let me know how it goes or if you have any questions throughout the process. :) Blessings, amie sue
I absolutely love your recipes and the way you present them…I too like pictures to show me what each step looks like…I do not think you are sending too many recipes… I get excited every time I see an e-mail from you…it’s always a treat to see what you’ve created now…thank you so much for these delicious, healthy recipes…
Good evening Jeanglee,
Thank you… I am such a visual person myself. I learn more from pictures than words I think. Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
This looks like such a great recipe and so nice to have another use for all that almond pulp. I may have missed it in the instructions, but at what stage do you put in the almond milk or is that part of the fermentation stage?
Many thanks for any insight you can give.
Thank you so much for all your great recipes. Such an inspiration!
Hi Kate… Thank you for pointing that out. I use the milk in the fermenting process. I adjusted that to be more clear. Many blessings and have a wonderful evening, amie sue
Amie I marvel at your creativity. Through your website to me and my entire family is flowing beautiful energy of love in the form of your magical meals. We love you and wish you and your whole family God’s blessing :-).
Oh Eva, that was so beautiful, thank you for sharing your love and blessings with me. I so appreciate that. :) amie sue
Looks beautiful my friend!
Oh and regarding keeping up with your recipes, that would be a full time job. ;) lol
Will be writing you a long overdue mail this afternoon.
miss you lots
xoxo
Jana
LOL Jana… it’s a full time job creating and sharing these recipes. A job that I LOVE!! I look forward to your email. Hugs my friend, amie sue
Holy cow! These look SO good! Too bad I am terrified to reintroduce bread (even raw bread) cuz, boy, do these look amazing!
Hi Christine,
May I ask why you are terrified to reintroduce a raw bread into your diet? Are you afraid that it will increase your cravings for gluten filled/baked breads? Let’s talk about this. I don’t want you to be afraid to add in healthier versions into your diet. I look forward to hearing back from you. Blessings, amie sue
Oh my gosh… How much do I love you for this recipe!!!! I’m excited to try these and share with family and friends. Thank you soooooo much! Please keep these exciting recipes coming!!
Hugs~
Hi GypsiSky… feeling the love, feeling the love. hehe Please try them and keep me posted. Many blessings, amie sue
Amie Sue,
Thanks for always thinking outside the box. I loved baking sourdough bread when I was a baker years ago. But have not made it because of the yeast. Can’t wait to taste this version. Don’t worry about too many posts those that it’s too much for will adjust. Do you Amie Sue, you share your gifts. :)
Hello Gabrielle ! So good to hear from you. :) You KNOW I always share! I hope you are enjoying this warm weather. hehe
The sourdough bread that I make uses no yeast…well no conventional yeast. It’s sourdough so yeast comes from the air! The best bread ever!
These look amazing and I can’t wait to try them. I was wondering if you could adapt these or another one of your recipes in to hot cross buns for Easter?
Also wondering if another kind of nut pulp and milk could work as I’m allergic to almonds. Thank you for sharing your wonderful creations!
Hi Christine,
You could use cashews which are the next nut in line that offers a neutral flavor with a hint of sweetness. I am sure you could use pecan or walnut pulp and milk too, it will just change the flavor profile, which isn’t a bad thing… just different! Let me know if you try them with another nut. Have a blessed day. amie sue
Amie Sue, You rock! Keep up the posting of these great recipes, and ideas. I love seeing new, and exciting creations weekly. From all of us who want to eat WONDERFUL, HEALTHY food “THANKS.”
Thank you Michelle! I appreciate you and in being here. Have a splendid day! amie sue
Okay, so I know that this is a RAW blog (I eat a partly but not all raw diet) do this may seem like a silly question. I don’t have dehydrator. Is it possible to bake these?
Wow! Is all I can say. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for sharing and creating!
Fran
I hope you do Fran and please keep me posted. I love feed-back. :) Have a wonderful Wednesday! amie sue
Quite simply the best raw chef! That’s you. These look astonishing. I’m likely making them this weekend.
Thank you Ben… your very kind :) I hope you have an amazing day! amie sue
Keep them coming, Amie! I’m an anti-aging specialist and nutritionist and I often share (as you know) some of your recipes with my readers on my newsletter, and they love it.
I get 20% of raw food into my diet, and
All your recipes are amazing!
Thank you!
Michele
Forever Fit with Michele
Hello Michele :) I could use some of your wisdom! Thank you for sharing the recipes with others. I think it is so important for each person to find their own personal path in how they need to eat and take care of their body. I appreciate what you do for others! Have a splendid week. amie sue
Quick question: the recipe says 4 cups of almond pulp should be mixed with water & probiotics to ferment. How much water did you use?
You do list half a cup of water in “wet Ingredients,” but that seems to have a different role to play later in the process.
Thanks!
Good evening Ben,
I had made an error on line one of the fermenting stage. I called the almond milk water, but I fixed that. So to recap, I used 2 cups of almond milk with the pulp and probiotics to ferment it. I then added the water later when I put the whole recipe together. The water was needed because my batter was a bit to dry.
Does that help? Just let me know. :) Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
Bravo! Great creation. We’ll be enjoying sourdough sliders this week, thanks to Amie-Sue.
Awe thanks Ben… I always appreciate that you share with me how it turns out. Have a wonderful day, amie sue
Have a yen for this recipe. I’m making it again this weekend. Thanks as always.
Awesome Ben :) Good to hear from you! Have a blessed weekend, amie sue
Thanks. You as well.
Just wanted to say that this recipe has become a stand-by–I make it when I’m out of ideas on what to make. I add black pepper & fresh rosemary often, since I love the taste of these 2 with sourdough.
One note for those who live in warm climates: check on your batter during fermentation; sometimes, it starts to develop mold if you let it ferment for the full 36 hours. I usually pull my batter out sooner.
Hello Ben… thank you for adding that in. Many recipes such as these can be effected by the humidity, temps in the house and the climate. I will make a note up above too, just in case others don’t read all the comments. I appreciate that you shared this. Have a great evening, amie sue
Your rolls look amazing! I can’t wait to try them!
Look at the line 3. It should read, “bowl” instead of bowel.
Sometimes mistakes are very funny! :)
Aimee,
These look amazing so I jumped right on it. I have one comment on the fermentation process: you say to use the water and pulp here but I figured you meant the almond milk and pulp. Hope so because it is in the dehydrator that way.
I miss bread the most and your recipes are wonderful so I am sure I will love this one too.
Thanks for doing what you do! We appreciate it!!
Good evening Diana… yes, that was a typo on my end. I fixed it and you assumed correctly :) Either way it would still have turned out. Please let me know what you think and remember, you can control how strong the sour taste is! Many blessings, amie sue
These are AMAZING! Definitely a new favorite in this house! Thanks!
Hi Aimee. Can’t wait to try these! Soooo excited as the one thing I miss the most is a good bread/bun. Also, would oat flour that isn’t gluten free work for this recipe? Thanks :)
Good evening Ruth… yes of course. I use GF because we can’t have gluten in this here household of ours. No worries on spelling my name wrong, I like that spelling too. It’s pretty. :) Have a great evening, Aimee (just trying it on for size hehe) sue
ooops :/ sorry i mispelled your name!
Wow, I love all the recipes you share, everything looks so amazing and delicious! I like the idea of making hot cross buns with these.
Great idea Pat… please let me know how it goes should you try it! Have a wonderful week… gosh it is almost Thursday again. Where do these days go? amie sue
Thanks for the recipe…made some pizza crusts too! In the dehydrator, can’t wait :)
Awesome Sathya! I can’t wait to hear how it goes for you. I have thought of the pizza dough too. YAY! Have a blessed day, amie sue
The Pizza dough was so–great that i just kept breaking off pieces (like pita chips) and it never made it to pizza!! :)
haha I love it! I am so going to make one into a pizza… sounds yummy. Thank you for sharing Sathya! amie sue
These look fabulous and I will definitely try this recipe as well! I’m fairly new to your fabulous blog (started with the cold brew coffee) and have made several of your delicious recipes (so far :) and love EVERY single one of them. Also, I get a little excited when I see your name in my in-box because I know I’ll be making something yummy real soon!
Thank you Rocki… such kind words. :) I hope that you are having a great weekend! amie sue
Hello Amie Sue,
I was astounded when I received this recipe. I felt its timing was perfect and wanted to try it as an accompaniment to a meal for our Hebrew new month/new moon celebration.
I am not sure what went wrong, but after dehydrating for the recommended time, it was still doughy inside (almost mushy) and hard on the outside. I used one-fourth cup measurement to make a smaller bun that I hoped would dry faster, so I was surprised when this happened. Also, I was about a third of a cup shy of having four cups of almond pulp, so I reduced the almond milk to about 1 1/2 cups. I did not allow the sour dough mixture to sit for the recommended time as I was short on time. As I type this, I now realize that I was taking a risk and should have known the recipe may have not turned out right. Your recipes are always very “stable” and forgiving, so I felt in spite of the modifications it would be okay: Certainly not as perfect as your but acceptable.
However, I do intend to try it again when I am able to save enough almond pulp. Any thoughts on my “blubber” would be appreciated. I feel my eagerness, excitement and the need of the moment took over and I did not take the time to properly plan for the recipe. Do you think the modifications made with the stater was to blame? I did everything else as specified in the recipe.
Now as I am recalling, the mixture was a bit sticky and less doughy as yours appear in the photo steps. Oh well, I feel I am closer to success and will try again.
Again, thank your for sharing your talent and I look forward to hearing from you.
Hello Rhondy,
I am sorry that this didn’t come as expected for you celebration. It can be difficult to trouble shoot without seeing your complete process but it is possible that since you made them smaller and I assume you did the 1 hour 145 degrees and then turned it down that it made the outside to hard much quicker, hmmm I hope that makes sense. Now keep in mind, these buns won’t be dry dry all the way through, but they shouldn’t be mushy wet like in the center either. You can always cut them in half and dehydrate them a bit longer if you need to.
I appreciate that you want to try the recipe again. Follow it as stated and lets see how it goes for you. One thought that came to mind is… I wonder how wet your almond pulp was? I know that is hard to gauge. Because we are using fresh, “man-made” components (referring to the pulp) we won’t ever have two of the except same batches so it can be tricky. You mentioned that you didn’t let it ferment as long… how long did you do it for and did it give you the flavor you liked?
Many blessings Rhondy and keep in touch! amie sue
Hi Amie Sue: I am so very impressed with not only your recipes, but the inspiration that comes from your photography and the clarity of each picture. It’s so helpful, giving me hope to be more creative with my own website.
Just a note of interest to you, I got a giggle out of the first line of your description for the bread. Did you really mean that sourdough is a “required” taste or an ‘acquired’ taste? Tee hee! Blessings to you as I have acquired a taste for your recipes and website! Nancy
Hi Nancy… thank you very much. :) Well it ought to be “required” that you like sourdough but you are right, haha, I meant acquired. Oy.. ty, I will fix that. :) Have a great evening, amie sue
Hi Amie-Sue, it’s wonderful that this is raw. I’m at fermentation stage with a few hours left. The dough seems dry and there are no bubbles. I placed in a glass dish with a glass cover in the dehydrator. How do I know it is ready for use? Do you have any pictures? thanks!
Good morning Celina, you won’t notice a change in the dough, no bubbles form. Truthfully, you can go by smell… it will start to get that soured smell. You can control how strong you want that soured flavor. Nibble on the dough and smell it to see what level you want it at. Have a happy day, amie sue
Thank you, Amie Sue! It’s looking good and the buns are in the dehydrator. Am so happy! Can’t wait to eat them. You’re brilliant! Have a lovely day!
Well let me know Celina what you think of them before you call me brilliant. hehe I hope that you enjoy them and I look forward to hearing back from you. Happy Friday! amie sue
Hi Amie Sue, The buns turned out really well and sour! I fermented it for almost 36 hrs. I had it with dehydrated mushrooms, avocados, sprouts, lettuce and tomatoes. Yummy! You’re brilliant! Have a great week! Look forward to making more of your recipes.
Hi Celina… well it sounds like you are enjoying them. :) Remember you can always make them less sour by decreasing the fermentation period. Thank you for letting me know what you think. :) Have a great day, amie sue
Hi…first, I LOVE you website…truly the only raw food website needed! Second, I have about 2 cups of dehydrated almond pulp (after making almond milk I dehydrated the pulp instead of freezing it) and I want to make a raw bread…can I use this dehydrated pulp in your recipes in place of the “moist” pulp? Thanks
Good morning Sunny…
Thank you for your kind words. :) I highly recommend using the moist nut pulp for texture purposes. You can try use the dried pulp but the bread won’t have the same body or texture. Have a great afternoon, amie sue
Amazing Amie Sue, your recipes are such an inspiration to me! I have made a couple of your cheese cake recipes so far, and I have absolutely love them!!! Now I am attempting to make this sourdough bun recipe, but have a concern about the fermenting process. I mixed the almond pulp, almond milk, and liquid probiotics together just as you directed, and then began the fermentation process. However, instead of putting the batter in the dehydrator to ferment, I put the bowl of batter on top of my yogurt maker (just the very bottom of the bowl fit in the maker and benefited from the heat source). I then left it to ferment for approximately a day and a half. The batter looks great with probiotic bubbles growing throughout, but it kinda smells like fresh tunafish to me. Is that normal? I like fermented foods, so I’m ok if it is, but I want to make sure that I didn’t ruin it by not keeping the entire batch at 90 degrees. Thanks.
Good morning Janette,
Thank you kindly, you are very sweet. :)
I am thrilled that you are enjoying the recipes and hope that you continue to do so.
As far as the sough dough buns that you are making… I can’t say that I ever say probiotic bubbles form in the dough. How “wet” is your batter? The dough should have a soured/cultured smell but not off putting. It is very hard for me to say for sure without seeing and smelling it myself. By the time I got to this comment… where did you end up in the process? amie sue
Hi amie-sue,
Instead of 2 cups gluten-free oat flour ….could I use any nut flour?
For health reasons, I can’t eat thick liquid sweeteners. I use liquid stevia + erythritol (powdered sweetener). So, instead of 2 Tbsp raw honey….could I just use some of my powdered sweetener + a bit of water to make up for it?
Out of curiosity, instead of 4 cups almond pulp ….could I use almond flour?
Cheers,
Sara
Good evening Sara,
For a replacement for the oat flour, I would recommend either sunflower flour, buckwheat flour or almond flour. Something a little less in flavor so it doesn’t over power the end result.
You should be able to use your powdered sweetener just fine. Add it without the water first and see if the batter is moist enough to continue on with the recipe. If the batter seems a little dry then add 1 Tbsp of water at a time.
Now, the almond pulp… to be honest, I worry that the almond flour in place of the pulp would make for a very dense bread. It is much heavier in texture. Thats not to say that it won’t work, it will just change the texture that I created.
I hope this helps Sara, let me know. :) amie seu
It’s warm today, & where I live it’s warmer usually than the rest of the U.S. So the batter was fermented in 16 hours. This is further to my previous post on fermentation times.
Thanks, Amie-Sue. This remains one of our favorite things to eat. Superb creation.
Thanks for sharing Ben :) That tip can really help others. Have a wonderful week, amie sue
One of the drawbacks I’ve always had to the raw diet is the “shelf life.” I completely understand that they are best eaten right away for the highest nutrients, etc. But I was wondering…these sour dough rolls look absolutely divine but are obviously time intensive (prepping the grains, etc.) Do you think if I vacuum sealed these they would keep in the freezer for a few months? I thought maybe I could “reheat” them in the dehydrator. I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks!
Hello Vicki… yes it is true, when it comes to eating fresh foods, raw foods… shelf life isn’t the attraction since we are not dealing with any preservatives. I will say though, all the raw breads on my site freeze well and do that very thing from time to time if we can’t eat it in time. So go for it and enjoy :) amie sue
You are out of this world, wow!
Thank you sooo much, its so cool!
Do you think it can work with a different flour instead of the oat’s one ? Thanks.
(p.s : I would like to apoligize for my last comment,about the temperature, I confused the F degress with the C degrees)
Good afternoon Uela,
You could a fine almond flour or even a mix of buckwheat and almond… or even cashew flour. Just keep in the back of your mind what each different flavor a different flour might impart. Enjoy and have a great day, amie sue
This recipe is wonderful! Thanks! I used coconut flour in place of oat flour, and it turned out wonderfully.
One of the things I enjoyed in the past was maintaining a sourdough starter and using it to make fresh bread every week. Have you given any thought to possibilities of a raw version of a sourdough “mother”?
Happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipe Greta. To be honest I haven’t given a raw sourdough starter a thought. It sure is an interesting one and one to consider. :) Thanks so much for sharing. Have a great evening, amie sue
Wow, I really appreciate everything here. This work is unbelievably awesome. You should be proud of yourself because this is amazing. I am sharing your website with everyone I know, I think that is important to share good things and keep people proud of their hard work. I cook every single day and I know how hard it is. I wish I could give you a huge hug by the computer :)
Success and cheers!
I happily embrace that “hug” Paula. Thank you very much. I appreciate you sharing my site with other. Together we can all support one another in a healthy eating life style. :) From one chef to another… blessings, amie sue