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Sauerkraut and Caraway Bread

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sliced raw vegan gluten-free Sauerkraut and Caraway Bread

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Today I present to you a moist, gluten-free, vegan, raw bread that is rich not only in a warming down-home comfort flavor but it is also rich in nutrients.

I just love the hint of sauerkraut in the bread. The sauerkraut adds the characteristic tang of a good “rye” bread.  I didn’t use rye flour due to gluten, but the freshly ground caraway seeds bring it right up there in flavor.

I have a natural, well-developed love affair with caraway. Its aroma is sharp, slightly aggressive, and adds a fantastic depth of flavor to any dish.

Caraway adds character and complexity with its peppery, earthy, and even a little citrusy flavor. While making this bread, pop a few seeds in your mouth. Chewing raw caraway seeds aid in digestion, promote appetite, and sweeten breath.

I got off track here… caraway isn’t the star of this show, but it plays an active supporting role to the sauerkraut. Oh goodness, nothing beats freshly made cultured kraut.  Packed with probiotics, this creates a tummy-friendly bread that will leave you feeling as though you indulged but without the guilt. Now that’s my kind of eating.

The key to making a wonderfully moist raw bread is making sure that you don’t over dehydrate the bread. The same care should be taken as though it were being baked in the oven.

This bread pairs beautifully with my Vegan Caraway and Dill Cheese.   Well, it’s that time, my friends. It’s time to pop into the kitchen and start dirtying up some dishes. I hope you enjoy one of my favorite raw breads. Be sure to comment below. Blessings, amie sue

Ingredients:

yields 1 large loaf

Dry Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 cup packed, moist almond pulp
  • 1 1/2 cups raw sauerkraut
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup sauerkraut juice
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp raw honey or raw coconut nectar if vegan
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Hand mix in:

Preparation:

  1. In the food processor fitted with the “S” blade, place the following ingredients: sunflower seeds and oats.  Process until they break down into a powdery form.
    • Do not use wet seeds and oats in this recipe.  Make sure they are dehydrated first. Otherwise, the bread will be too soggy.
    • If you are unable to consume oats, you could replace it with ground buckwheat or add more sunflower seeds to the recipe.
  2. Add the flax, psyllium, ground caraway, caraway seeds, and salt.  Pulse together.  Set aside.
    • If you don’t enjoy the flavor of flax, you can use the same measurement of ground chia seeds. It will create a bread that is more on the gray side. FYI.
    • I don’t have a replacement for the psyllium husks; it helps to give the bread that spongy feeling.  You can opt to leave it out, but it will change the texture.
  3. In a large-sized bowl, combine almond pulp, sauerkraut, water, sauerkraut juice, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla.  Mix with your hands.
    • Almond pulp – I use almond pulp in most raw bread recipes because it helps lighten the texture.  You can use the whole nuts ground to a small meal, but the bread will be much more substantial.
    • The sweetener is up to you, but I don’t suggest omitting it.  It adds balance to the overall flavor of the bread.   You can use just about any sweetener that you desire.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and hand mix until well incorporated.
    • Depending on how moist your almond pulp is, you may need to add water, so the dough sticks together nicely.  If you do, do this by adding 1 Tbsp at a time.
  5. Shape the loaf and coat the top with extra sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, dried minced onion, etc.
  6. Dehydrate at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour to create an outer crust on the bread.
  7. Remove the bread and on a cutting board, cut the bread into 1/2 – 1″ thick slices.
    • I cleaned the knife in between cuts so as to make the cuts nice and clean.
    • Don’t saw back and forth; this will cause the edges to crumble.
    • Lay each slice back onto the mesh sheet.
  8. Decrease the temperature to 115 degrees (F) and continue to dehydrate for about 4-6 hours.
  9. 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.  This bread also freezes well.

The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™

  • To learn more about maple syrup by clicking (here).
  • Raw honey isn’t vegan, but I still use it now and again.  Read (here) why I like to.
  • Learn about the wonderful 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.

12 thoughts on “Sauerkraut and Caraway Bread

  1. Nancy says:

    Is is wrong to get excited when I see an email from you in my inbox?!? I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for sharing all these recipes with us.

    • amie-sue says:

      Nope… it’s not wrong Nancy hehe I am touched. :) Thank you for your loving words, they are a great encouragement to me. Many blessings, amie sue

  2. Kathie says:

    Hi Amie!

    If you were only a man….
    I can’t wait to try this, but I am confused about the container. Everything is in a bowl, then you shape it into a loaf, and then you pop it out of the container? You mean pop it out of the bowl? It looks like it was shaped on a flat surface.
    Thanks for all the beautiful recipes and photos!
    Kathie

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Kathie… lol man oh man :P

      Sorry to confuse you. You can shape the bread by hand, in the bowl or place it in a loaf pan to get whatever shape you desire. It’s really up to you and the end look you want. I hope that helps explain it a bit better. :) Thank you for your sweet words… Blessings, amie sue

  3. Constance says:

    I just absolutely love this bread and paired with the caraway dill cheese it is to die for
    thankyou for the recipe on this one
    Now my question for you on this is: if I want to use a fruit spread on this bread instead of a cheese
    what fruit or fruits would pair nicely with the kraut and caraway???
    hugs always
    constance

  4. Diana says:

    Hi, Amie-Sue!

    What do you recommend as a substitute for oat flour, please? Would just upping the amount of sunnies work, instead? i.e., leaving out the oat flour entirely and upping the sunflower seeds to 3 cups? Will that still work, do you think?

    Thank you!

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Diana,

      I haven’t tested other flours myself so you will be experimenting some here. :) I think if you used straight sunflower seeds, it would be the wrong flavor profile (too strong). You can try almond flour or even mix in some buckwheat flour. Don’t use coconut flour in that quantity because it is too drying. Whatever you decide to use, stop and think about the flavors of what you will be using instead. Oats are fairly neutral in flavor, which compliment the caraway and sauerkraut flavors. Good luck and keep me posted. amie sue

  5. Jennifer says:

    Aloha Aime Sue,

    I’m in a predicament having all the ingredients to make this bread for my Mom to arrive on thursday and I can not find caraway seeds anywhere. Im on Kauai and the choices are limited. Can you please recommend another spice that might work?

    Thank you!

    • amie-sue says:

      Hello Jennifer,

      I almost visited your island last month when I was in HI. I am thinking of planning another trip over to HI and my husband felt that your island would be a good one to go to… I just might have to check it out. :)

      So no caraways seeds there? Can you get ahold of cumin? Or you could try star anise, anise, and cardamom; these are all quite strongly flavored and you should try half the amount suggested for caraway. If in a real pinch… I would use dill. Each spice will change up the end flavors of the bread a bit, but that’s not a bad thing either. There are so many wonderful spices to be enjoyed!

      Does this help Jennifer? Have a great time with you mom! amie sue

  6. Jennifer says:

    Thank you Amie,

    I would love to meet you if you come to the island!

    I actually found some BLACK caraway seeds. Not sure how that changes the flavor but I’ll let you know :)

    Also, one more question about the sunflower seeds. Is it a total of 3 cups? 2 cups blended with the oats and 1 cup whole mixed in?

    Thank you :)

    much love and aloha,
    Jennifer

    • amie-sue says:

      Good morning Jennifer,

      Yes, it will be a total of 3 cups. 2 get blended to act as a flour and the 1 cup just gets mixed in for texture. :)

      I think the black caraway seeds will be good Jennifer… “Aromatic with a peppery bite, black caraway seeds are enjoyed as a spice in Egyptian, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines and is often used in spice blends, breads, and vegetable dishes.” Can’t wait to hear how it goes!

      Blessings, amie sue

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