Are you sick and tired of high-carb breads that add to your waistline? This easy gluten-free, grain-free bread is just the opposite. It is full of nutrient-dense superfoods and black olives. It’s a quick bread with baking soda, so there’s no need to wait for yeast to rise. And the main ingredient is quinoa! Other high-protein ingredients are almond meal, chia seeds, hemp nuts, and pumpkin seeds. It tastes VERY yummy with real grass-fed butter, and also with my surprising homemade Non-Dairy Butter. Try it!
Quinoa (KEE-no-ah) is an ancient Incan superfood, 100% gluten-free and a complete protein, which is rare in plants. Prepare yourself, as this easy recipe is rather non-traditional. First, it starts with a blended mixture of eggs and soaked quinoa seeds, like a porridge. Second, there’s no yeast so you don’t have to wait for it to rise. Yay! Instead of yeast, it uses baking soda and apple cider vinegar. If you follow the instructions exactly you’ll have a truly delicious grain-free bread that slices and freezes perfectly. To freeze, place parchment paper between the slices, so you can pull out one slice at a time. I used white chia seeds, however black chia seeds are just as good, and they’ll make the bread a dark color.
I love the nutty flavor of quinoa, and especially it’s high-nutritional qualities. When it is soaked or sprouted, it becomes even more nutritious and easy to digest. Quinoa is actually not a grain, but a seed related to beets and spinach. Some Paleo enthusiasts consider quinoa too grain-like to call caveman food, so you can decide for yourself. Buy quinoa seeds in any healthy grocery or online. This recipe makes a 9 x 5 loaf pan of tasty, nutritious bread.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup quinoa seeds, soaked 8 - 12 hours and very well drained
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds, finely ground (This will be 4 tablespoons after grinding)
- 2 teaspoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 2 tablespoons sweetener such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1 teaspoon PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1 1/2 tablespoons raw honey, or your favorite sweetener. (optional)
- 3/4 cup almond meal or flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup hemp nuts (hemp hearts)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup black olives, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Cover a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the sides like handles. I secure it with photo clips.
- In a blender, add the eggs and soaked quinoa, very well drained. Blend for 1-2 minutes until it is as liquified as possible.
- To the blender, add chia seeds, vinegar, oil, salt, and sweetener. Blend well.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond meal and baking soda. Then stir in the hemp nuts, pumpkin seeds, and olives.
- Add the blended wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir very briefly. It will be the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Put into the pan quickly (the rising action has started) and bake 38 to 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack 30 minutes. Refrigerate for easier slicing. Enjoy!
6 Replies to "High-Protein Quinoa Olive Bread - YUMMY!"
Ray February 27, 2025 (7:03 pm)
Hi Jane – I’m going to make this bread, but I just found out that I don’t seem to have almond flour in the house at the moment. I do have an abundance of coconut flour. Aside from the reduction in protein is there any other reason I cannot substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great.
Jane Barthelemy February 28, 2025 (12:08 am)
Hello Ray, Thank for your message. It’s better not to substitute “coconut flour” to almond flour or vice-versa. What they don’t tell you, is that coconut flour is ground coconut including the HULL and the HUSK, whereas almond flour is pure ground nuts. That makes a big difference in your result, as what they call “Coconut flour” absorbs liquid like mad, and the texture won’t be the same. Ground pure coconut meat is a nut butter, sweet almost like candy, and 60% fat. You CAN experiment at your own risk – You’ll have to use much LESS coconut flour than the recipe calls for, but I haven’t tested this yet. I try to keep almond flour on hand – it’s best kept in the refrigerator. Good luck and thanks again for asking! Best wishes for your delicious health, and check out this article that answers your question. https://janeshealthykitchen.com/can-i-substitute-almond-meal-for-coconut/. Jane
Ray February 28, 2025 (4:16 pm)
Thank you so much Jane for the prompt and detailed answer – very much appreciate it as I do all of your information.
Jane Barthelemy March 5, 2025 (12:27 pm)
Hi again, Ray,
Well, you caught me on a good day. Ha Ha! Thanks for being here! Jane
Donna February 19, 2025 (8:36 am)
Thank you for all your incredible recipes, your knowledge and information that you share with all of us. I am going to try this bread without question. I have been eating sourdough bread Thank you for all your incredible recipes, your knowledge and information that you share with all of us. I am going to try this bread without question. I have been eating sourdough bread because of it and this sounds like a very good substitute.
Jane Barthelemy February 22, 2025 (6:10 am)
Donna, Thank you for your VERY kind words. We just keep going, don’t we? Blessings to you and best wishes for your delicious health! Jane