This flaxseed bread takes just 5 short minutes of prep time. Fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside, it’s the perfect everyday bread!
Okay, so there’s a hill worth dying on: bread can be healthy. Despite the low-carb, paleo, and gluten-free craze we’re living in, I’m a firm believer that you don’t have to completely nix bread out of your diet. Especially when it comes to this flaxseed bread recipe. Made with whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed, it’s wholesome, filling, and deserving of space on your countertop. It’s also crazy easy to whip up. So go ahead, enjoy a slice without subjecting yourself to guilt!
Did you know? If you have a nut allergy, you can still enjoy this flax bread! Flaxseeds are nut-free. That said, you should always make sure the variety you are using are processed in a nut-free environment.
But First, The Health Benefits of Flaxseed
If you’re privy to the health food scene, you’ve likely heard of flaxseed at least once. But what exactly are the benefits of incorporating this emerging superfood into your diet?
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Flaxseeds are full of ALA, an omega-3 that supports heart health and lowers the risk of stroke.
- Dietary Fiber: Flaxseeds are powerhouses for healthy digestion. They contain about 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon!
- Plant-Based Protein: Even if you’re a meat-eater, it’s great to supplement your diet with plant-based protein to fend off high cholesterol levels.
Quick Guide on Making Flaxseed Bread
Dry ingredients are prone to developing lumps in storage. To yield the best texture, sift them through a fine mesh sieve or flour sifter.
- Add the Water: With your sifted dry ingredients in a large bowl, begin to slowly add the lukewarm water as you stir it into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula.
- Fold the Dough: Once the water is added, work the dough with your hands or the spatula for a bit. The goal here is to simply make sure all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Allow the Dough to Rise: Next, place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap or a lid. Allow it to rise on the counter at room temperature overnight.
- Shape the Dough: The next morning, flour your hands and form one or two loaves out of the dough. Cover them with a towel and give them an hour to rise.
- Bake the Bread: Finally, bring the oven to 450°F. Place a baking dish of hot water on the bottom rack and place the bread on the top rack. After 10 minutes, remove the baking dish with water and continue to bake the bread solo for 20-30 minutes.
Heads Up: This bread doesn’t require any baking powder or baking soda. The yeast will get it to rise all on its own!
4 Handy Tips for Flaxseed Bread
While it’s difficult to flub this bread up, here are some tips to point you in the right direction.
- Use ground flaxseed versus whole seeds. What sets this bread apart is its fine texture. To make each slice smooth and consistent, opt for ground flaxseed over whole seeds. If you only have whole flaxseed, simply blend it in a food processor until fine.
- Opt for high protein flour. High-protein flours yield the best texture. If you need a suggestion, Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour is our go-to.
- Bake the bread on a floured baking sheet. There’s no need for parchment paper here (it can stand up to 450°F and will burn). Simply flour a baking sheet and pop the dough right on top.
- Use a loaf pan if you’re planning on making sandwiches. If your goal is to use the bread for sandwiches, opt for baking the dough in loaf pans versus making bread rounds.
What’s the difference between ground flaxseed and flax meal? Ground flaxseed is literally just that – flaxseeds that have been ground down. On the other hand, flax meal is a byproduct of making flax oil. The two can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
Ideas for Serving Flaxseed Bread
This flaxseed bread can be seen as the perfect “everyday bread”. Serve it with a little butter or avocado for quick breakfast toast on the run. The nutty flavor of the bread also makes for great peanut butter and banana sandwiches (don’t forget a sprinkle of cinnamon!). It’s also wonderful served alongside your favorite soups and salad. Hearty minestrone soup and roasted beet salad with goat cheese are some great options.
Reader Suggestion: “After taking it out of the oven, I brushed the top of the bread with a mix of butter, minced garlic, and dill.” – Marina
Best Practices for Storage
There’s nothing quite like having fresh-baked bread on hand. Here, find all the tips you need to keep flaxseed bread fresh in storage:
- Room Temperature: To keep flaxseed bread fresh for up to 7 days, store it in a bread box or airtight container. Additionally, you’ll help the bread retain moisture if you only cut off slices as you need them. The longer the loaf stays whole, the fresher it will stay and the better it will taste.
- Freezer: This bread is great for freezing and can be kept on hand for up to 3 months. To do so, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer. Alternatively, slice the bread with a serrated knife and freeze it in individual slices. To thaw, let it sit in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a couple of hours if you need to speed up the process.
FAQ
Is eating too much flaxseed bad for you?
Eating too much flaxseed can cause bloating due to its high fiber content. However, if you stick to the recommended amount of a tablespoon per day you’ll get all the health benefits without any tummy pain.
How many different kinds of flaxseed are there?
There are two kinds of flaxseed: brown and golden. Feel free to use either brown or golden flaxseed meal for this recipe – both work great. Of note, people tend to find that brown flaxseed has a stronger flavor profile.
Doesn’t the bread need honey or sugar for the yeast to rise?
The bread does not need honey or sugar for the yeast to rise. It will rise perfectly if you let it rest at room temperature overnight.
Will this recipe work for small dinner buns or hamburger buns?
This recipe would make great dinner or hamburger buns. Simply lower the cooking time and you’ll be golden.
Can you bake this bread in a cast-iron skillet instead?
You can bake this bread in a cast-iron skillet. A cast iron will give the bread a nice, consistent shape.
Other Homemade Bread Recipes
- Easy Focaccia Bread – Italian flatbread with olive oil and herbs
- Whole Wheat Baguette – Classic wheat baguette
- Easy Homemade Naan Bread – Indian-style flatbread
- Honey Wheat Bread – Slightly sweet wheat bread
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Instructions
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl to remove any lumps. Add in the water in small portions, stirring to combine with a spatula.
- Finish folding the dough by hand, or simply continue working it with a spatula. Place the dough into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a lid, and leave it on the counter to rise overnight.
- The next day, the dough should be bubbly, fluffy, and a little sticky. Flour your hands and form either one large or two smaller bread loaves. Place the loaves on a floured baking sheet, cover them with a towel, and let them rise for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and make sure you have two racks in place. Pour 2 cups of hot, boiled water into a deep baking dish. Place this baking dish on the lower rack (the water helps the bread to rise and crisp). Place the bread on the top racks. After 10 minutes, remove the dish with the water. Continue baking for another 20-30 minutes depending on the size of your bread loaves. Enjoy!
Hi Natalya,
If you use a Dutch oven, do you still need to put water in a baking dish?
Thanks,
Hi Marie, no, you wouldn't need to add water. I have been adding a few ice cubes into dutch oven, it has been really great. It makes the crust slightly thinner and crispier. Pretty cool result. You can try that. Please report back.
Natalya, Can I use rye flour instead of whole wheat?
Hi Natalia, I have never tried using rye flour in this recipe, I am not even sure if it would work. If you do try it, please share feedback. Thank you!
Recipe looks good. What size bread pan would I use?
Hi Gail, typically I use 5QT pan for all the bread baking. Enjoy!
My bread didn't rise at all in the night .I had it covered with a lid n on the counter .I did all the ingredients right .Woder what went wrong .just pulled it out of the oven. I'm an old bread baker. Sarah stahl
Hi Sarah, I am so sorry to hear that. My first thought is the yeast, Is it fresh? How was it coming out of the oven?
If I were to add honey how much would you suggest? Thanks!
Hi Antonietta, I have not tried adding honey to this recipe before. If you give it a try, I would love to know how it turned out!
Love it. Mixed last night and made fresh the next morning in a loaf pan. Half the size of a regular store bought bread but very tasty and filling. Saves me from buying expensive health food store breads. Next time I made add some seeds. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Rita! I am so glad to hear it worked out well for you! Thank you for your feedback. Enjoy!
Looking forward to trying your recipe! A couple of questions first. 1) The text indicates "Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached Enriched All-Purpose Flour is our go-to." Elsewhere the in the recipe the use of "whole wheat flour" is noted. Could you please confirm which type of flour is used?; how much rise does this recipe achieve? From what I've read, rule of thumb is 50% rise with 100% whole wheat; 2) Have you ever added Dough Enhancer? If so, did the Enhancer increase rise?
Thanks
Hi Robert, that was a mistake, thank you for catching it. We use whole wheat flour from Bob's Redmill. I didn't add any dough enhancer and this bread will be denser in texture. This loaf is intended for those that want whole wheat bread. You can do a mix of 50/50 of white and wheat if you want a fluffier bread loaf. Hope this helps!
I just discovered this recipe and tried it right away. I loved that it turned out to be so fluffy on the inside and crusty on the outside. It's now our new go-to recipe at home!
Thank you for the feedback, Natasha! Glad you love it!
WOW! This bread sounds amazing!! YUM!
Thanks, Katerina! Enjoy!
I've been on the hunt for an easy and healthy whole wheat bread recipe and this one was perfect! It came together super quickly and tasted amazing. I love the flavor and the soft and fluffy texture!
Thanks for the feedback, Taylor. Glad you enjoyed!
I like the ingredients but doesn't this recipe need honey or sugar for the yeast to rise? I'm used to whole grain breads being more dense, but without any food for the yeast, it doesn't rise. Or am I missing something?
Hey Kevin, this is an overnight dough recipe. It works just fine without sugar or honey. Enjoy
really nice way to incorporate flax seeds into my diet. Easy to make and have plenty of room to experiment by adding things like seeds and spices. So I have added a lot: cumin seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, sesame seeds, dry thyme, garlic powder, coriander, cardamom and new thing from TJ called Ajika Georgian seasoning blend. Wasn't sure about the last one, but turned out great. After taking it out of the oven I brushed the top of the bread with the mix of butter, minced garlic, and dill. Love the taste of the outcome bread! Slice of that bread with the homemade pate is heavenly delicious. Thank for sharing this recipe. Definitely going to pin it.
Interesting, love all the things you added, I'm so glad it turned out good and you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Hi the looks great . Can you specify the Canadian wheat flour brand Plz ?
Hey Deepa, any flour thats high in protein is great. Typically all Candian flour brands are high in protein. Also, Bobs Redmill is a great brand to use. Enjoy
Thank you for the reply 😊. I tried with ashirwad atta flour . The bread came out well , but was little dense. I used bread loaf and baked for 38 min. Otherwise followed your ingredients, any thing to be added for the Softness😊
I have been trying to use Atta (which we have in Kenya) as opposed to the regular whole wheat. My breads come out fairly dense. Have you had success in making fluffy light breads with Atta and regular bread flour?
You can email me at [email protected]
Deepa, Canadian flour is higher in protein so the bread doesn't come out as dense but you are working with what flour. Any wheat bread will be less fluffy than normal white bread.
Will this work for small dinner buns or hamburger buns?
Hey, yes, but you will need to adjust the baking time. You may like our Brioche Buns: https://momsdish.com/homemade…
Can I add seeds to this recipe l? And at what point can I add them? Poppy, sesame, pumpkin seeds, sunflower..... what about raisins?
You can add seeds with dry ingredients. I haven’t tried raisins but have tried other seeds and they worked out well. Enjoy
Just made it and will bake it tomorrow morning. Can I bake this in a greased cast iron skillet and forget about the baking sheet and water since l do not have that.
Yes, you can flour the cast iron and it should work well.
Thanks so very much for your prompt reply. I was surprised that when l woke up this morning to bake it, you had already answered my question. Unbelievable!!! Some bloggers/vloggers should take note.
The bread is delicious.Very crusty on the outside and soft inside. However l had to put it back in the oven for a bit as after it cooled l found a small part inside did not look and feel baked. I will make it again.
My husband loved it.😄
I used floured parchment paper for the final hour then placed it in my cast iron skillet.
Jocelyn, I think the timing was in your favor. Sometimes it takes us a little time to respond but working in customer support all my life, I learned that responding ASAP is the best we can do. I think with bread, the more you bake it the best the results will be. Each brand of flour, oven, or even technique works slightly differently. You will perfect it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your feedback!
hello, the recipe calls for 2 tsp, that's nearly a whole packet of active dry yeast, could I just use the whole packet and be fine? and would you call this recipe no knead?
Hey Edith, yes, the consent is just like no knead bread. You can use a packet of active dry yeast.
I am just trying to make my own bread. So I am a total beginner. In many bread recipes I noticed there is always sugar. I thought it is important for the yeast activation? But in this recipes there is no sugar? Right?
Olga, the dough sits overnight so it has enough time for the dough to do the magic. 🙂
First recipe I try from this website, absolutely recommended. I wanted to share a photo of my bread but the option is disabled, what a pity. Thank you so much for the recipe! 🙂
Hey Gimena, I would have loved to see the photo. Next time tag me on Instagram @momsdish. Our commenting system has changed, we simplified it and it is limiting us from photo uploads. Sorry about that! Thank you for sharing!
Natalya, hi could you use this bread recipe in a covered dutch oven?
Hey Patricia, You definitely can. The concept in this recipe is very similar to a dutch oven process.
This recipe did not work well at 7200ft elevation ☹️
Oh wow, thats interesting. I heard that elevation can affect baking. Sorry dear.
Hi there! Do you think I could use this same recipe but put it in a loaf pan? Thank you 🙂
Yes, you can definitely use a loaf pan.
Thank you!! I'm going to try and make it this weekend! Very excited
Olivia, I really hope you love the recipe.:)
I do love a dense bread and this is! My issues were that the bread stuck to the pan immensely as the recipe did not call for greasing the pan, so I didn't . I had to use an electric knife to cut it, but it was still too hard. When I did get it cut, the inside was nice and soft. I think next time I will add 1 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp of maple syrup and definitely oil the pan. I will make it again.
Hi Sharon, I do recommend in the recipe to flour the baking sheet. Oil burns in high temperature and it can create a smoky flavor, but if you use a generous amount of flour you will be safe.
Is the baking time 20 min. for 2 loaves and 30 for one? Thank you
Baking time would be the same for one or two loaves as long as they are on one baking sheet. First, you would bake them for 10 minutes with water and after that, you would remove water and continue baking. Let me know if that helps.
This looks so good. I tried making it last night but it hasn't risen at all and I know the yeast is fine and fresh as I baked a loaf of bread last week.
I think it may be my flour. I used stoneground, organic, whole grain flour. So it would not be a fine as the whole wheat that is processed and has the germ added back in. Just wondering if your whole wheat flour is super fine or a bit courser? I'm not letting this load go to waste though. If it does not rise soon I'll just make some flat breads!! Or maybe crackers lol.
I used a few different flours so far. I used basic whole wheat and coarse wheat flour. I like the turn out of coarse wheat flour more.
I made this about 3 hours ago and will be letting it rise overnight, about how many hours do you recommend? I can't wait to try this bread, yours looks amazing!
Typically I like to wait at least 8 hours but overnight has best results. I make it before bed.
I tried to make this bread with homemade whole wheat flour (grounded kernels in vitamix). The bread didn't rise as well as yours... But I really like the result. The bread is healthy, without unknown addings. Next time I will add more yeast, because the homemade flour is heavier than flour we buy in a store. I love this bread, it's so easy to make!!!
Lana, I have noticed that when yeast isn't fresh it doesn't works as wells so every few months I replace it. Your bread looks like it turned out amazing. Much darker than mine too.
Love this bread!!!
It looks great. Thank you for sharing your photo 🙂
Good Afternoon, can I use use wheat germ instead of flaxseeds?
I haven't tried using wheat germ bunts am sure it would work.
OHHH, LOOKS SOO YUMMIE:):) quick question, u think I can ground my own flaxseed in vitamix or u buy it ground? let me know, thnx
Hey!!! yes, definitely can ground your own flax seeds. Let me know how it goes for you. Or attach a photo here in comments 🙂