Vegan Bread Recipes: Gluten-Free Chia Flatbread

Vegan Bread Recipes: Gluten-Free Flatbread

Even though Peaceful Dumpling writers are very spread out, geographically speaking, many of us have eating light, sping-inspired foods on our minds. This vegan, gluten-free chia flatbread is a perfect spring staple–whether or not you’re eating for a cleanse. Black beans and polenta give the bread substance (protein! fiber!), but this recipe won’t weigh you down like traditional breads.

This is an especially handy recipe if you’re a fan of batch cooking and you have beans and/or polenta already hanging out in your fridge. I encourage you to experiment with the spice combinations for this recipe. If you’re not a fan of cumin, may an Italian seasoning blend will be more up your alley.

Vegan Gluten-Free Chia Flatbread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings (small slices of flatbread)

Ingredients

–For the bread:

1 cup cooked polenta

1 1/2 cup cooked black beans

1 small heirloom tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

dash of chipotle pepper

salt and black pepper to taste

–Suggested sandwich ingredients:

Whole leaves of romaine lettuce

Hummus

Saurkraut

Shredded carrots

Slices of heirloom tomatoes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine black beans, polenta, tomato, and spices. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to roughly puré the ingredients. I left my bread “batter” a little chunky, so it would have a bit of texture. (Keep in mind, however, that the chunkier the chunks, the more likely the bread will be the fall apart easily.)

3. Stir in chia seeds. Taste mixture for salt, pepper, and spices and adjust accordingly.

4. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Aim for an even, 1/4″-thick layer. Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully flip the bread, and bake for another 20 minutes. Flip the bread once more, and bake for a final 15 minutes or until the bread is lightly crispy.

5. Allow the bread to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving. Once the bread is cooled, use a pizza slicer to cut bread into desired shape and size. Serve as the bread for a sandwich or cut into strips and dip into hummus. Alternatively, roughly crumble the bread and use as croutons in a hearty salad.