When I was travelling around Denmark last year I stumbled upon a grain-free bread in Emmerys bakery in Copenhagen. I had ordered my take-away coffee and while I was waiting I looked at the delightful display of fresh baked loaves, buns and pastries spread out before me. What a feast for the eyes……but definitely not a feast for my tummy. Just as I was telling myself this is a “look but don’t touch” moment I happened to notice amongst the Danish pastries and traditional rye breads a small heavy loaf made with nuts and seeds – no flour whatsoever! I was blown away….I could actually eat this one because it was completely grain-free. With coffee in one hand and my exciting little find in the other, I headed back home….well, not all the way back to Melbourne but to the simply gorgeous Airbnb family home that my mum, brother and myself were renting for the next two weeks. Mum and I (the official judging panel) each had one small slice each….and then another. We simply could not fault this mellow flavoured little brick of nuts and seeds. Throughout our stay in Copenhagen we ran into more versions of this new Nordic style bread…naturally mum and I tried them all…and we were not disappointed. This was Paleo bread – Danish style….and when it comes to style….the Danes always have the knack for getting it right.

All too soon our Scandinavia adventure came to an end and we had to go home….really home. But amongst the treasure trove of photos and souvenirs was a recipe for Emmerys seed and nut bread stashed away in my luggage.

Back in Melbourne once again and I found myself pining away for Copenhagen and all the other wonderful Scandy places that I had fallen head over heals for…….deary me…..it was time to roll up the sleeves, dig out the bread tins, put on some Kings of Convenience music and get stuck into a seed and nut bread baking session. I didn’t have all the right ingredients to make Emmerys version – but this type of bread recipe is very forgiving. The only thing that is exact about it is that you use 700 grams of nuts and seeds combined with half dozen eggs. I should add as well that this is more of a seedy bread with a little nut rather than the other way round. And if nuts are not your cup of tea then it’s fine to use an all seed mix.

I’ve got a few different recipes for lunch box type breads. They are soft. New Nordic Bread is not that kind of bread. It’s a meaty, sink your teeth into bread….perfect to use for open sandwiches (which the Danes call smørrebrød). I like to slather thin slices with a creamy vegan cheese, slices of avocado* or radish, and sprouts. For a sweet breakfast version – I like to toast this bread and squash a fresh medjool date* on top, followed by a sprinkling of fresh ground flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, a pinch of pink himalayan salt and some flax seed oil – a breakfast that gives me energy for the whole day!

For a fruity breakfast version then nothing beats a lightly toasted piece of this bread with fresh berries or banana. Naturally this sort of combo calls for something soft and chocolatey as a go between so I have included my Chocolate Hazelnut Spread in this blog as well. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread has no sugar and no dairy and although there are some roasted hazelnuts* this spread is low FODMAP as long as you don’t eat the whole lot in one hit!

No matter what you decide to use as a topping, these open sandwiches are sure to satisfy your hunger for healthy fats especially if you can source really fresh, organic ingredients.

When it comes to baking New Nordic Bread I recommend using a low oven temperature rather than cook the life out of the seeds and nuts. In fact, nearly all my recipes for baked goods contain some kind of nut or seed and therefore everything gets cooked on a low temperature. It takes a little longer to cook things through but in doing so you greatly reduce the risk of damaging the oil content in the nuts and seeds.

For a really yummy sweet version you can add 200 grams of pitted fresh medjool dates * and one extra egg to the bread mix.

NEW NORDIC BREAD

100g almonds

100g walnuts

100g pumpkin seeds, green

100g sunflower seeds

100g golden linseeds

100g sesame seeds

100g chia seeds

1 tspn sea salt

60g purified coconut fat, melted

6 eggs

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand to combine. Pour batter into a loaf tin and bake in oven for one hour.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SPREAD

130g hazelnuts, roasted

130g macadamia nuts

130g purified coconut oil

80-100ml maple syrup

40-50g raw cacao maca powder*

1 pinch of pink himalayan salt

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated in warm weather.

*Use raw cacao powder if you cannot obtain raw cacao maca powder. Adjust the amount of powder to taste.

*The Monash University low FODMAP diet app gives the following advice :

AVOCADO contains high amounts of the Polyol – sorbitol and should be avoided if you are sensitive to sorbitol. 1/8 of an avocado may be tolerated if you are not too sensitive.

DRIED PITTED DATES are high FODMAP due to their Oligo(fructans) content. NB The app does not yet have a rating for fresh medjool dates but no doubt it would be wise to proceed with caution if you are sensitive to Oligos. You may be fine with just one fresh date per sitting or maybe not – in which case a little maple syrup would be the better option.

HAZELNUTS contains Oligos (GOS and fructans) but a limited serving size of 10 nuts should be tolerated by most individuals with IBS.