We had the perfect recipe for burger buns, however, it was not complete when using normal packaged gluten-free vegan bread. Something was missing…Furthermore, when we were on the Elimination diet, we were not even allowed to buy any processed bread… this is how this recipe was found.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe by the YouTuber Heavenly Fan. Her recipe saved us during the Elimination Diet weeks and for that we will always be entirely grateful to her. While I love the original recipe, I wanted more crustiness. The traditional Maltese loaf has a nice crunchy crust which was impossible to reach only by using Almond flour.
Moreover, I found that the bread buns took forever to bake when using only almond flour, which further pushed me to find a way to make this recipe be a bit closed to fully-grain bread buns whilst also keeping up with our dietary requirements: no wheat, no gluten, no yeast, no eggs.
I believe I managed to achieve this, albeit the recipe is no longer keto, it definitely is nutritious. I did this by substituting nearly half of the almond flour with teff flour.
Teff Flour
Teff flour is naturally gluten-free. It can substitute for other flours that contain gluten, like regular wheat flour. It is the smallest grain, and due to this is it very difficult to remove its bran and germ, and unlike usual wheat, it will nearly always be a whole grain flour. Whole grain teff is rich in nutrients amongst which are proteins, thus it contains amino acids amongst which lysine. Lysine is low in other grains however it is key in many key processes in the body, such as the absorption of calcium or the formation of collagen!
Teff flour is especially high in fibre, higher than other grains. It has insoluble fiber which is also a prebiotic, so it is also feeding the good bacteria in your gut. Teff flour is also high in iron. That’s why I think it is a great addition to the bread buns.
Bread Buns with Teff Flour Naturally Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 150 g almond flour
- 100 g teff flour
- 40 g psyllium husk
- 2 tsps baking soda
- 2 pinches of sea salt
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
- sesame seeds for decoration on top
Directions
- In a large bowl or your food processor, add the almond flour, teff flour, psyllium husk, baking soda and sea salt together.
- In a seperate bowl, add two cups (around 250ml) of freshly boiled water, add the 2 tbsps of apple cider vinegar and mix. Note that not all of the mixture will be added to the dough. However, this ratio is used to apportion the vinegar to water correctly. Place aside.
- Back to the bowl, add the olive oil to the mix of dry ingredients. Follow with adding about 60ml of water-vinegar mix to the batter and mix well. Knead the mixture well.
- Add more of the water-vinegar mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Knead well again.
- Repeat step 4 until you get a smooth and glossy texture. To test if the dough is ready take a small piece and roll it between your hands until smooth. If it cracks, it needs more water.
- Once you have reached the smooth and glossy texture, preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius on fan. Shape the bread dough into a large ball and place it in the bowl to rest for 15 mins. Cover with stretch-and-seal (or a towel). This will allow the ingredients to mix together. The dough will not rise at this point.
- Take a medium baking tray, line with baking paper and oil slightly with olive oil.
- Once the 15 mins have passed, divide your bread dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each part like a burger bun, and place to baking tray. On the baking tray, press onto the ball with the palm of your hand, to flatten it a bit (like a burger patty) to be a bit over 1cm thick.
- Smoothe up any cracking, and with a brush smooth some olive oil allover the bread bun. Sprinkle and press gently some sesame seeds on top. This will help them stick well.
- If you wish, you could cut a crossed shape on top to have some ‘cracks’ on the top of the bun.
- Bake the bread dough in 180 degrees Celcius preheated oven, for about 50-60 minutes. The bread buns will turn brown due to the teff flour. Test with a toothpick to see if ready.
Tips & Tricks: The original recipe uses only almond flour. You can use only almond flour if you would like to keep the recipe for bread buns keto.
“Happiness is freshly-baked bread”
Let me know in the comments below if you have tried any other substitutions which have worked out for these bread buns. I always love to change the flours I use in order to try different flavours!
