I wanted something ‘bread like’ and all I had was the Teff flour I’ve been experimenting with. I had bacon on the go in one pan and a salad sorted, so it also had to be instant. The experiment began and resulted in this super simple pancake like, airy soft ‘bread’ that is great to toast up over a couple of days and spread smashed avocado, paté or dips on top, or even perhaps pop under the grill for a couple of minutes with pizza toppings.
Consider it a quick new little feather in the cap for the gluten challenged, or for those of you who prefer a more nourishing bang for your buck when you want to have something carby.
Now what’s Teff all about? Here are some fun facts taken from the whole grains council website. I loved learning that it grew faster – naturally – than any other grain, making it a wonderful sustainable option for farming future compared to wheat and other grains.
A FEW FACTS ABOUT TEFF
- Just one pound of teff grains can grow an acre of teff, while 100 pounds or more of wheat grains are needed to grow an acre of wheat.
- Teff requires only 36 hours to sprout, the shortest time of any grain.
- Teff’s protein content (around 14%) is largely easily digested albumins (similar to a vegetable version of egg whites).
- Teff is high in resistant starch, a type of starch thought to be more tolerable than other starches for people with compromised gut health or unstable blood sugar.
- Teff is thought to have originated in Ethiopia about 4000-1000 B.C.E.
- Teff is fermented by a symbiotic yeast living in the soluble fiber on the grain’s surface (like the blush on grapes).
- Teff can thrive in waterlogged fields as well as drought ridden ones making it reliable in our increasingly unpredictable climate.
(image credit: Green Upgrader)
So, onto this little instant bread experiment and if you want to experiment too, ask your local health shop to get some in for you from Bob’s Red Mill OR grab some online from I Herb if you shop there, or via the Wholefood Collective for Australia (Wholefood Collective allows you to access 20-30% off all your pantry staples with just a $59 membership per year!).
“But Teff is so expensive,” you say? Yes, it’s on the more ex-y side, but think of the nutrition per bite. Very nourishing grain compared to most, so it’s a case of ‘half the amount, twice the quality’ principle. Try it and see!
Those beautiful plates are by Kim Wallace ceramics. I swear they make everything more delicious, being that they’re so beautiful!
Can’t wait to hear if you enjoy it or what you end up topping it with – tag me on instagram with your pics @lowtoxlife if you end up making the recipe
Real Food. Happy Bodies.
2 Minute Teff Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup teff flour
- 1.5 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
- 1/2-1 tsp dried herb mix of your preference
- 1 egg (organic pasture raised from healthy, happy chooks!)
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 heaped tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional. makes it more fluffy by interacting with the baking powder)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, olive oil or butter for frying
Instructions
- Preheat a pan with 1 tbsp coconut oil, olive oil or butter on med / high
- Beat it all together with a fork until it’s a thick slop.
- Let it stand for a minute
- Put the ‘bread batter’ in the pan and fry on one side until it rises a bit, and after 2-3 minutes, flip and repeat on the other side.
- Take off the pan. Cut into wedges. Top with stuff or dip into soups. If it’s just you, to can keep uneaten wedges and toast them the next day to ‘revive’ them and top with spread, poached egg or butter.
For a SWEET VARIATION
- Use this mix with 2 tbsp coconut milk added to the mix, and replacing the dried herbs with 1 tbsp rice malt syrup, honey or maple syrup to create delicious, thick hot cakes.
Fancy getting SUPER confident on all things real food, cooking, food prep and the power of food for disease prevention? I’d love to invite you to check out our On-Demand (meaning you can start literally right this minute!) e course REAL FOOD ROCKSTARS. If you’re over the food overwhelm, confusion, guilty feelings, not being able to truly give up the junk, and want to know how and where to shop, what to do to get super confident in the kitchen, how to explain to others your whole food choices, what to eat and how best to build a strong body to ward off disease and feel vital and energetic, then maybe it’s time you jumped in! The door’s always open and the private support community is awesome. See you in there, Alexx x
