4-Ingredient Buckwheat Flax Chia Bread {vegan, GF, oil-free}

Healthy and wholesome 4-ingredient buckwheat flax chia bread is a perfect go-with everything bread! It is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, & easy to make, too.

Good morning, everyone! I hope you had a happy Labor Day weekend. Mine was busy, with relatives in town, water-skiing at the lake, and long runs with running buddies.

I also spent time laboring over this amazing buckwheat bread recipe, trying to get it just right. Done!

The Benefits of Buckwheat Chia Flax Bread

This bread earns its ‘amazing’ moniker because it is:

• Only 4 ingredients (other than water & optional salt)
• Flourless
• Oil-free
• Sugar-free (zero grams sugar per serving)
• Gluten-free
• Vegan (egg-free & dairy-free)
• 46 calories per slice
• (Most importantly) incredibly delicious!

Bread Made with with Whole Buckwheat Groats

Buckwheat, one of my favorite grains, is the star of this amazing bread.

Despite the name, buckwheat has no relation to wheat whatsoever. Rather, this naturally gluten-free grain is the seed of a plant related to rhubarb.

It is one of my favorite grains because it is packed with protein, fiber, an also an array of antioxidants (the same that are found green tea and dark chocolate).  It is a wonderful choice for making truly feel-good (in every sense) bread!

Simple, Wholesome Buckwheat Bread

I came across several recipes for simple, whole grain buckwheat bread–all essentially the same– on a variety of websites, which sparked the idea for this bread.

They involved soaking the buckwheat in cold water for 2 to 8 hours and then mixing with psyllium husk for structure.

For a bread-er texture, I nixed psyllium altogether and settled on a combination of flaxseed meal and chia seeds, as well as some streamlined preparation methods.

Ingredients for 4-Ingredient Buckwheat Flax Chia Bread

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.

• Whole buckwheat groats
• Flaxseed meal
• Chia seeds
• Baking powder

You will also need water and (optional) salt.

The combination of chia and flax provides structure (i.e., no post-bake deflation) as well as texture and taste (flax, in particularly, complements the already nutty flavor of the buckwheat). Flax (and chia) have a high oil content, so I was able to nix any added oil, too.

How to Make the 4-Ingredient Buckwheat Flax Chia Bread

Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.

Step One: Quick-Soak the Buckwheat

Full disclosure:  I am a fundamentally impatient person. This led me to experimenting with quick-soaking the buckwheat in boiling water rather than soaking the buckwheat in cold water for an extended amount of time.

It worked: the buckwheat begins to break down in about 20 minutes, while still leaving whole (but softened) groats for lots of nubby texture in the finished bread,

Drain the buckwheat and give it a rinse (in a colander) under cool water.

Step Two: Hydrate the Chia Seeds and Flaxseed Meal

Meanwhile, combine the chia seeds and flaxseed meal in cold water to thicken.

Step Three: Process Some of the Batter

Transfer roughly 2/3 of buckwheat mixture to a food processor or blender. Process, using ON/OFF pulses until almost , but not completely, smooth. Scrape back into bowl with remaining buckwheat and stir vigorously.

Stir in the chia-flax mixture, baking powder and optional salt until combined.

Processing some of the batter creates a finished loaf that is definitely bread (no crumbling slices). Keeping 1/3 of the batter unblended ensures lots of tasty, hearty nubby-ness to the loaf.

Step Three: Preheat Oven & Prepare Pans

Preheat the oven to 325F (160C). Spray 3 small pans with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

This recipe works best when using 3 small loaf (5×3-inch/ 12.5x 7.5 cm) size pans as opposed to one large 9×5-inch pan. The 9×5 pan will definitely work (bake for about 85 to 90 minutes), but it may droop a bit at the center once fully cooled. 

Step Four: Divide Batter Between Pans

Spoon and spread the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.

As another measure to avoid drooping, the pans are filled close to the top with batter. If yo do not have this size, do not worry–go smaller, including a muffin tin (shorten the baking time). Mostly, you want structure, so opt for small.

Step Five: Bake the Bread

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes until top appears dry and a toothpick inserted in center of each loaf come out clean.

The result is beautiful, firm, hearty loaves with nutty, toasty flavor. Once completely cooled, they can be sliced thick or very thin. If you want bigger slices, simply slice lengthwise!

The bread takes well to toasting (love), but it is still wonderful un-toasted, too.

I am crazy about this bread and hope that you will be, too! Let me know if you give it a try :).

Happy baking!

More Great GF & Vegan Buckwheat Recipes:

1. Oil-Free Buckwheat Granola
2. 1-Ingredient Buckwheat Bread
3. Vegan Buckwheat Banana Bread
4. Buckwheat Almond Shortbread Cookies
5. No-Bake Buckwheat Granola Bars