Bake of the Week: How to make a delicious vegan and gluten-free seeded loaf

NOT only is this loaf vegan and gluten-free, it is packed full of nutritious nuts and seeds and has a really tasty, dense and very moist crumb.

Wrapped in greaseproof paper, the loaf should last for three to four days.

This recipe comes from baker Richard Bertinet’s new book, Crumb, out on February 7 (Kyle Books, £30).

You’ll need

100g blanched hazelnuts

180g rolled gluten-free oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

150g sunflower seeds

100g flaxseeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon maple syrup

3 tablespoons cold-pressed rapeseed oil

350g almond milk

a little vegetable oil, for greasing the tin

Method

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until just coloured, then chop by hand into small pieces, or pulse briefly in a blender. Tip into a large bowl and add the oats, baking powder, seeds and salt, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the maple syrup, rapeseed oil and the milk. Add to the bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well to form a batter.

Cover with a baking cloth or a large freezer bag and leave to rest for two hours (or leave overnight in the fridge).

When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a large loaf tin with vegetable oil.

Ladle the batter into the tin, pressing it down gently. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until firm and slightly crisped on top, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave until completely cool before eating – use a sharp knife to slice it.