Seed Cycle Bread for Hormone Balance: Pumpkin Flaxseed & Sunflower Sesame
Hello! This is my first official post and I thought we’d kick it off with a recipe that captures the spirit of my wellness journey.
I’ll be 44 in June and for the last two years I’ve noticed a shift in my hormone balance. While my daughters are at the beginning of their reproductive years, it appears that I’m moving towards the end of mine. Never a dull moment around here!
Seed cycling is an effective, safe, and gentle tool that can support us gals no matter what stage of life we’re in - or out. There’s a straightforward format of taking specific seeds and oils together during specific stages of your menstrual cycle. If you’re postmenstrual you can simply work with the moon and her phases too. Read more about it here.
I developed these recipes to supplement your efforts toward hormone balance and make this routine more dynamic. Sometimes I don’t want a shake or spoonfuls of seeds. I want a piece of toast with jam! Or even better, an opened faced tartine with avocado and salmon.
Together, these breads complete the seed cycle program for the month. I usually make them both at the same time and put one in the freezer for later. They are packed with fiber, healthy fats, and plant protein. They’re also very filling and can be a nourishing meal on their own or a great post workout snack.
My daughters and I enjoy these together and each slice has the right amount of seeds for your cycling needs.
Cheers,
Chay
P.S. The fellas in your life can happily enjoy these breads without any concern.
Recipe I
Seed Cycle Bread: Pumpkin & Flax Seed
Tartine Style Bread - Approximately 12 slices per loaf
Follicular phase – Days 1-14 of cycle.
This recipe takes 24 hours from start to finish. Make sure to read it through entirely before you begin the process. If you don’t like caraway seeds you can easily omit them for a more neutral flavored bread.
Also, a 5x9 inch loaf pan works best.
1 ¼ cups of soaked quinoa
¾ cup pumpkin seeds – roasted
2 Tbs caraway seeds - roasted
¾ cup almond flour
¾ cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup whole psyllium husks
2 tbs chia seeds
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups water
¼ cup olive oil plus more for greasing
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Directions
Begin by soaking your quinoa seeds first thing in the morning when you get up. In a large bowl cover the seeds with cold water and set aside for the day. They should soak for at least a minimum of 6 hours or more.
In the evening, drain the seeds in a fine mesh sieve and give them a rinse. Set aside to continue draining while you prepare the rest of the dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan with a generous amount of olive oil.
Spread pumpkin and caraway seeds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 5-10 minutes depending on your oven. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl combine and whisk together water, olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and chia seeds.
In a large bowl, combine and whisk together the almond flour, flaxseed, psyllium husks, and salt. Add the drained quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and caraway seeds.Use a rubber spatula to mix together. Once everything is mixed well, add the remaining wet ingredients. Continue folding the mixture in the bowl for a few minutes. It should be thick and wet.
Scoop the dough into the prepared loaf pan and gently push it around with your fingers to even it out and fill in the corners.
If you like, sprinkle a few extra raw pumpkin seeds over the loaf for garnish.
Loosely cover with a cloth napkin or dish towel and let this sit overnight on your counter top.
In the morning preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread for one hour on the center rack. Remove and let cool completely in the loaf pan before removal.
Enjoy!
*Notes:
-Remember, this is a tartine style bread and works best open faced.
- Thicker slices hold up better in the toaster.
- To store, wrap in a piece of parchment paper and keep in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
- This bread freezes beautifully. Wrap in parchment paper, place in a ziplock bag and freeze.
- To defrost, keep it wrapped and just put in the fridge overnight. It should be thawed and ready to go within 24 hours.
Recipe II
Seed Cycle Bread: Sunflower & Sesame Seed
Tartine Style Bread - Approximately 12 slices per loaf
Luteal phase – Days 15-28 of cycle.
This recipe takes 24 hours from start to finish. Make sure to read it through entirely before you begin the process.
Also, a 5x9 inch loaf pan works best.
1 ¼ cups of soaked quinoa
¾ cup sunflower seeds – roasted
½ cup sesame seeds - roasted
¾ cup almond flour
1/3 cup whole psyllium husks
2 tbs chia seeds
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ cups water
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup olive oil plus more for greasing
2 Tbs maple syrup
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Directions
Begin by soaking your quinoa seeds first thing in the morning when you get up. In a large bowl cover the seeds with cold water and set aside for the day. They should soak for at least a minimum of 6 hours or more.
In the evening, drain the seeds in a fine mesh sieve and give them a rinse. Set aside to continue draining while you prepare the rest of the dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a loaf pan with a generous amount of olive oil.
Spread sunflower and sesame seeds out together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for about 5-10 minutes depending on your oven. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.
In a small bowl combine and whisk together water, olive oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and chia seeds.
In a large bowl, combine and whisk together the almond flour, psyllium husks, and salt. Add the drained quinoa, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Use a rubber spatula to mix together. Once everything is mixed well, add the remaining wet ingredients and tahini. Continue folding the mixture in the bowl for a few minutes. It should be thick and wet.
Scoop the dough into the prepared loaf pan and gently push it around with your fingers to even it out and fill in the corners.
If you like, sprinkle a few extra raw seeds over the loaf for garnish.
Loosely cover with a cloth napkin or dish towel and let this sit overnight on your counter top.
In the morning preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the bread for one hour on the center rack. Remove and let cool completely in the loaf pan before removal.
Enjoy!
*Notes:
- Remember, this is a tartine style bread and works well open faced.
- Thicker slices hold up better in the toaster.
- To store, wrap in a piece of parchment paper and keep in a ziplock bag in the fridge.
- This bread freezes beautifully. Wrap in parchment paper, place in a ziplock bag and freeze.
- To defrost, keep it wrapped and just put in the fridge overnight. It should be thawed and ready to go within 24 hours. Begin by soaking your quinoa seeds first thing in the morning when you get up. In a large bowl cover the seeds with cold water and set aside for the day. They should soak for at least a minimum of 6 hours.
