Gluten-free oat and courgette bread

Gluten-free oat and courgette bread with gluten-free oats, courgette, eggs and almond flour – moist, nutty and easy to fit into breakfast or a snack.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 45 min
• Total time: 60 min
• Calories: 180 kcal per serving
• Protein: 7 g
• Fat: 8 g
• Carbs: 18 g

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
• 1 large courgette
• 200g gluten-free oats
• 100g fine almond flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 heaped tsp salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · loaf tin · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan) and line a loaf tin with baking paper. Finely grate the courgette and squeeze it only lightly so the bread stays moist.
2. Grind some of the oats into fine oat flour. Whisk the eggs and olive oil in a large bowl, then stir in the courgette.
3. In a second bowl, mix the oats, oat flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly. That way everything is spread evenly through the dough.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the courgette and egg mixture and fold everything together only until no dry flour is visible. Spoon the dough into the tin and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
5. Bake the bread at 180 °C for 40–45 min until the top is golden brown and it feels firm in the middle. Then let it cool a little so it slices cleanly.
6. To serve: cut the oat and courgette bread into thick slices and serve it plain, with butter, cream cheese or a savoury spread.

Good to know

This bread is moist, mild and pleasantly uncomplicated. It goes just as well with savoury toppings as simply with a little butter or cream cheese. And it feels more like real bread than a compromise.

Swaps

Gluten-free oats → buckwheat flakes (gluten-free and a little more savoury in flavour) Fine almond flour → a smaller amount of coconut flour (fewer carbs and more fibre; it soaks up a lot of liquid, so use much less) Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds → chopped walnuts or hazelnuts (more monounsaturated fats, aromatic crunch) Olive oil → melted ghee or grass-fed butter (stable at high heat and fuller flavour)

Allergens

Contains egg and almonds and, depending on your choice, pumpkin or sunflower seeds; suitable for children in soft slices, and unremarkable during pregnancy as long as the eggs are well baked – and for coeliac disease, the gluten-free oats must be explicitly labelled as such.

Frequently asked questions

What's in oats nutritionally?

Oats provide complex carbohydrates, fibre and minerals such as manganese, magnesium and iron, plus B vitamins, especially thiamin.

Why does courgette work so well in a bread?

Courgette brings lots of water, some potassium and smaller amounts of vitamin C. It makes the dough moister without standing out in flavour.

What do almond flour and seeds add to this recipe?

Almond flour and pumpkin or sunflower seeds contain unsaturated fats, vitamin E and minerals such as magnesium and zinc. Pumpkin seeds usually provide a little more zinc, sunflower seeds often more vitamin E.

Does olive oil make sense for baking a bread like this?

Yes, olive oil mainly adds monounsaturated fats and keeps the crumb pleasantly soft. In this amount the flavour usually stays mild and rounded.

Are sunflower seeds just as interesting nutritionally as pumpkin seeds?

Both contain a range of nutrients, but with a slightly different focus. Sunflower seeds contain more vitamin E, pumpkin seeds rather more magnesium and zinc.

Dairy-free recipes