Gluten-Free Teff & Oat Bread (Vegan, Oil-Free Option)

My gluten-free teff & oat bread is a perfect power up, any time of day. It is also vegan, yeast-free. easy to make in minutes, and ideal for fueling your next marathon, or any of your epic adventures! You can also make it oil-free.

Happy Monday, everyone!

The Houston Marathon is fewer than 6 days away, whoo-hoo! This will be my first time running it, and I am especially excited because it is such a short distance away (no plane trips required), it’s super-flat (last marathon–July–was in San Francisco), and all of my Saturday-morning running buddies will be there, too. (Any power hungry readers running this year? I’d love to know!)

The only downside has been training in the cold. Yes, cold in Texas! It has been in the teens the last few weekends, and I hate running in the cold. As a reward, I have been making and baking runner-food (e.g., power bars, breads, energy cookies) following frigid runs, so that I can stand by the oven as much as to reap the rewards of my labor.

Wholesome Gluten-Free Bread Made with Teff Flour

One of my favorite new developments is this dark and delicious quick bread, made quickly and easily with oats, and teff, a favorite superfood of Ethiopian, Eritrean, and many Western  distance runners, too.

It’s my gluten-free Teff & Oat Bread. I like to call to call it Marathon Bread.

The inspiration for the bread came from a recipe I stumbled across, in Bon Appetit. for super-seedy, gluten-free bread. It caught my eye because I gravitate towards dark, hearty loaves of bread, plus, I knew I had some teff flour (which is called for in the recipe), waiting for a use, in the freezer. It looked and sounded like a winer.

Yeast-Free Teff Bread

But then I looked at the recipe more closely. It is a yeast bread (fine), but…did I want to wait around to soak oats proof yeast? No. Further, while I am a fan of nut- and seed-studded baked goods, 2-1/2 cups worth seems excessive, as well as unwise for fuelling long runs (too many pit stops. Enough said on that subject :)).

So, I scrapped the yeast, nuts and seeds, and headed in my own direction, recalibrating the bread as a simple, hearty quick bread.

I love it. I think you will too.

Recipe Benefits

• Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
• Gluten-free
• Nut-free
• Ol-free option
• Yeast-free
• Quick and easy to make
• High fiber

Ingredients

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

• plain nondairy milk (e.g., oat milk, almond milk, hemp milk)
• cider vinegar (or other light color vinegar, or lemon juice)
• rolled oats (certified GF, as needed)
• whole psyllium husks
• flaxseed meal
• molasses (or maple syrup)
• teff flour
• baking soda
• neutral vegetable oil (see notes for oil-free options)

You will also need a small amount of salt (always optional or adjustable) and water (I use filtered tap water).

How to Make Gluten-Free Teff & Oat Bread

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

You can whip up this bread in no time flat! First, the liquids are mixed with the oats, psyllium and flax, and then left to hag out for 15 minutes to thicken. The remaining ingredients (teff flour, salt, baking soda, and oil) follow. That’s it!

Note, in the photo below, that the batter is VERY thick, in large part due to the psyllium husk, which adds structure to the loaves. It may seem dry when you first add the teff flour mixture, but keep stirring, it will all blend.

Gluten-free loaves that rely on psyllium and flax need all of the added structure they can get, which is why I decide on four mini loaves as opposed to one 9×5-inch loaf. This allows the bread to bake completely in the centers for a traditional wheat bread-like texture, with minimal deflation after baking.

It also makes it easy to wrap and store extra loaves in the freezer.

The loaves take about 40 to 44 minutes to bake. Do not open the oven to peek, or the loaves may deflate before they are done!

When the loaves are finished, they will be puffed high above the edges of the pan, but this is only for a moment (due to the psyllium). The tops will drop almost immediately, but, due to the small loaf size and combination of ingredients, the loaves retain their shape (no center drooping, and no gumminess!).

These are the fully-cooled loaves:

Tender and Wholesome Texture

The texture of the bread is tender, similar to a whole wheat and oat quick bread recipe I used to make years ago. It is perfect for sandwiches, toast, or anytime gnoshing, plain or adorned with favorite toppings.

While I love the bread best with teff flour, I am happy to report that it also works beautifully with an equal amount of any the following superfood flours:

• amaranth flour
• sorghum flour
• quinoa flour
• millet flour

Happy baking!

How do I make the bread oil-free?

Simply replace the oil with an equal amount of nondairy milk, unsweetened applesauce or unsweetened pumpkin purée.

Is there a substitute for the teff flour?

An equal amount of amaranth flour, quinoa flour, sorghum flour or millet flour can be used in place of the teff flour.

What can I use in place of the molasses?

An equal amount of maple syrup, coconut sugar, agave nectar, brown sugar, or honey (if vegan is not necessary), can be used in place of the molasses. If you prefer no sugar, you could add 3 extra tablespoons of milk, or 3 tablespoons of applesauce or pumpkin puree.

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