• Chef: Helen Tzouganatos 
• Serves: Makes 1 loaf 
• Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour rest time

Ingredients:

• 300ml lukewarm water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 x 7g yeast sachet 
• 1 ¾ cups or 210g buckwheat flour 
• 1 ¾ cups or 210g tapioca flour 
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes 
• ½ tsp xantham gum 
• 2 eggs lightly whisked, room temperature 
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 3 tbsp chia seeds, black or white, plus extra for sprinkling 

Method:

Add sugar and yeast to lukewarm water. Whisk together and let it stand for 15 minutes until mixture foams. 

Sift flours, salt and xantham gum together in a mixing bowl. 

Add chia seeds, eggs, olive oil, vinegar and yeast mixture and beat to combine, scraping down the sides halfway. 

Sprinkle chia seeds on base and sides of a 20 x 10cm greased loaf tin to create a seeded crust. Pour batter into tin and sprinkle more chia seeds over the top of the loaf. Cover with cling wrap and allow the bread to rise in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size. Preheat oven to 200°C.

To achieve a golden crust, drizzle dough with olive oil before placing in the hot oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out dry. 

Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool. This helps your crust stay crispy. Cool before slicing.