I first came across Cashew Bread in Eat Well Feel Well, a book of SCD recipes by Kendall Conrad. While it was delicious, it wasn’t quite what we were looking for at the time. It was a couple of years before I came back to the idea, when I wanted to develop a GAPS friendly bread for those who were having problems with almond flour.
This version has a few changes from the original:
1. I found a version of it at hellokitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/cashew-coconut-bread.html which substituted 1 cup of coconut flour for some of the cashews. This seems to make the bread a bit more stable. If you don’t or can’t have coconut flour, use all cashews.
This version has a few changes from the original:
1. I found a version of it at hellokitchen.blogspot.com/2007/11/cashew-coconut-bread.html which substituted 1 cup of coconut flour for some of the cashews. This seems to make the bread a bit more stable. If you don’t or can’t have coconut flour, use all cashews.
2. For those who can’t have dairy, I substituted mashed pumpkin for the SCD yoghurt in the original recipe.
3. The original recipe had 1 cup apple juice. To reduce the sugar content, I replaced that with water plus a little extra apple cider vinegar. The pumpkin gives it enough sweetness.
These three changes make the mix a little drier, so you may need to add a little extra water.
OK, so I have to confess, it does have baking soda which isn’t GAPS friendly. I haven’t tested it without baking soda yet but will let you know when I do. (If you try it before me, post a comment letting me know how it goes.) It is a dense loaf anyway, so I think it will come out pretty much the same.
Pumpkin cashew bread
Makes 2 loaves
Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a large bowl and the yolks into a smaller one. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Using a food processor, grind the cashews till they are in small pieces. Add the coconut flour and baking soda and process till the cashews are as fine as you can get them. If a paste starts to form on the sides, stop now.
With a whisk or fork blend the egg yolks, pumpkin, water, and vinegar. Add to the ingredients in the food processor and mix thoroughly. If necessary, add a little extra water to blend it all together to a thick paste.
Take out the blade, and add a little of the egg white mix to the food processor. Mix it in with a fork. Add the mixture to the egg white bowl and fold into the egg whites using a metal spoon. Mix just until you no longer see clumps of egg white, trying not to overmix.
Spoon into prepared pans and bake for 1hr-1hr 20min, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pans on a rack for about 15 mins, then slide the loaves onto the racks to complete cooling. Keeps in the fridge for a few days, or can be frozen.
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 tsp sea or Himalayan salt
- 5 cups raw unsalted cashews
- 1 cup coconut flour (or an extra cup cashews)
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin (or SCD yoghurt)
- 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- Extra water if needed
Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a large bowl and the yolks into a smaller one. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Using a food processor, grind the cashews till they are in small pieces. Add the coconut flour and baking soda and process till the cashews are as fine as you can get them. If a paste starts to form on the sides, stop now.
With a whisk or fork blend the egg yolks, pumpkin, water, and vinegar. Add to the ingredients in the food processor and mix thoroughly. If necessary, add a little extra water to blend it all together to a thick paste.
Take out the blade, and add a little of the egg white mix to the food processor. Mix it in with a fork. Add the mixture to the egg white bowl and fold into the egg whites using a metal spoon. Mix just until you no longer see clumps of egg white, trying not to overmix.
Spoon into prepared pans and bake for 1hr-1hr 20min, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in pans on a rack for about 15 mins, then slide the loaves onto the racks to complete cooling. Keeps in the fridge for a few days, or can be frozen.
