Pumpkin Spice Buckwheat Bake

This recipe is adapted from my sister-in-law, Alysia’s recipe for Buckwheat Bake.

She adapted hers from a friend’s recipe.

It’s made with buckwheat groats. You just simply grind them into flour in your blender. I’m not sure why they don’t just use buckwheat flour…I’ll have to ask her that the next time I see her. It does have a different color than the buckwheat flour I have in my pantry. Buckwheat flour when cooked takes on a bit of a purple-ish hue, these buckwheat groats do not. But I must say, there was something very satisfying about making my own flour. I have a Vitamix so it went from seed to flour in under 20 seconds.

You grind the flour, add the salt, water, and chopped nuts before you go to bed. Stir, cover, and let it do its thing while you get your rest. That’s why I don’t have any prep pictures for you. I thought I’d spare you the terrible late night lighting.

Have you read up on why it’s so important to soak nuts? It’s enlightening. For those of you who have issues with nuts, that could very possibly be a thing of the past if you soak them.

I’ll be honest, I had my doubts about this recipe. So far I have not been very impressed with grain free baking.

But this has me surprised and excited…and relieved that it is absolutely delicious! And also very good-looking without being doctored up. So many grain free recipes I’ve run across, I can tell they’re being doctored with other items to hide the unsavory texture or color.

There’s all kinds of sneaky secrets in food blogging and photography. That’s annoying to me and you can always count on me to be honest with you. This is SO versatile. You can add any type of nut, coconut, grated carrots, probably grated zuchini…sweet potato, all different kinds of spices and dried fruits, chocolate, banana, garlic, herbs, sun-dried tomatoes…the options are endless.

It also has me wondering if you can bake it in two bread pans, slice it, and bake it again for biscotti…hmmm…or made in a french bread pan with savory add-ins as more of an artisan baguette…an interesting idea for later.

My sister-in-law adds syrup, nuts, raisins, and cinnamon to hers. Her friend is more of a purist and prefers hers plain.

What I love about it is that it can easily be made sweet or savory.

The texture reminds me a little of carrot cake. Dense but not too dense, a nice crumb, but doesn’t fall apart the minute you touch it like many grain free items.

And for you non-grain purists, please remember that Buckwheat is related to sorrel and rhubarb and comes from the seeds of a flowering plant. It is not a grass and is therefore, not a grain. A fantastic option for grain free eating. Hallelujah and amen. No coconut flour or almond meal  here.

Pumpkin Spice Buckwheat Bake

The night before you want to make the buckwheat bake:

2 1/2 Cups of Organic Buckwheat Groats, ground into flour

3 Cups of Filtered or Bottled Water

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of Sea Salt

1/2 Cup of Organic Walnuts, chopped

Grind the buckwheat groats in a high-speed blender until it turns to flour, pour it into a large bowl and add 3 cups of water, sea salt, and chopped walnuts. Stir to combine and cover with plastic wrap.

The next morning: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 Cup of Organic Ground Flax

1 Cup of Organic Raisins

1 teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

1/2 Cup of Coconut Sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 1/2 teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract

Add everything into the wet ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Spread batter into a 9×13 inch baking dish and cook for 23-29 (it will vary depending on the ingredients you use) minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Serve with dairy free butter and organic, raw, honey.