The following instructions can be used to determine the freshness and quality of your yeast. To test, follow these instructions:

1. Place 1/2 cup of lukewarm water into a small bowl or cup.
2. Stir 1 tsp. of sugar into the water.
3. Sprinkle 2 tsp. of yeast over the surface.
4. Place bowl or cup in a warm area and allow it to sit for 10 minutes undisturbed.
5. The mixture should foam and produce a strong yeast aroma. If this does not occur, the yeast is inactive and stale and new yeast should be purchased.

Basic Baking Ingredients and baking rules apply to Chia Seed Flour baking

Yeast

Yeast is actually a microscopic plant. Simply stated, without yeast, your bread
will not rise. When moistened by a liquid, fed by sugar, and carefully warmed,
yeast produces gases which power the dough to rise. If the temperature is too
cold, the yeast will not be activated; if it’s too warm, it will die. You can use either “active dry yeast”, “quick acting”, “rapid rise yeast” or one of the new “Bread machine yeasts”.

Sugars

Sugars sweeten the bread, brown the crust, and lend tenderness to the texture. These jobs can be performed by white or brown sugar, molasses, maple or corn syrups, honey, fruits or other sweeteners.

Flour

In order for the bread to rise, the flour has to have high protein content. Glutens are the proteins that cause flour to rise. Chia Seed Flour is gluten free therefore you should not expect it to rise very much. There will be a better rise if it is baked in mini or small pans or muffin pans. A lighter larger loaf with a better rise can be achieved by combining wheat flour with Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour. This should only be done if you are not gluten intolerant. With Chia Seed Flour some recipes may require you to add more or less Chia Flour to reach the desired consistency. In practice, many cases those are not just perfect on the first bake, get it right the second time.

Liquids

When liquids are mixed with the proteins in flour, gluten is formed. Gluten is necessary for rising. Many recipes use dry milk, but other liquids, such as fruit juice, beer, and water work too. It’s a delicate balance: A recipe with too much liquid may cause the bread to fall during baking while a recipe with too little liquid will not rise, this applies to gluten free baking as well. Feel free to adjust you liquids in bread recipes. Remember beer contains glutens as well.

Salt

Salt inhibits rising, so be very careful measuring. Ordinary table salt will do. Us slightly less when using Sea Salt.

Fats

Many breads use fats to enhance the flavor and retain moisture. Typically, margarine or shorting is used, but butter may also be used.

Bread Machine Baking

Always put the liquids in first, the dry ingredients in next, and the yeast last. Before adding the yeast, dig a shallow hole in the dry ingredients and place the yeast in the hole so that there’s absolutely no contact between the liquids and the yeast. You don’t want the yeast to be activated too soon in the process. This is especially important when you’re using the Delay Bake option.

Traditional Chia Dinner Bread

Hints for bread machine use.

Hint #1
Always put the liquids in first, the dry ingredients in next, and the yeast last. Before adding the yeast, dig a shallow hole in the dry ingredients and place the yeast in the hole so that there’s absolutely no contact between the liquids and the yeast. You don’t want the yeast to be activated too soon in the process. This is especially important when you’re using the Delay Bake option.

Hint #2

Add ingredients in bread machine in the order listed in the recipe.
Three sizes to suit any occasion

Optional: Add a tablespoon of raw Whole Nuchia Original Chia Seeds after adding the flour, (two tablespoons to the extra loaf).

Extra Large Loaf (2 pounds)

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups warm water (little warmer than room temp, do not microwave)
4 teaspoons margarine or butter, softened
4 teaspoons shorting softened
4 cups Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour
2/3 cup of sugar (you can adjust this to taste, a little more or less after your first bake)
1 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons quick-acting active dry yeast
OR
2 3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast (you may have to adjust this after your first bake)

Note: In our test kitchen we baked this on setting # 3 (large dark), in an Oster Deluxe Bread Machine. It was a little moist in he center of the bread. The taste and texture was very similar whole wheat bread. The loaf is dark in color. For less moist and a harder outer crust set machine to a higher setting, #4. For reference, the baking time was 3 hours and 30 minuets, set to dark and large loaf. On July 7, dry milk was removed from these recipe, it seems to cook and taste better without it.

Large Loaf (1 1/2 pounds)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup warn water (little warmer than room temp do not microwave)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
1 tablespoon shorting, softened
3 cups Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons quick-acting active dry yeast
Or
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (you may have to adjust this after your first bake)

Note: In our test kitchen we baked this on setting # 2, in an Oster Deluxe Bread Machine. When baked on #3 the outer crust is a bit harder. This could be good for some occasions.

Small Loaf (1 pound)

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (little warmer than room temp, do not microwave)
2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
2 tablespoons shorting, softened
2 cups Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-acting active dry yeast
OR
1 3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast or

DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove bread pan; attach kneading blade.
2. Place all ingredients in bread pan in the order listed.
3. Insert bread pan, close lid and plug in.
4. Select bread type: Press SELECT until the desired bread setting number is displayed. Press START. (For dinner breads, the bread setting selections are numbers 1-3. Select “1” for 1 pound loaf recipes. Select either “2” or “3” for 1 1/2 and 2 pound loaf recipes. Select “2” for a desired medium crust color and “3” for a desired dark crust color.) (Setting based on an Oster Deluxe Bread and Dough Machine)
5. If Delay Bake option is desired, press set timer.
6. Press START. Bread will be done baking in the number of hours indicated.

Ingredients

½ Cup shorting or butter

1 3/4 Cup sugar

2 Eggs

1 oz red food color

1 oz water

2 Tablespoons cocoa

1 ¼ Cup Buttermilk

2 ¼ Cup Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour

1 Teaspoon of salt

1 Teaspoon of vanilla

1 Tablespoon of vinegar

1 ½ Teaspoons baking soda

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9 inch baking pans. Mix shortening and sugar until creamy, add eggs and mixer on low speed. Add food coloring, water and cocoa. Blend in buttermilk. Mix flour and salt in a separate bowl then add to wet mix in portions. Add vanilla and beat until well mixed. Separately, mix vinegar and soda together then add to batter stirring by hand, (do not beat). Pour mix evenly into the two 9 inch baking pans and bake at 300 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tester pulls out dry. Let cool and frost with Fluffy Chia Frosting.

Gluten Free Fluffy Chia Frosting

¼ Cup Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour

1 Cup granulated Sugar or confection sugar

½ Cup confection sugar

2 Tablespoons of Butter, softened

1 Three ounce pack of Cream Cheese

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 Teaspoons Milk

Mix Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour, sugar, butter, vanilla and cream cheese together. Add milk and, beat until fluffy, then frost cooled cake. To create desired thickness, increase or decrease milk as desired. Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups Chia Seed Flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg whites (2 oz from a container)
2-2 1/2 cups fresh sliced strawberries

Optional:

1/2 toasted, chopped walnuts
1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds
1/2 cup roasted peanuts or peanut butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 loaf pans with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease.
2. In a large bowl, sift together Chia flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add vegetable oil and eggs one at a time to flour mixture. Fold in strawberries and any optional ingredients.
4. Divide between pans and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out completely dry.
5. Cool in pans for 20 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooling rack.
6. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups Chia Seed Flour
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional:

Replace almond extract with 1 teaspoon orange, cherry or rum extract
Replace semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2-4 sheet pans with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease.
2. In a medium bowl, sift flour and baking soda together.
3. In a large bowl cream butter with sugars until fluffy. Add extracts and eggs.
4. Add flour mixture in 3 or 4 batches and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add chocolate chips and any optional ingredients.
5. Drop batter onto pans at least 2 inches apart on all sides and bake for 8-11 minutes.
6. Remove cookies and cool on cooling rack.
7. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups Chia Seed Flour
4 cup shredded carrots (about 2.5 lbs whole carrots)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 salt
1/4 cup butter; softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 room temperature eggs
1 (20 oz) can of pineapple in natural juice, squeezed/strained dry
1/4 cup pineapple juice

Optional:

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnut

1 cup roasted pistachio nuts

1/2 cup raisins

ICING INGREDIENTS

1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 9 inch cake pans with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, spices and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars and pineapple. Mix in eggs and pineapple juice.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Fold in carrots and optional ingredients.
5. Pour batter into the prepared pans.
6. Bake 45 minutes or until the top has turned golden brown and cake is firm in the middle.
7. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and let cool. Invert onto a wire rack.
8. Beat icing ingredients together until smooth and spread over cooled cakes.
9. Enjoy!
10. Refrigeration is recommended.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Chia Seed Flour
2 cups cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup skim milk
Cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line at least 9×9 inch baking pan with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease (glass or casserole dish recommended). Or, line at least 2 muffin tins with baking cups or grease.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients, and cut in butter until crumbly.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add pepper if desired. Stir in corn bread mix until batter is moistened and slightly lumpy. Bake bread for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out completely dry. Bake muffins 15-20 minutes, depending on size, or until a toothpick comes out completely dry.
4. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cold eggs
1 cups Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour
11/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup maraschino cherries

1 tablespoon cherry flavoring

Replace cocoa with 1/2 cup dark cocoa

Replace butter with 3/4 cup applesauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 9×13 or 10×10 pan with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease.
2. In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, melt the butter and hand mix all ingredients in the order of: sugars, vanilla, eggs, cocoa-flour mixture, and then optional ingredients.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is firm to the touch and a toothpick or knife comes our completely clean.
5. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups Nuchia Original Chia Seed Flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 room temperature eggs
1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree, or sweet potato
2 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans with aluminum foil or wax paper and grease. Place oven rack in lower 1/3 of oven.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, mix butter with the oil until combined. Add the pumpkin, eggs, spices and salt. Add to flour mixture while continuing to mix.
4. Divide mixture between 2 pans. Bake 50 minutes or until golden and toothpick or knife comes out completely clean. Invert onto racks and cool.
5. Enjoy!