Raw Onion Bread Recipe

A twist on the raw foods classic. Raw onion bread is naturally gluten free, soft and spongy and pure delicious. You will need a dehydrator for this recipe, though I suspect it will also work in an oven.

Raw onion bread is a total Raw Foods classic. The basic recipe calls for onions, sunflower seeds, flax and olive oil – that’s it. Sometimes there is the addition of nama shoyu or tamari (soy sauce) to flavour it. I’m not sure where the original recipe came from, but it’s a pretty special, fool proof basic. I think part of its popularity lies in the fact that the finished bread has a soft and spongy texture.

I have adapted the basic onion bread recipe slightly, and added in some garlic, capsicum (bell peppers), zucchini, fresh thyme from the garden and miso. The miso gives it a lovely rich and slightly salty flavour, whilst adding in some beneficial probiotics.

You need a dehydrator for this recipe – although, I suspect it would work fine baked in the oven – no promises though – I haven’t tried it myself! Also – during the dehydration process the onions lose their sharpness and develop a lovely subtle sweet taste. Despite it needing dehydrator time, the making of this bread is quick and simple (albeit a wee bit teary, thank you onions).

I have been taking my Raw Onion Bread to Naturopathic College for lunch. It goes beautifully with the simplest of toppings. Here are some ideas...

Raw Onion Bread Toppings

• Sliced avocado with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice + chilli flakes
• Beetroot hummus + sliced radish
• Chickpea hummus + tomato, basil & mint
• Black tahini + sea salt
• Raw Ginkgo Pesto + sundried tomatoes
• Homemade almond butter + sea salt
• Smashed avocado + fresh rocket
• Red kraut + fresh herbs

[bctt tweet="Soft and spongy Raw Onion Bread - full of anti-inflammatory compounds. Find it here."]

Quercetin in onions – antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

Now, since Raw Onion Bread is choc-filled with onions, it makes it a good source of quercetin. Quercetin is a natural compound (a flavonoid) found in foods such as apples, berries, black tea, buckwheat, broccoli, grapes and red wine [1].

Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant with 3.5 fold greater antioxidant activity than curcumin – a compound in turmeric [1]. It has anti-inflammatory actions, and, studies suggest it helps lower blood pressure and protects the cardiovascular system [1]. It also has an anti-allergic effect, inhibiting the degranulation of mast cells, and thus preventing the release of histamine – the chemical responsible for those typical allergic, running nose and watery eyes symptoms [2].

As with most fruits and vegetables, the flavonoids are most potently concentrated in the skin and outer layers [3]. So, if you have to peel it, take care to remove just a thin layer.

Finally – if anyone has tips or tricks to share re. handling onions without crying like a baby, please share! I wear my sunglasses in the kitchen. There must be a better way!

📖Recipe

Raw Onion Bread

Naturopath Lauren Glucina

A twist on the raw foods classic. Raw Onion Bread is naturally gluten free, soft and spongy and pure delicious. You will need a dehydrator for this recipe, though I suspect it would also work in the oven. Please note the active prep time is around 20 minutes, this excludes the 13 hours required to dehydrate the onion bread.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Gluten free, Vegan

Servings 18

Calories 169 kcal

Equipment

• Food processor
• Dehydrator

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 large yellow onions about 770g
• 2 cups almond meal
• 1 cup flax meal
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup chopped capsicum about 80g
• ¼ cup chopped zucchini about 80g
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons white or brown miso paste
• 1 heaped teaspoon thyme leaves

Instructions

 

• Peel and roughly chop the onions, place in food processor and blend till very fine.
• Add capsicum and zucchini and blend again till finely chopped.
• Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add all other ingredients and use your hands to work the mixture so that all ingredients come together in a dough.
• Spread 2-3 cups of the mixture over a teflex sheet on a dehydrator tray, so it is about ¼ inch thick. Lightly score the surface to make for easier cutting later. Alternatively, press ¼ cup of mixture into a silicon mould (small bread shaped), then pop it out and repeat till you’ve worked your way through the whole lot.
• Dehydrate for one hour at 145˚F, this helps seal the outside. Now turn the temperature down to 115˚F for a further 12 hours (or longer for a firmer bread). At the halfway mark, cut the bread along the score marks then flip. If you used silicon moulds to shape your bread, flip them over too.
• Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 6.7gProtein: 4.4gFat: 14.4gSaturated Fat: 1.6gFiber: 3.3gSugar: 1.2gVitamin C: 1.3mgCalcium: 490mgIron: 0.2mg

Keyword Raw onion bread, Vegan onion bread

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REFERENCES:

1. BRAUN, L, & COHEN, M. (2015). Herbs & natural supplements. An evidence-based guide (4TH ED., VOL. 2). SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE

2. MURRAY, M. (2013). FLAVONOIDS – QUERCETIN, CITRUS FLAVONOIDS, AND HYDROXYETHYLRUTOSIDES. IN J.E. PIZZORNO, & M.T. MURRAY (EDS). Textbook of natural medicine (4TH ED., PP. 772-779). MISSOURI: CHURCHILL LIVINGSTONE

3. THE GEORGE MATELIJAN FOUNDATION. (2001-2016). Onions. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.WHFOODS.COM/GENPAGE.PHP?TNAME=FOODSPICE&DBID=45