This lovely bread has the flavor of a light “honey wheat” bread, but it is completely vegan and gluten free! Vegan honee, whole teff, and sunflower seeds give it a really great flavor and texture!
Add your flour to a large mixing bowl. (This recipe was developed using flour made with The Plant Based Egg, and I do not know how a flour without it will perform. See the recipe notes for more information.) Make a well in the center of the flour, then add the teff, vegan brown sugar and yeast to the well.
Add the vegan honee to the seltzer water, and stir just to combine. Warm the mixture in the microwave until it is 118 degrees Fahrenheit. (Be sure to stir before checking the temperature as hot spots can occur.) Pour the warm mixture into the well. Let it stand for about five minutes, until nice and bubbly.
Stir together with a sturdy spatula or a large spoon. The dough will be quite firm. Add the salt, vegan butter, and vinegar. Do NOT stir them in.
After 30 minutes, undo the bag and fold it back. The dough will be puffy. If you are using a hand mixer with dough hooks, beat on high speed for three minutes. If you are using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed for two minutes. Add the sunflower seed kernels and stir them in.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while it is rising. (You will not be able to use it as a place for rising your dough this time.) Place the shallow pan on a lower rack and add about a 1/4″ layer of water. Keep an eye on the water level if your rising time is over 30 minutes as you may need to add more. Before your dough is fully risen, be sure there is still at least a 1/8″ layer of water in the shallow pan. If you have to add more, you will need to allow it to get hot and produce steam before baking the bread.
Once the dough has doubled, remove the pan from the bag, and place it in the 400 degree Fahrenheit oven that is now nice and steamy. As soon as you close the door, turn the heat down to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 60 minutes. You only need steam for the first 10 to 15 minutes of baking time, so don’t add more water while the bread is in the oven, even if the pan runs dry while it is baking. It also doesn’t matter if there is still water left in the pan the entire baking time. Don’t open the oven door once the bread is in until it is done!
Immediately, turn the baked loaf out on its side onto a cooling rack. Set a timer for 10 minutes. (Keeping the hot loaf on its side prevents caving of the sides.) After 10 minutes, turn the loaf onto its opposite side. Set a timer for 15 minutes, then flip back. Set a timer for 20 minutes, and flip again. Finally, set a timer for 30 minutes, and then flip one last time. When that timer goes off, turn the loaf right-side up. Let it cool completely before slicing!
Once your loaf is completely cooled, slice as desired. Freeze any slices that you won’t eat the same day in a Ziploc bag. To defrost slices, place them in the microwave (out of the bag) and heat for 45 seconds at 50% power. Turn the slices over, then heat for another 45 seconds at 50% power. Repeat if not fully defrosted.