I Tested 3 Viral Flourless Breads — Chickpea vs Red Lentil vs Whole Lentil

Look at these three loaves. One is made with chickpeas, one with red lentils, and one with whole lentils. There's no flour in any of them, but they all slice like bread. Can you guess which is which? Let's see which one comes out best. Let's start with one cup of each. Chickpeas, split red lentils, and whole brown or green lentils. Keep them in separate bowls and make sure you measure them before soaking. By the way, I'd love to know where are you watching from. Drop your country's name or flag in the comments. Cover each bowl with cold water about two finger widths above the top. Soak the red lentils for two to three hours, the whole lentils for six to eight, and the chickpeas overnight. Start the chickpeas the night before. Once they're soaked, drain them and rinse until the water looks clear. The lentils go into the batter raw, just soaked. The chickpeas need one extra step. Simmer them until they're soft enough to press flat between two fingers, then drain them well before you use them. Short on time? Use two cans of chickpeas instead. Drain and rinse them and they're ready. Don't use canned lentils though. They're already cooked and too wet for this batter. Now for the ingredients. Add two eggs to each bowl. If you don't eat eggs, keep watching because the second recipe is also made with red lentils and is completely egg-free. Then add one tablespoon of olive oil and half a tablespoon of baking powder to each one. Add one tablespoon of cumin to the chickpea bowl, one tablespoon of flax seeds to the red lentil bowl, and one tablespoon of psyllium husk to the whole lentil bowl. Season all three with the same amount of salt and pepper. If cumin isn't your thing, use ground coriander, garlic powder, or dried oregano in time. Blend each bowl until smooth. A stick blender is easiest because you can work in the bowl, but a food processor works too. Stop a few times and scrape down the sides so you don't leave gritty bits behind. The batter should fall from the spoon in one heavy scoop, not pour. If it looks loose, wait five minutes and check again. Brush the bottom and sides of your baking dishes with olive oil. Then place a circle of parchment in each one. You can brush a little more oil over the parchment too, like I do here, just to make sure the loaves don't stick. I'm using small round dishes and filling them about two-thirds of the way. Smooth the tops. Scatter sunflower and pumpkin seeds over them. Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or chopped walnuts work too, so use whatever you have. And if you're baking for someone who picks off every seed, just leave the tops plain. It won't change how the loaves bake. Bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. If your oven has a fan, lower the temperature by about 10 degrees and start checking at 35 minutes. Now let them cool completely. Give them about an hour, even if you're tempted to cut one straight away. The texture is still settling as the loaves cool, so slicing them warm can make the middle gummy and cause the loaf to collapse. Once they're cool, they come out of the dishes easily. Then just peel the parchment off the bottom. And there it is, a soft, sliceable loaf made without wheat, yeast, or kneading. Keep the loaves wrapped on the counter for up to four days. They also freeze well. Slice them before freezing and you can put a piece straight into the toaster whenever you want one. The chickpea loaf is the softest and mildest, so it's a good place to start if lentil bread sounds a little unusual to you. The red lentil version has the lightest, most open texture, and I especially like it toasted. The whole lentil loaf is darker and denser with a deeper, earthy, nutty flavor. It's great with soup or stronger toppings. I honestly like all three. It just depends on what you want. After this, we're moving on to a second red lentil recipe. It's a little different, completely egg-free, and a great option for vegans. But before we do, just look at that texture. These loaves are soft, tender, and easy to slice. And they're made with simple, wholesome ingredients. Which of the three do you like best? Chickpea, red lentil, or whole lentil? Write your favorite in the comments. Start with 350 grams of split red lentils. Cover them generously with cold water and let them soak for two to three hours. They'll turn paler, swell up, and roughly double in size. Then drain them and rinse really well. Keep going until the water runs clear. Put the drained lentils into a bowl. Add five tablespoons of olive oil. This loaf has no eggs, so the oil helps keep the crumbs soft. Blend everything with a stick blender until the mixture is thick and smooth, about the texture of hummus. Now add one teaspoon of baking soda, and one tablespoon of vinegar. White vinegar and apple cider vinegar both work. You'll see them fizz as soon as they meet. That reaction creates the bubbles that help lift this loaf with no yeast, eggs, or rising time. Mix everything together right away while it's still active. Next, add three tablespoons of psyllium husk, along with the salt. Since there are no eggs in this recipe, the psyllium helps bind everything together and gives the loaf its structure. Stir it in well. You'll feel the batter change almost immediately, from loose and creamy to thick and heavy. That's exactly the texture we're looking for. Toast three to four tablespoons of sunflower seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for about two minutes. Then add one and a half tablespoons of sesame seeds and keep everything moving for another one to two minutes until the seeds are golden and smell nutty. Add the seeds to the batter and fold them through. Toasting is optional, but it adds a lot of flavor. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. The psyllium needs time to absorb the moisture and the mixture will thicken. By the end, you should be able to scoop it, not pour it. Don't rush this or the center may stay wet and sink. Line a loaf pan with parchment and grease it. Scrape in the batter. Press it into the corners with a spatula and smooth the top. Then score one line down the middle, about one centimeter deep. That gives the loaf somewhere to open as it rises, instead of cracking wherever it likes. Brush the top with water, then add sesame and pumpkin seeds. Bake the loaf in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 to 70 minutes. Give this dense loaf the full time. It's ready when the top is deep golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Lift the loaf out by the parchment and put it onto a wire rack so the bottom stays dry. Let it cool completely before slicing. That's important here because no eggs are holding it together. And that's it. Two recipes, four loaves and no flour. Which would you try first? Chickpea, whole lentil or one of the red lentil versions? Let me know in the comments. If you want more flourless recipes, subscribe before you go. And if you try it, make sure to tell us how it turned out. Bon Appetit!