Soft Flax Bread

If you like baking with flax, be it for the flavor or health benefits, you have to try Soft Flax Bread. It is one of the fluffiest, softest (yet still chewy) homemade bread recipes on Cookie Madness. It reminds me of the Marathon Bread sold at Wegmans, but simpler and with fewer ingredients. It's perfect for toast, but also firm enough for sandwiches. Everyone in our family including HAL and Lizzie love this bread.

Flax Bread Notes

The recipe is originally from King Arthur, and it has all kinds of helpful reviews, including negative ones saying it's too soft or too salty, and/or not tall enough. After making this bread at least 10 times, here are my thoughts: -- It is soft and fluffy, but that's what I love about it. I do not think it is overly soft. -- Salty? I don't find it too salty, though I suppose it could be if you use table salt. Be sure to use Morton kosher. 1 ½ scant teaspoons weighs 7 grams, whereas 1 ½ regular (not scant) teaspoons of table salt weighs 12 grams. 1 ½ teaspoons of Diamond Crystals (not scant) weighs 6. So I use Morton kosher and keep the measurements scant. You could also use 1 ½ teaspoons Diamond. -- As for height, using an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan rather than a 9x5 takes care of that.

King Arthur Soft Flax Bread Recipe

The original King Arthur version is terrific and you may want to just try that one first. My version is a little chewier because I add soaked whole flax seeds. I also use butter instead of oil and sometimes use sugar rather than honey. The ingredients are interchangeable. For instance, if you want a vegan loaf you can use sugar and oil, or you can use butter and honey for a more full flavored loaf. Just keep in mind that any changes might affect the amount of flour needed for the dough, and getting that just right is the key to this recipe.

Dough Texture

This is a sticky dough. I've messed it up more than once by giving in to the temptation of adding extra flour. This dough starts out sticky and stays sticky throughout kneading. By the time you've finished kneading it will have some elasticity to it, but it will still need to be scraped from the side of the mixing bowl, so make sure you have a good heavy duty scraper. This has been my go-to scraper for the past two decades. After you scrape it into the oily bowl and roll it in oil, it will be slick, should have kind of a bouncy feel to it and be very manageable.

Despite being sticky, the dough is pretty strong. Here it is risen and ready to bake.

The bread will be soft at first, but will be firm and easy to slice once cool. As usual, I put it in the refrigerator for a few hours to make it easier to slice.

Soft Flax Bread Ingredients

• Flax - You'll need both whole seeds and ground.
• Water -- If using sugar, start with 1 cup of water. If using honey, start with ¾ cup and 2 T.
• Instant Yeast -- I use Lesaffre SAF instant yeast. Instant yeast does not need to be dissolved in water, but I tend to do it anyway.
• Bread Flour -- King Arthur Bread Flour. You'll start with 2 cups (280 grams) and add about 50 to 70 grams toward the end. If you use honey in place of sugar or oil in place of butter, you may end up needed a little bit more.
• Salt -- Morton brand kosher. The 1 ½ teaspoons sounds like a lot, but is actually the correct amount. If you use table salt you may want to cut it down to 1 teaspoon.
• Softened Butter -- If using salted, reduce the salt by ¼ teaspoon. If you'd rather use oil, you can use coconut, canola, grapeseed or olive oil.

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• Wheat and Flax Bread
• Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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