BONUS RECIPE! Seeded Oat-Apple Bread

A bread high in protein and fiber, made with roasted whole apples and is dairy-, nut-, and gluten-free, from guest Chef Nicolaus Balla

NIck's bread on left, garnished with oats; mine on right served with butter and peach jam as well as mustard and sliced ham. I garnished mine with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

The end of October—when holiday baking is on my mind every day and my fridge is stocked with butter for recipe testing—is just the right time to bring you this bread from chef Nicolaus Balla, formerly co-chef of Bar Tartine in San Francisco and currently chef at the beautiful COAST Big Sur (the café closed in July).

Nick’s cooking is largely drawn from eastern and central Europe; when at Bar Tartine, many of his recipes were informed by his Hungarian background, and he and co-chef Cortney Burns were renown for a menu of dishes that incorporated fermented components, whole grains, creative healthy takes on classics, and there was always an interesting surprise element. Nick also co-authored Bar Tartine, Techniques & Recipes with Cortney, which has developed something of a cult status amongst chefs for both its innovative use of ingredients, as well as the way they draw from traditional food-making techniques.

This bread perfectly encapsulates Nick’s approach—delicious but healthy, and will remind you of dense seedy Danish breads that normally take days to make. The surprise element is skin-on roasted apples that are puréed and added to the dough, but the bread isn’t at all sweet—and the other surprise is that it’s made so quickly! I feel virtuous even while slathering it in butter and jam or mustard and ham (see photo).

Nick’s foreword: “I like to make this recipe frequently to have on hand. It’s high in protein so great to have along on a hike, also great for breakfast with good butter and fruit preserves. It holds well in the refrigerator, also freezes well. It’s not super sweet, more savory but subtle sweetness from the apples (or substitute pears or even fuyu persimmons). I like aromatic apples, but any will work well”

Note: I’ve slightly adapted Nick’s recipe: I add 240ml/8 ounces water, since the dough is like a sponge, and it’s still quite thick; this added water also makes it easier to process the roast apples (he suggests adding a little if needed, but I found it needed more). I wanted the flavor a bit more neutral, so I personally don’t add the ginger, but it’s delicious either way.

I’ve also slightly reduced the amount of salt, with the original amount shown in brackets.

I used a 9-inch by 5-inch like this one, and for the psyllium husk powder, I used one by Now brand which you can usually find at your well-stocked grocery store or here (note that it’s different from whole psyllium husks).

Roasting apples; I used a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp