Description
This buckwheat bread crostini with roasted cauliflower and sage tapenade is gluten free, vegan, and the perfect appetizer for winter parties and gatherings. A rustic homemade loaf of buckwheat bread is baked, cooled, then sliced. Each slice is topped with an easy sage and olive tapenade and a handful of roasted cauliflower and shallots.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp chia seeds + 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup warm or room temperature water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for the top of the bread
- 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 130g buckwheat flour
- 80g tapioca flour, or arrowroot flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, or psyllium husk
- brown rice flour or oat flour for kneading/shaping the loaf
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 6 large sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons fresh meyer lemon juice
- 1 splash maple syrup
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 roasted garlic cloves
- 3 cups cauliflower, cut into small chunks/florets
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Make the bread first. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the chia seeds with 1/2 a cup of warm water and set them aside to gel for 10-15 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine another 1/2 cup of warm water along with the yeast, maple syrup, and olive oil. Mix gently then allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes as the yeast blooms and swells. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and xanthan gum.
When the yeast has been activated, turn the mixer on low, then slowly start adding in the dry ingredients. Once you’ve added all of the dry ingredients, stop the mixer when a shaggy dough has formed. It will be sticky. Dust a work surface generously with brown rice flour, then dump the dough onto it. Sprinkle the top of the dough generously with more brown rice flour. Gently knead the dough a few times to bring it together, then transfer it to your prepared baking sheet and shape it into a round about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Brush the top with olive oil, then sprinkle a bit of brown rice flour on the top. Score the loaf with 1 or 2 shallow slits. Put the loaf into the oven then immediately reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Bake the loaf for 40-50 minutes until it is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool completely before slicing.
While the bread bakes, make the tapenade. Combine everything in a blender or food processor and pulse until a paste forms. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Once the bread has cooled, make the roasted cauliflower. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Toss the cauliflower and shallot with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the cauliflower for about 15 minutes or until it has softened and the edges are starting to brown.
When you’re ready to assemble, slice the bread into roughly 1/4-inch thick slices. Toast the bread if you prefer, then spread a thin layer of tapenade on each piece of toasted bread and top it with some of the roasted cauliflower. If you like, you can garnish each piece of crostini with a sprinkling of fresh sage, thyme, or crushed red pepper flakes.
The recipe above will make roughly 10-12 large crostini using the entire loaf of buckwheat bread.
Notes
- If you don’t want to make the bread, feel free to use your favorite one instead! Keep in mind that the final yield will vary depending on the type of bread used and how big the slices are.
- Prep Time: 35-40 minutes
- Cooling Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Appetizer