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Urad Dal Lentils made into a batter and baked to make a soft flavorful nutritious Lentil bread. This Lentil Sandwich Bread is Free of dairy, egg, soy, gluten, nut. Can be made corn-free. Can be made grain-free by omitting the rice flour. Paleo Vegan Glutenfree Recipe.
The amazing thing about Urad dal (split and dehusked black gram) batter is that it aerates by itself really well. Hence, the dal is the mandatory ingredient in the southern Indian crepes(Dosa) and steamed cakes(idli). Urad dal is also used to make Vadas(fried dumplings) which have just one main ingredient- urad dal.
Another feature of urad dal is that it keeps the final product moist and soft. All of these properties make it a great candidate to make today’s bread.
There really isn’t a substitute for Urad Dal. No other lentil works as the batter will not ferment. You can buy the urad dal lentils online on amazon Urad Dal Matpe Beans, Split
This bread might seem like it has a hard crust right after baking but it gets softer as it sits because the dal leaks moisture. The photos do not do justice to how soft and delicious this bread is. There is no gluten or gum or nuts or added yeast in this bread.
Welcome to my world of experimentation 🙂
The lentil batter can also be left at room temperature to ferment for a few hours for a more leavened bread. The dal attracts wild yeast and ferments. I am not sure if that would be technically called yeast-free after fermentation.
Things to know before jumping into this recipe, this bread is going to taste like urad dal lentils. This bread is denser than a usual sandwich bread. /the bread is also very moist. So if you slice it before it has cooled, it will feel like it has not cooked through, but it has. If the bread doesn’t turn out right, just add the chopped bread into any of the indian sauces or sambhar(split pea stew) to soften and serve.
Or make a mini loaf with 1/2 cup lentils in a mini loaf pan to try first. You can also make fat pancakes with the batter and use them as burger buns.
This bread is full of protein, so make some grilled sandwiches with this one for a hearty snack!
Urad Dal pictured below.
More gluten-free breads on the blog
GLUTEN-FREE FLAT-BREAD BURGER BUNS
GLUTEN-FREE OAT RICE FOCACCIA STYLE PIZZA CRUST
GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN WHITE BREAD LOAF Mini
GLUTEN-FREE STRAWBERRY SANDWICH BREAD
Lentil Bread - Gluten-free Vegan Sandwich Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups urad dal, (split and skinned black gram- Urad Dal Matpe)
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- 3 Tbsp corn starch , or tapioca starch
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp flaxmeal , or psyllium husk
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp oil
Instructions
- Soak the urad dal overnight. Drain and add to a food processor. Process the dal until it is just slightly gritty. Process for 30 to 45 seconds then move the dal with a spatula. It will take 3 to 4 minutes to break the lentils down into a batter type consistency. Add just a little water (3 to 6 Tablespoons) to help with the processing. Add the rest of the ingredients and process for a minute to combine. Check the batter for aeration. (drop a half tsp of batter in a cup of water. The batter should float on the top). If not aerated well , transfer the thick batter to a bowl and whip with a large spoon a few times, then check again. the batter should be thick and pasty but also slightly bubbly.
- Drop batter into parchment lined bread pan. Spray oil on top and even it out using a light hand so the air in the batter is not pressed out.
- Preheat the oven to 395 degrees F / 200ºc. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover the bread with another parchment after first 15 to 20 minutes by placing the parchment on the loaf pan. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees F / 190ºc after 45 minutes, remove parchment and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
- Cool completely before slicing. (about an hour). The bread slices more easily the next day. Refrigerate the bread for upto 5 days in an airtight container. The bread crust is crusty the first day and gets softer as it sits because of moisture. Moisture in the storage container after a day is normal. I like to use to bread with chutney toppings or simple sandwiches.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Since you got that comment, I’ll try my actual comment for the third time. I don’t know why it isn’t going through! Ok, I have never seen or heard of urad dal. I really can’t buy any more new products since I’ve bought lots of coconut, brown & white rice, & almond flour. I keep baking & throwing away the bad bread. Expensive failures. I haven’t had bread in 5 yrs. & would really love some. So is there something I can substitute for the urad dal, hopefully one of these flours? I will be most grateful if my comment goes through and you know something I can substitute! Thank you.
Hi Tawny, yay finally got this comment.
In this particular bread there is no substitute. I do have other breads that use other flours. See the recipes here https://www.veganricha.com/category/gluten-free-bread
I would suggest making smaller breads or burger buns rather than sandwich breads to try out. Sandwich breads need a lot more precision to hold the shape, cook through and such. Try my gluten-free burger buns to start with. Also, I always cover the breads during baking for a bit to hold the moisture. Gluten-free breads tend to dry out really quickly.
Hi Richa, Yay, finally, finally. Thanks for the great info. I’ll try your gf burger buns now then. I read what you told others about not making gf in loaf pans and covering them; wow, I didn’t know either. Thank you!!
My comments aren’t appearing. I tried 2 days ago & just now. Why aren’t they posting?
This is your first comment i got on the blog. It was in approval. Thanks.
I fermented the batter, added baking powder afterwards and it came out great! The texture and flavor reminds me of southern hush puppies. Next time I’ll add chopped green onion or chopped chiles. Thanks for a great recipe!
Awesome! the onions and chilies definitely make it tastier.
Hi Richa,
My sister bought urad dal for me in Amsterdam for i live in the country and it is not to be found.
Yesterday i made my first bread, i ate a slice with peanut butter and it was verry good.
It turned out great, thank you so mutch for this recipe.
I sliced it and keep it in the freezer so i can take one or two slices out each time.
It seems to me a verry healthy “bread” and verry filling too.
Greetings
Giselle from Holland.
Thank,you so much for the information, and this recipe, I will,be going through everything carefully and am so grateful for your kindness in helping!
A good recipe here and I love that tip,about making batches, rolls or,buns as you call them. I am burger mad and these will be a great addition as I tend to have them I between roti or porathas made into pancake sizes (roughly) but I can do the usual vegan burger and love a huge side salad or bowl of soup.
I was finally able to track down urad dal and made this recipe yesterday. It’s fantastic! I get all the yum factor of bread, but it’s lentils! I’m so happy. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe.
yay! so glad you like it! its quite a nutritious bread and not too dense if made right. i love spicy grilled sandwiches made with it.
Okay, I failed at this. I couldn’t get it to aerate enough to float, and I whipped it up a lot. How long should it take? Do you think it could be linked to the age or soak time of my urad dal? I cooked it anyway, but it was…unique… to say the best. Good flavor, super funky texture.
hi Kristina,
I am sorry it didnt work out. It could be the urad dal or maybe too much water. Old lentils have weird ways of telling us they are old. Are you sure the dal was urad dal? I have best luck with a food processor. blender can take up a lot more liquid to get the things going.
Yes, the texture is going to be funky. Its just lentils 🙂 so you have to go with the recipe not expecting anything like a grain bread. I love the taste though, but then I am used to eating urad dal as fried or baked vada.
i am so glad you tried it. No failure here i say!
You can toast it up, chop and use as croutons with indian dals or soups.
Yea, it was definitely urad dal, but I actually made the recipe because I haven’t been going through this massive bag I have as fast as I wanted to, so they probably were just too old. The funkiness I’m pretty sure is 100% from me messing up or my lentils misbehaving. The texture was more like hard tack than vada.
But, like you said, no failure. My roommate has been eating it all day as is and I just fried it up like scrapple and it tastes pretty good that way. 😀
So, I have attempted to make this 3 times and every time the dough does not float. I soak the beans over night, use a food processor, and whip the hell out of it; still cant get it to float. The bead is maybe 2 inches tall after it’s baked. Is the measurement of the lentils before soaking or after?
hmm, what lentils are you using and the pan size? lentils measures when dry.
Here are some troubleshooting tips: Some things that could be causing it, wrong lentils, over processing (check the mixture for floating mid way). the bread wont be too tall. it depends on the pan.
Hello Richa,
I stumbled across your website and fell in love with it.
I really can’t wait to try your urad dal bread . This is like a healthier version of Medu Vada.
I am thinking of adding some ginger and green chillies to it.
Thanks for the recipe.
I really love the flavour and texture of this bread (and it’s nutritional content is probably pretty great, too!). I only had one problem in making it – it didn’t rise as much as yours. I did the aeration test with the water, like you recommend, but do you think I should try aerating it even more next time? I wonder if it’s possible to over-aerate it, or if I could just beat it for longer than I think it needs.
it rises and settles back a bit towards the end, so overall does rises just a little. Yes, its a whole lot of lentils, so pretty filling and lots of protein. the rise depends on the moisture content and aeration. You can aerate it more but the air might still escape during baking. You can also try use a larger loaf, so the thickness of the bread is less. the batter also tends to be heavy enough. so taller the batter, it will push out the air from the lower half of the bread. For taller bread, it will need some help from added lighter ingredients like starch. I wanted to keep it less starchy and more filling, but you can experiment with more starch and a bit of gum.
I am also looking to make it more like real sandwich bread like yours. I have made it 3x already and will make it every week. I did it 1x fermenting and prefer it like that. But how do I get it to look like your loaf?
Can you send me a picture of how yours looks? message my facebook page or email me at veganricha at gmail
great recipe! Can i add nutritional yeast to it to give flavor? What about quick rise yeast/
You can add nutritional yeast for flavor. active or quick rise yeast will not help the bread much.