I bought activated charcoal a while ago because I was curious about it’s detox properties.

I’ve seen black buns in Rocco Mamas and initially had wanted to replicate something similar. But I’ve been doing mad things like adding it to nicecream, smoothies, with coconut milk and chia seeds as a dessert. All nice, but not quite pretty-looking so I’ve never put it online.

Today I had time so experimented with my spelt bun recipe to create a vegan friendly burger bun. I’m sure you can make these smaller, I would suggest maybe six smaller size buns if you like.

Did you know: Activated charcoal is great for your skin. If you mix it with a tiny amount of lemon juice and slather your face in it for 15 minutes, your skin will be left cleansed on a whole other level. Activated charcoal detoxifies. Not just the insides, but the outsides as well apparently. It reduces gas and bloating, reduces acne breakouts, can whiten teeth, and it promotes heart health.

Ingredients for 4 large burger buns/8 normal sized burger buns

1 chia egg (mix 1 tsp chia seeds with 2 tbsp water)

1 packet instant dry yeast

1/4 cup honey, raw (not the store bought version)

1 cup hot water

1/8 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup avocado oil (I used the garlic avo oil)

3 cups Spelt flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp activated charcoal

white sesame seeds/poppy seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

3. In a tiny bowl, mix your chia egg and let it sit for 2 minutes.

4. Stir yeast, honey and maple syrup together and add hot water. Let the yeast activate for 5 minutes.

5. With a fork stir the chia egg into the yeast mixture. Don’t worry too much about the clumps of flaxseed, it will loosen eventually.

6. Add oil and keep stirring.

7. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (you don’t have to sift it) and add it 1/2 cup at a time to the wet ingredients. Keep stirring with the fork until a dough forms.

8. Dust a flat surface with flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough will be sticky so keep kneading by dusting with flour and keeping the surface floured.

9. Cut the dough into 4 equal parts for larger burger buns or 6 smaller potions for normal burger buns.

10. Coat your hands in a little bit of oil and roll each portion into a ball. Place it on the baking sheet and using your fingers keep each bun 2 finger lengths away from each other. This is going to allow room for it to expand.

11. Let the buns rest for 20 minutes under a wet towel.

12. Brush a little oil on top of each bun and sprinkle sesame/poppy seeds over it.

13. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.

14. You can eat these immediately or freeze them for up to a week. They are also perfectly delicious with a cup of tea and some cheese.