For those following a ketogenic lifestyle, finding suitable bread alternatives can be a challenge. This article explores the world of keto coconut bread, offering a detailed recipe, tips, and variations to satisfy your bread cravings while staying true to your low-carb goals.
Introduction
Many people miss bread when they first start on a keto diet. The good news is that with a little creativity, you can enjoy a bread-like product. This keto coconut bread recipe aims to closely mimic traditional bread, offering a satisfying alternative that fits within the parameters of a ketogenic diet.
Understanding Keto and Coconut
Coconut is an excellent ingredient for keto diets. It is naturally low in carbohydrates, high in healthy fats, and contains a good amount of fiber. This balance of macronutrients makes coconut a valuable addition to keto-friendly baked goods. When purchasing coconut products, make sure they are unsweetened to avoid adding unnecessary sugars to your diet.
Key Ingredients and Their Roles
This keto coconut bread recipe relies on a few key ingredients that work together to create a delicious and satisfying loaf:
- Coconut Flour: This gluten-free flour is made from dried and powdered coconut flesh. It's a staple in keto baking due to its low carb content and high absorbency.
- Eggs: This recipe calls for a significant number of eggs because coconut flour tends to absorb a lot of moisture. The eggs help bind the ingredients together, providing structure and richness.
- Cream Cheese: The addition of cream cheese ensures that the coconut flour loaves are moist and never dry. For a dairy-free version, coconut cream can be used as a substitute.
- Butter: Fat is essential in keto baking, and butter contributes to the bread's moistness and flavor. Coconut oil or ghee can be used as dairy-free alternatives.
- Xylitol: I opted to add one teaspoon of sugar substitute to the batter only because traditional white bread has a little bit of sweetness, and I wanted to mimic the flavor perfectly.
Basic Keto Coconut Bread Recipe
This recipe provides a foundation for making delicious keto coconut bread. Feel free to experiment with variations and additions to customize it to your liking.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter Stick
- 3/4 cup Organic High Fiber Coconut Flour
- 6 large Eggs (Whole)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Xylitol
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder (Straight Phosphate, Double Acting)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a small bread pan (8x4-inches or smaller).
- Combine room temperature eggs, xylitol and melted butter. Whisk for 1 minute.
- Sift together the coconut flour, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the eggs and blend until thickened.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan and are golden brown.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling; about 30 minutes.
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 16 x 1/2-inch slices.
Nutritional Information (per slice, based on 16 servings):
- Calories: 101
- Fat: 8.4g
- Protein: 3.2g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Net Carbs: 1.3g
Detailed Instructions and Tips for Success
To ensure your keto coconut bread turns out perfectly, follow these detailed instructions and helpful tips:
- Prepare the Ingredients: Allow your eggs, cream cheese, and butter to come to room temperature. This helps them blend more smoothly and evenly into the batter.
- Preheat and Grease: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease a 12-cavity muffin pan generously with butter or a 10-inch loaf pan. Alternatively, line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the coconut flour, baking powder, sea salt, and sugar substitute (if using). Set aside. Using a finely milled coconut flour should help minimize any chalky or grainy texture.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, handheld electric mixer, or a standup mixer, beat together the room-temperature butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl several times to ensure the mixture is well blended.
- Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs to this mixture one at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl several times. Note that due to the large number of eggs, the mixture will not fully combine; this is normal. The ingredients will come together perfectly once you add the dry ingredients to this wet mixture.
- Combine Wet and Dry: To the wet ingredients, slowly add all the dry ingredients on a low mixing setting, making sure to scrape the bowl a couple of times.
- Add Sour Cream: Once the two mixtures are fully combined, stop using the electric mixer and fold in the sour cream gently. Make sure the sour cream is fully incorporated into the batter, but be careful not to over mix. Note that the batter will be very thick and fluffy. This is the normal texture when using coconut flour exclusively in a recipe.
- Prepare for Baking: Overfill the muffin pan just slightly. The thick batter will not cause the muffins to spread, and slightly overfilling your muffin tins will create a nice muffin top. Alternatively, transfer the batter into the lined loaf pan and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top.
- Egg Wash and Toppings (Optional): Create an egg wash with an additional whole egg and a tablespoon of water. Baste the top of each muffin or loaf with the egg wash, and then sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each muffin. By no means are the sesame seeds necessary.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the top looks golden brown. If using a 10-inch loaf pan, bake the bread for 75-90 minutes. Check at 75 minutes, and if necessary, bake another 15 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remember that every oven is slightly different, so keep an eye on this naturally keto and low carb bread while it's baking to check for readiness. Note that the intended texture for this bread is going to be closer to a quick bread than a yeast bread because of the high fiber, gluten-free nature of coconut flour.
- Cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling for about 30 minutes. Make sure the low carb coconut flour bread cools completely before cutting bread slices.
Variations and Add-Ins
This keto coconut bread recipe is incredibly versatile. Here are a few ideas to customize it to your taste:
- Herbs and Spices: Add rosemary and garlic for a savory flavor. Other options include thyme, oregano, or Italian seasoning.
- Sweeteners: Adjust the amount of sugar substitute to your liking. Erythritol, stevia, or monk fruit sweetener can be used in place of xylitol.
- Dairy-Free: Replace the butter with coconut oil or olive oil and the cream cheese with coconut cream for a dairy-free version. Ghee is another excellent alternative for people who prefer a buttery flavor without dairy.
- Nuts and Seeds: Add chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, or seeds, such as sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, for added texture and flavor.
- Chocolate: Add sugar-free chocolate chips or cocoa powder for a chocolatey treat.
- Cinnamon: As a keto dessert, add a little cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar replacement to the batter before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Keto coconut bread can be enjoyed in various ways:
- Toast: Toast slices of the bread and top with butter, cream cheese, or sugar-free jam.
- Sandwiches: Use the bread to make sandwiches with your favorite keto-friendly fillings. This keto coconut flour bread is super low carb, holds up well, and it’s perfect for sandwiches.
- Sides: Serve the bread as a side dish with soups, salads, or main courses.
- Muffins: Bake the batter in muffin tins for individual servings.
Storage Instructions
Proper storage is essential to maintain the freshness and quality of your keto coconut bread:
- Refrigerator: Store the bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezer: To freeze coconut flour bread, slice it and freeze the individual slices until they are solid. Then, transfer the frozen slices to a freezer-safe container for long-term storage. You certainly can! Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Then, allow the bread to defrost in the refrigerator overnight before slicing. Pop this in the fridge for about a week, or into the freezer if you want it to last 1-2 months.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using Too Much Baking Powder: Do not use baking soda instead of baking powder, and try not to use more than the amount listed in the recipe. Using more baking powder can give your bread an acidic taste and a green-tinted color.
- Overmixing the Batter: Be careful not to overmix the batter, as this can result in a tough bread.
- Not Allowing the Bread to Cool Completely: Make sure the low carb coconut flour bread cools completely before cutting bread slices.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Egg Taste: This coconut flour bread does not have the strong egg taste that many keto breads have. If you still want less of an egg taste, a surefire way to achieve that is by adding a tiny splash of vinegar.
- Dryness: The addition of cream cheese and butter helps to keep the bread moist. If you find the bread is still too dry, try adding a tablespoon of sour cream or Greek yogurt to the batter.
- Lack of Rise: The sad truth is that coconut flour bread will not rise like traditional bread. Two things are required to make bread rise. You can make a good low carb bread recipe that will rise, but it wouldn’t be gluten free.
Coconut Flour vs. Almond Flour
When baking bread on a keto diet you have two options for flours. Coconut flour and almond flour. If you’re new to working with coconut flour you’ll quickly learn it behaves very different to almond flour. You’re much better off looking up a coconut flour recipe than trying to convert one that uses almond flour. Coconut flour is 3x more absorbent than almond flour. That means when bread is made with coconut flour you have to use 3x less the amount of flour compared to most keto recipes, AND it’s cheaper than almond flour.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Why Choose Coconut Flour?
- Low Cost: In comparison to almond flour (0.34 cents an oz) coconut flour is about half the price (0.16 cents an oz).
- Gluten-Free: Like all other ingredients on a keto diet coconut flour is praised for it’s gluten free base with a high fiber content.
- Good Flavor: It has a light and subtle coconut flavor that works really well in a variety of keto treats and baked goods.
- Less is More: You use less per recipe.
Related Keto Bread Recipes
Explore these other keto bread recipes for more variety:
- Gluten Free Hamburger Buns: Now that you’ve made coconut bread low carb it’s time to make hamburger buns keto too!
- Keto Banana Bread: Cut the carbs out of your favorite, moist breakfast bread loaf. We use banana extract to recreate that classic banana bread flavor while keeping it gluten free and low carb.
- Keto Mug Cakes: Never heard of a mug cake? They are tasty little delicacies you can make in the microwave in under 2 minutes.
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