For those following a ketogenic diet, the craving for bread can be a significant challenge. Fortunately, several recipes offer keto-friendly alternatives to traditional white bread, allowing you to enjoy sandwiches and toast without derailing your diet. This article explores various keto white bread recipes, offering options that cater to different preferences and dietary needs.
Understanding the Keto Diet and Bread
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that forces the body to burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. Traditional bread is high in carbohydrates, making it unsuitable for a keto diet. Keto bread recipes replace wheat flour with low-carb alternatives like almond flour, coconut flour, and flaxseed meal to reduce the carbohydrate content.
Three-Ingredient Keto Cloud Bread Loaf
This recipe offers a simple approach to keto bread, utilizing just three ingredients: egg whites, whey protein powder, and cream of tartar.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Whey protein powder
- Cream of Tartar
Instructions:
- Preheat your fan-forced oven to 160°C (320°F).
- In a large, clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form (about 5-8 minutes). This can be done in a stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer. When whipped, egg whites (also known as albumen) can swell up to eight times their initial volume.
- Add in the whey protein powder and Cream of Tartar, and mix on low until all the ingredients are combined and uniform in color.
- Grease a bread loaf tin and line with parchment paper (scrunching the parchment paper into a ball, then unfolding it will help the paper mold to the shape of the tin).
- Spoon the egg white mixture into the bread loaf tin until the mixture goes above the top of the tin. Use the back of your spoon to shape it into a bread loaf and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Once 30 minutes is up, turn the oven off and place a kitchen towel into the door of the oven to keep it slightly ajar. Keep it like this for 20-30 minutes, as this will allow the oven to cool slowly and help avoid the loaf from deflating.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and slice it into 10 thick slices.
Nutritional information is per slice. These slices will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen with parchment paper between the slices for up to 2 weeks.
Tips:
- If you encounter an eggy smell when baking, it may be due to the oven being too hot, causing a burning smell.
- You can purchase egg whites in the egg section of your grocery store.
- Any whey protein powder can be used, but some may work better than others.
90-Second Keto White Bread
This recipe is a quick and easy option for those who want bread in a hurry. It makes one small loaf of white sandwich bread and is perfect for toast. It is also Paleo and Gluten-free, with just 1.1g net carbs.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons almond flour (blanched)
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tablespoon butter (or coconut oil, for dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal (golden)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove or in a small bowl in the microwave.
- Stir in almond flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt, and egg. Mix well until smooth and uniform.
- Scrape batter into a prepared mug, ramekin, or little pan. If you wish, smooth the top flat, or allow it to bake up mounded like a loaf of bread by not flattening the batter on top as much.
- Microwave for 90 seconds, or bake for about 12 minutes in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C).
- Allow to cool slightly, unmold, and then it tastes best to slice and TOAST it!
This recipe can be made in the microwave like a mug bread, in a ramekin in the microwave, or in the oven in an oven-safe ramekin or a mini loaf pan.
Keto Bread with Almond Flour
This recipe focuses on using almond flour as the primary ingredient, resulting in a soft and fluffy bread.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Butter
- Egg yolks
- Salt
- Stevia (optional, to eliminate eggy flavor)
- Egg whites
- Cream of Tartar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add Cream of Tartar to the whites and beat until soft peaks are achieved.
- In a food processor or with a hand mixer, combine the egg yolks, 1/3 of the beaten egg whites, melted butter, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Add stevia if desired. Mix until combined.
- Add the remaining 2/3 of the egg whites and gently process until fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the mixture into a buttered 8×4 loaf pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick to ensure the bread is cooked through.
Tips:
- Adding cream of tartar to the egg whites makes it easier to whip them to soft peaks.
- Stevia can help reduce the mild egg taste.
- Using parchment paper to line the loaf pan is recommended.
"Fat Head" Keto Bread
This recipe utilizes a "fat head" dough base, which includes mozzarella and cream cheese, to create a bread reminiscent of Italian white bread.
Ingredients:
- Mozzarella cheese
- Cream cheese
- Almond flour
- (Other dry ingredients)
Instructions:
- Combine mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in intervals, mixing until fully combined.
- Add dry ingredients to the cheese mixture and work into a ball.
- Shape the dough with a fat middle and skinnier ends.
- Let it rest.
- Bake until golden brown.
Low Carb Bread with Oat Fiber
This recipe uses oat fiber to create a low-carb bread.
Ingredients:
- Inulin
- Yeast
- Water
- Gluten flour
- Eggs
- Oat fiber
- (Other ingredients)
Conventional Method Instructions:
- Combine inulin and yeast with water; cover with cling film and a silicone mat and leave in a warm place until yeast activates and almost doubles with foam. This can take 20-40 minutes.
- Add all ingredients to mixer, including activated yeast. Using dough hook attachment knead dough for minimum 5 minutes (dough will be smooth, soft and supple but not wet)
- Stretch dough out to large rectangle roughly as wide as your loaf tin. Roll dough over lengthwise to form a roll. Place into loaf tin seam side down.
- Cover loaf with clean towel or silicone mat and leave in warm place for approximately 1 hour until loaf has risen.
- Preheat the oven to 170℃ fan/190°C static/375°F. Line a 25.5 cm x 13 cm (10 x 5 inch) loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Thermomix Method Instructions:
- Add inulin, yeast and warm water to mixer; heat 2 min/37°C/speed 1. Leave lid on and leave for 10-15 minutes or until thick and foamy.
- Place all ingredients into mixer; knead 5 min/dough setting.
Tips:
- Inulin is a prebiotic fiber that can be used to activate yeast. If you do not have inulin, sugar or honey can be used (just 1 tsp) in its place.
- Eggs should be large eggs and at room temperature. Refrigerated eggs will give the bread an eggy flavor. You can substitute just 3 egg whites if preferred.
- Oat fibre can be replaced with psyllium husks or Macro Gentle Fibre (but it is higher in carbs).
Cream Cheese Keto Bread
This recipe utilizes cream cheese to produce a moist and flavorful keto bread.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Ingredients:
- Isolate
- Psyllium
- Oat fiber
- Almond flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sweetener (optional)
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Yogurt
- Apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease generously and line the bottom of a 9.25” by 5.25” by 2.75” bread pan with parchment paper.
- Combine the isolate, psyllium, oat fiber, almond flour, baking powder, salt, and sweetener (if using) in a small bowl. Whisk or stir to combine and set aside.
- With all ingredients at room temperature, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the cream cheese until fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, whipping well after each. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding each egg.
- When the cream cheese and eggs are thoroughly mixed (with no lumps), add the yogurt and mix until blended.
- Measure in the apple cider vinegar and stir.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Use a spatula or mix lightly with the mixer. Do not over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch in the middle. When you press gently, the center should not yield.
- Let cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before inverting from the pan. Slice with a serrated knife.
Tips:
- Use the correct size pan.
- Use a thermometer to test the temp of your oven.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it.
- Check your ingredients by weight if possible. Be sure to use large eggs.
- To check for doneness, lightly press the center of the loaf. If there’s any resistance, keep baking. If the loaf still looks shiny on top, it probably isn’t cooked all the way through.
General Tips for Keto Bread Baking
- Egg Separation: Separating the eggs and whipping the whites can add airiness to the bread, combating the denseness often associated with almond flour.
- Parchment Paper: Using parchment paper to line the loaf pan is highly recommended for easy removal.
- Oven Temperature: Ensure your oven temperature is accurate using a thermometer.
- Cooling: Allow the bread to cool properly to prevent it from becoming soggy.
- Storage: Store keto bread in the refrigerator to prolong its shelf life. Slice only when ready to eat and keep the loaf in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container.
- Eliminating Eggy Taste: Adding a few drops of stevia can help eliminate the eggy taste in keto bread recipes.
Common Ingredients in Keto Bread
- Almond Flour: A low-carb alternative to wheat flour that provides a nutty flavor.
- Coconut Flour: Another low-carb flour option but is more absorbent than almond flour.
- Flaxseed Meal: Adds fiber and healthy fats to the bread.
- Psyllium Husk: Helps bind the ingredients and create a bread-like texture.
- Cream Cheese: Adds moisture and richness to the bread.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Often used in "fat head" dough for a chewy texture.
- Baking Powder: A leavening agent that helps the bread rise.
- Egg Whites: When whipped, they add airiness and volume to the bread.
- Oat Fiber: A very low carb fiber that can be used to improve the texture of keto bread.
- Inulin: A prebiotic fiber that can be used to activate yeast.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto