Discover Keto Soul Bread: The Ultimate Low-Carb Bread Recipe You Can't Miss!

Have you tried Soul Bread yet? It just might be the most innovative and delicious low carb bread recipe around. This keto, low-carb, high-protein, and gluten-free recipe is a healthy bread option for anyone. With a cream cheese and protein powder base, you can’t go wrong with this Soul Bread recipe.

The Rise of Innovative Home Cooks

There are a lot of food bloggers out there these days. It’s something of a booming industry and it is both wonderful and a little daunting to be part of it. Daily I discover new blogs and new recipe developers doing some pretty amazing stuff. I get so many wonderful ideas from them, so much inspiration, and I learn and grow and branch out a little more. And I hope that I too am inspiring others in my own right. But bloggers really shouldn’t be getting all the glory here. There are also some innovative home cooks who are quietly coming up with some amazing recipes on their own. And since they don’t blog about it, it tends to stay on the down low until somebody with a bigger outlet, a blog or a social media following, picks it up and broadcasts it.

What is Soul Bread?

If you aren’t sure what it is, then it’s a very, very low carb bread that’s made primarily with cream cheese and protein powder, along with smaller amounts of other ingredients. It has no flours…no nuts, no coconut, no flax, no seed flours. Unlike the famous cloud bread, you don’t have to whip a bunch of egg whites, so it’s pretty easy to make. And the crazy part is that it has the texture and taste of a very light white bread. This recipe from Gloria Koch is a winner. The bread has a mild taste, a moist crumb, a crisp crust, and - are you ready for this? - only one gram of carbohydrate per slice! Low carb Soul Bread has a very nice light texture. It is a great bread to make sandwiches with.

The Story Behind Soul Bread

I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due here, because Soul Bread is very innovative and I wouldn’t dream of trying to pretend I came up with it. I just started hearing about it a few months back and decided I had to give it a go. Bear with me here as I try to get the chronology of this. The bread is named after Souls Song who set out to develop the perfect low carb bread recipe. She had fellow members, Pat Gunder and Joan Snydmiller, play the role of recipe testers and they added some of their own suggestions until they perfected it. And then it really took off, with everyone coming up with variations and new flavours. And it was also picked up and shared (with permission) by Ann Moore of Low Carb Diem. Soul Bread uses whey protein as the low carb flour substitute.

Adapting the Recipe

Being ever the recipe tinkerer, I wanted to play around with it and come up with a sturdy low carb dinner roll/hamburger bun. Specifically, I wanted to have a sesame roll because I have always love sesame seeds on my rolls and buns. I first tried free-forming the rolls on a baking sheet but the batter was too thin and they ended up very flat and a little dry. Clearly they needed the structure of a pan to bake properly, but my muffin top pan had recently died a slow death and was no longer non-stick. So I went with my square brownie pan. This made them a little on the smallish side, but they were perfect as dinner rolls or small burger/slider buns. I used the suggested Isopure whey protein isolate, but I changed the amounts of some ingredients to suit my needs and my pan. I also simplified the instructions somewhat, as I found my first attempt at Soul Bread a little confusing.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Versatility of Soul Bread

Really, this is a remarkable recipe and it’s quite adaptable. Hats off to the wonderful Soul Bread Creators, my thanks to them and I hope I have done it justice. These little rolls hold up perfectly to burgers and sliders, they toast beautifully, and they make great sandwiches. As a result, we call it a “low carb essential” since it will open up many new recipes that call for a bread product.

The Original Soul Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (360 g/ 12.7 oz)
1/4 cup butter or ghee, melted (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz) add an extra tablespoon
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
4 large eggs
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp glucomannan powder or Xanthan Gum (1 tsp)
1/2 tsp sea salt (I like pink Himalayan salt)
1 2/3 cups unflavored whey protein or egg white protein powder (166 g/ 5.9 oz) - see note below
Optional: 3-5 drops liquid Stevia

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C)/ 165 °C/ 325 °F. Prepare a bread pan (9″ x 5″) or molds by greasing well.
Soften cream cheese in a large microwave safe dish. Microwave for 1 minute or until soft -- 1 minute or slightly longer.
Add melted butter, olive oil, heavy whipping cream, and liquid stevia to the cream cheese. Mix with a stand or hand mixer - adding four eggs as you go. Put the cream cheese in a large bowl, and microwave until soft -- 1 minute or slightly longer. Beat the cream cheese (use electric hand-held beaters) until fluffy -- about 30 seconds. Then beat in the heavy cream, olive oil, melted butter, and eggs.
Blend all dry ingredients in separate bowl. In a second bowl mix the whey protein powder (1 2/3 cup), baking soda (1/3 teaspoon), baking powder (2 1/2 teaspoon ), xanthan gum (1 teaspoon) and salt (1/2 teaspoon).Add the baking powder and xanthan gum and mix to incorporate. Add the protein powder, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar to a sifter. Sift over the wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to cream cheese mixture and stir well with spoon or spatula. Don't use mixer or hand blender for this step because it will whip it too much. Set a wire-mesh sieve over a medium-size bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and gently fold with a spatula to combine.
Pour into a greased pan or silicone mold and bake at 325 F for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. The bread may be dry on top but adding melted butter helps if you’re eating it right away. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust turns golden brown, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean -- 45-50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan immediately. Cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve with butter or your favourite sandwich filling!

Variations and Tips for Soul Bread

Sweet Version: Make a sweet version by simply adding some sweetener into the mix. Maybe cinnamon? Maybe a streusel topping? Speaking of a sweet version, why not add some fruit while you’re at it!? We love blueberries (ala low carb blueberry muffins). Also, a few drops of liquid stevia will add some sweetness and temper much of the “soda bread” taste.
Savory Version: Toast with butter, cream cheese, or avocado. Try it topped with homemade baked beans, savoury mince, or an easy lamb mince ragu. Make it a meal! Oh, a keto smashed avocado toast! Piled high with guacamole, scrambled eggs and shaved parmesan! Cheese and Bacon Herb Bread - Add grated cheddar cheese, fresh herbs, and cooked diced bacon. This is a big favourite here!
Different Types of Bread: Make different types of bread with this recipe as your base, such as low carb hamburger buns, dinner rolls, and even low carb pizza crust.
Croutons: Cube and bake for crispy keto croutons.
Cinnamon Swirl Bread: Mix in cinnamon and a little extra sweetener.
WPI swaps: Using egg white protein powder as an ingredient swaps in the keto soul bread recipe is a great way to reduce the dairy if needed. The consistency of the bread will change somewhat but if for some reason you cannot have whey it is an option.
Cream cheese: you can use low fat cream cheese or lactose free cream cheese in this recipe.
Note: Not all whey protein products will work. The creators of the original Soul Bread recommend Isopure Whey Protein Isolate or Hoosier Hill Farm Whey Protein Powder Isolate. Our recommendation is to use “Isopure Whey Protein Isolate” for your flour substitute. We have tried other whey protein and found that those who recommend the Isopure protein are correct - it produces the best loaf.

Baking Tips

Metal Loaf Tin: Use a Metal Loaf Tin - Choosing the right baking pan for low carb bread recipes hhelps with even baking and prevents soggy bottoms. Using a metal baking dish helps with the heat conductivity and results in a better rise.
Don’t over mix: The dry ingredients should be sifted to avoid lumps and folded into the wet ingredients with a spatula. Do not over mix or your bread will become too dense.
Even baking: Using a metal baking dish helps with the heat conductivity and results in a better rise.
Temperature is key: Baking for 45 minutes in a 325 degree oven will result in a perfectly risen loaf with a beautiful golden brown crust color. However, make sure you grease your pan with butter before pouring in the ingredients. We use a non-stick loaf pan, but the butter will ensure your loaf will “pop” right out when finished.
Cool completely: Remove the loaf from the pan immediately. Cool completely on wire rack. Slice and serve when completely cooled.

Storing Instructions

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Alternatively, slice the Soul Bread before placing into an airtight container and freezing. Yes!! This soul bread recipe freezes (and thaws) very nicely. If you don’t eat bread very often, you can freeze individual slices and pull them out one or two at a time.

The Science Behind the Ingredients

WPI (Whey Protein Isolate): WPI, or whey protein isolate, is often used in baking for its high protein content and its ability to improve the texture and structure of baked goods. It helps to give baked goods a lighter, fluffier texture, especially in low-carb or gluten-free recipes.
Whey Protein Powder: This ingredient makes ALL the difference! For lack of a better description, whey protein powder makes soul bread more “bread-like”.
Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is a binder and stabilizer that can be used to replace gluten.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber. The best part of “soul bread” is that each slice contains approximately 1 gram of carbohydrates - what can be better. At 1g carb per slice, it's a bread that is even safe for low carb induction.

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