The Ultimate Guide to No Carb and Keto-Friendly Bread Recipes

For those embracing a ketogenic lifestyle or seeking a low-carb indulgence, bread can often feel like a forbidden pleasure. While a truly "no carb bread" is almost impossible to achieve, many recipes come incredibly close, offering a satisfying alternative to traditional loaves. This article explores the world of keto and low-carb breads, providing recipes, tips, and tricks to help you enjoy bread without derailing your dietary goals.

The Rise of Keto Bread

In a world accustomed to various types of bread, from whole wheat to sourdough, the rise of keto bread signifies a departure from the norm. As a cornerstone of the ketogenic diet, keto bread caters to those aiming to minimize carb intake and induce a state of ketosis, where the body burns fat for fuel. While traditional bread relies on grains and carbohydrates for its structure and texture, keto alternatives lean on unconventional ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour, and creative combinations that mimic the essence of bread without the carb load. The result? Keto-friendly delights that fit seamlessly into low-carb lifestyles while satisfying that timeless craving for fresh bread.

Why Make Keto Bread at Home?

Sure, keto-friendly bread is now available at the grocery store; however, many of those low carb loaves contain gluten - which is not ideal on the keto diet. There’s no need to buy keto bread from the store. Not only is it expensive, but it also contains vital wheat protein. Many of us try to avoid gluten on the keto diet as it can cause weight gain, bloating and inflammation. Making keto bread at home allows you to control the ingredients, avoiding gluten and preservatives. It's also a budget-friendly option for those watching their expenses.

Essential Ingredients for Keto Bread

When making any keto bread recipe, it is crucial to use alternative flours like almond, cashew, lupin, and coconut flour, as traditional wheat flour is high in carbs. These low-carb flours not only help achieve the desired texture but also contribute to the unique flavor profile of keto bread. Here are some essential ingredients for successful keto baking:

• Almond Flour: The hero of zero-carb baking, this flour adds structure and flavor to your creations. It is a popular choice for its fine texture and mild flavor.
• Coconut Flour: Another excellent low-carb flour, coconut flour adds a subtle sweetness and unique texture to bread.
• Psyllium Husk: This magical ingredient contributes to the bread's texture and acts as a binding agent.
• Eggs: A staple in many zero-carb recipes, eggs provide structure, moisture, and protein.
• Cheese: For a delightful addition to savory bread varieties.
• Baking Powder: To introduce a light and airy quality to your bread.
• Sour Cream: My secret ingredient that I like to use in many of my keto bread recipes is sour cream. Not only does the acid in the sour cream help the bread to rise, but it also adds to the flavor of the bread.
• Protein Powder: The unflavored protein powder is a necessary ingredient in this recipe; however, you can substitute the protein powder with egg white protein powder. It helps provide structure and helps fluff up this loaf. It’s also what helps to provide an airy texture for this almond flour based bread.
• Pork Rinds: Pork rinds are the best ingredient to use for a zero carb bread since there's no carbs in them.

Keto Bread Recipes to Try at Home

Here are a few recipes that you can try at home.

Read also: Safety of Low-Carb Diets During Lactation

Keto-Friendly Almond Flour Bread

This recipe uses almond flour as a base, providing a nutty flavor and satisfying texture.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• Butter
• Egg yolks
• Salt
• Stevia
• Egg whites

Instructions:

1. Start by separating the egg yolks from the whites. Adding cream of tartar to the bowl will make it easier to whip them up to the point of soft peaks.
2. You can either do this in a food processor or with a hand mixer in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (almond flour 1 1/2 cup, baking powder, butter, egg yolks, salt and stevia) together and mix until combined. Stevia is our preferred way to eliminate the eggy flavor of this low carb bread. 3 teaspoon baking powder is used in this recipe. While it may seem like a lot, we have testing this recipe extensively and found this to be the magic number.
3. Now it’s time to delicately fold in the egg whites, preserving as much volume as possible along the way.
4. Line an 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter from the mixing bowl. We recommend using 8×4 for this recipe.
5. Bake your loaf at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until your keto bread passes the toothpick test: Stick a toothpick into the center of the bread and take it out. If it comes back clean, it’s done. If it has gooey dough on it, put it back in the oven. Remember, all ovens are different. The total time to make your bread low carb should be 45 minutes.

Keto-Friendly Cloud Bread

This recipe for cloud bread also referred to it as No-Carb Cloud Bread or Keto bread is the perfect solution to your bread-free woes. I mean, sometimes you just want a low-carb sandwich! Can I also add that this Cloud Bread recipe is made with only three ingredients? Eggs, cream cheese, and cream of tartar. Personally, I think that cloud bread tastes quite neutral which is great to use with sweet spreads or to make a savory sandwich. It’s definitely different than traditional bread, with a light creamy-like flavor from the cream cheese although most people find it a bit eggy.

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Cream cheese: regular, not light, at room temperature. Do not microwave it! It will give it an inconsistent texture.
• Cream of tartar: a must-have ingredient that holds the stiff peaks of the egg whites.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the ovenPreheat the oven to 300F and make sure the top rack is in the middle position of the oven and the second one right below it. You can bake two at a time or one after the other.
2. Prep the ingredientsSeparate the egg whites from the yolks. Remove the cream cheese from the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes until it’s at room temperature.
3. Whisk the egg whitesWhisking the egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form is KEY to get fluffy cloud bread.
4. BakeBake for 25 to 30 minutes, swapping the baking sheets halfway through, until the tops are golden.

Pork Rind Keto Bread

This method used is very similar to a Fat Head dough. Although I was aiming for a nearly no carb bread, this pork rind ketogenic bread does have about 2 grams of total carbs per slice.

Ingredients:

• Cream cheese
• Mozzarella cheese
• Egg
• Parmesan
• Pork rinds
• Baking powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet (I used a 12 x 17 jelly roll pan) with parchment paper.
2. Place cream cheese and mozzarella cheese in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave cheese on high power for one minute, stir, then microwave for another minute and stir again. The cheese should be fully melted.
3. Add egg, parmesan, pork rinds, and baking powder. Stir until all ingredients have been incorporated.
4. Spread mixture onto parchment paper lined pan.
5. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 or until lightly brown on top.
6. Allow pan to cool on rack for 15 minutes, then remove bread from pan and cool directly on rack.
7. Slice into 12 equal sized pieces. Can be eaten plain or used to make sandwiches. The recipe can be baked in a circle and used as a pizza crust. It can also be baked ahead and frozen for later. Vacuum sealing the cooled baked crust will prevent the crust from getting freezer burned.

Tips for Baking the Perfect Keto Bread

• Whip Egg Whites: Whipping the egg whites until you get stiff peaks is the trick to perfectly fluffy cloud bread. Whisk long enoughUse a hand mixer or stand mixer and whip the egg whites on medium speed and then on high speed for at least 5 minutes.
• Don't Overmix: Be careful not to overmix as this is what gives the bread it’s volume!
• Use Parchment Paper: I’m from the school of thought that there is no downside to using parchment paper when baking. I’ve never been upset that I used parchment paper, but there were plenty of times when I didn’t but wished I had.
• Adjust Sweetness: There is a mild eggy taste to this bread, which we happen to love, but some people don’t like it. Stevia - It might sound crazy, but adding a few drops of stevia to this recipe is the best way to eliminate the eggy taste. Just a few drops will do! We typically use 6 drops of stevia.
• Experiment with Flavors: Another amazing thing about this recipe is its versatility. We like using this bread for breakfast sandwiches and as a complement to standard keto breakfast foods. It’s also great toasted.
• Store Properly: These bread rounds need to be stored in a zip bag or plastic bag to retain their soft, chewy, bread-like texture.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The two major issues that will lead to a flat loaf is not whipping the egg whites and gently folding them in, OR using almond meal instead of a finely ground almond flour.

Where to Find Keto Bread

• Keto Bread at Whole Foods Market: There are a few different options in the freezer section at Whole Foods.
• Keto Bread at Aldi: Aldi has a new product called “L’Oven Fresh Zero Net Carbs Bread”. That’s right, a store bought no carb bread! It seems to be flying off the shelves since we have not been able to get our hands on a loaf yet to review it.
• Keto Bread at Sprouts: Sprouts carries a line of high protein, low carb breads under the brand name Chompie’s. We were recently able to try Chompie’s, and while it did taste pretty good, the ingredients are not the best.
• Local Keto Bread: The last option would be to find a local bakery near you that makes keto bread.
• Online Retailers: If you’re willing to order online there are a number options out there for a keto diet. We’ve tried just about every type of keto bread on the market and without a doubt our favorite is The Great Low Carb Bread Company. Some of our favorites from them are their bagels and their dinner rolls. We order from them every few months and store them in our chest freezer. The Great Low Carb Bread Company has been making the best tasting keto bread since before keto was cool.

Read also: Best keto-friendly chips

Read also: Best Keto Tortillas

tags: #no #carb #bread #keto