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Almond flour keto bread

A keto bread recipe that slices and toasts like a real sandwich loaf: almond flour, psyllium husk and egg whites. 7 g of carbohydrate a slice, 4 g of it fiber.

140
kcal
5g
protein
11g
fat
7g
carbs
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 h
Serves
12

Photograph by Pervane Mustafa27 on Pexels

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (224 g) blanched almond flour
  • 1/3 cup (40 g) psyllium husk powder (not whole husks)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp melted butter or olive oil
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tbsp sesame or sunflower seeds, for the top (optional)

Method

  1. 1

    Heat the oven

    Heat the oven to 350°F and line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving some hanging over the long sides.

  2. 2

    Mix the dry ingredients

    Whisk the almond flour, psyllium, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until there are no lumps.

  3. 3

    Add the wet ingredients

    Add the egg whites, butter and vinegar and stir into a thick paste. Pour in the boiling water and stir hard for 30 seconds. The dough firms up within a minute as the psyllium absorbs the water.

  4. 4

    Shape

    With wet hands, shape the dough into a log, press it into the pan and smooth the top. Scatter with the seeds, if using.

  5. 5

    Bake

    Bake 55 to 65 minutes, until the loaf is well browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read about 205°F.

  6. 6

    Cool completely

    Lift the loaf out and cool it on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing into 12. Cut warm, the inside is gummy; it firms up as it cools.

Why this keto bread holds together

Bread holds its shape because of gluten, which forms a stretchy network that traps gas. Almond flour has no gluten, so on its own it bakes into something closer to cake: soft, crumbly and too fragile to slice thin. Psyllium husk does the job gluten would. It is mostly soluble fiber, and when it meets hot water it forms a gel that binds the almond flour into a dough you can shape by hand. That is what gives this loaf a chewy, bread-like crumb that holds a sandwich and goes in the toaster.

Getting the psyllium right

  • Use the powder, and weigh it. Psyllium husk powder and whole husks absorb water differently, and their volumes are not the same. If you only have whole husks, grind 40 g of them to a powder in a spice grinder.
  • Use boiling water. Hot water makes the psyllium gel much faster, so the dough firms up within a minute.
  • Do not worry if it turns purple. Some brands of psyllium react with baking powder and give the loaf a purple or gray tint. It looks strange but is harmless, and the taste is the same. If it bothers you, try a different brand.

Why egg whites and not whole eggs

Many keto bread recipes use whole eggs, and the bread tastes like an omelet. Egg whites give structure and lift without the eggy flavor, which comes mostly from the yolk. Keep the yolks for egg muffins or scrambled eggs.

Is it really bread?

It is the closest a keto bread gets. It toasts well, it holds a sandwich, and it tastes good with butter. It is denser than wheat bread, though, and has a slightly nutty flavor from the almonds. It is at its best toasted, and it makes a good low-carb sandwich with egg salad or tuna salad.

Most supermarket keto breads are made from wheat protein and resistant wheat starch. They are low in net carbohydrates but not gluten-free, and they have a long list of ingredients. This loaf is gluten-free and has eight.

Variations

  • Rolls: divide the dough into 8 balls, set them on a lined sheet pan, and bake 45 to 50 minutes.
  • Seeded: add 1/4 cup of sunflower, pumpkin or flax seeds to the dry ingredients.
  • Herb and garlic: add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tbsp chopped rosemary.
  • Sweet: for a sweet keto bake, our keto muffins use the same almond flour.

Keeping it

It keeps 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Almond flour bread goes moldy faster than wheat bread at room temperature. For longer, slice the whole loaf, freeze the slices, and toast them straight from frozen.

What it is worth nutritionally

A slice, a twelfth of the loaf, has about 140 kcal, with 5 g of protein, 11 g of fat and 7 g of carbohydrate. About 4 g of that is fiber, so about 3 g is net carbohydrate. A slice of ordinary whole wheat bread has about 80 kcal and 12 to 14 g of carbohydrate. So this is lower in carbohydrate, but not in calories, and it should not be thought of as a diet food for anyone not eating keto. Two slices for a sandwich use only a small part of the 20 to 50 g of carbohydrate a day that most people must stay under to remain in ketosis; see what the keto diet is. Almonds bring vitamin E, magnesium and mostly unsaturated fat.

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