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Following several requests, I spent the last two weekends baking all sorts of keto-friendly bread loaves. Many of my readers have been wondering whether my Original Keto Bun recipe - which became viral over the social media - can be used to make a loaf. I didn't know for sure so I decided to give it a try.
Also, many people requested that I include a nut-free & flax-free version so I made them too... Yes, it was a lot of bread loaves and my freezer is now packed! As you may know, flaxmeal has a distinctive taste that may work great for savoury uses but it's not ideal if you want a more neutral taste. So if you are planning to use the bread in a sweet recipe (maybe bread & butter pudding?), it's better to avoid flaxmeal. More troubleshooting tips are included at the end of this recipe.
Note that although this low-carb bread recipe uses many eggs, it does not taste eggy.
Similar low-carb, keto and paleo-friendly recipes can be found in my Apps and also in my upcoming cookbooks
How to Make Nut-Free and Flax-free Keto Bread
The original recipe is flax-free but contains almond flour. If you can't eat nuts, I included a nut-free version too! Here's how you can make this multi-purpose bread that is both flax-free and nut-free. Simply substitute the ingredients in this recipe with the ingredients below.
Wet ingredients:
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 large eggs, whole
- 2 cups water, boiling (480 ml/ 16 fl oz)
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup coconut flour (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
- 1 1/2 cups fine defated sesame seed flour (120 g/ 4.2 oz)
- 2/3 cup psyllium husks - will be powdered, or 1/3 cup psyllium husk powder (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
- 1 tbsp gluten-free baking powder or 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar + 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt
More Keto Bread Recipes
You can use the Ultimate Keto Bun recipe - it's without sesame flour, includes flaxmeal and almond flour. If making a loaf, bake for 60 to 75 minutes. It's my personal favourite because it tastes amazing and I've had the best results with this dough.
For a nut-free alternative, use our Nut-free Bread - includes flax meal. If making a loaf, bake for 60 to 75 minutes.
If you can't have psyllium, use our Psyllium-free Bread - includes flaxmeal and nuts. If making a loaf, bake for 60 to 75 minutes.
If you can't have coconut, use more sesame seed flour instead of coconut flour. In my experience, sesame seed flour has similar high-absorbent properties as coconut flour. If you use almond flour or flax meal instead, you will need to reduce the amount of liquids used in this recipe. I haven't tried it but I'd use 2-3 fewer eggs/egg whites and 1/4 - 1/2 cups less water.
Hands-on Overall
Serving size slice
Nutritional values (per serving, slice)
Net carbs2.7 grams
Protein8.8 grams
Fat9.1 grams
Calories136 kcal
Calories from carbs 8%, protein 28%, fat 64%
Total carbs8.1 gramsFiber5.4 gramsSugars1.1 gramsSaturated fat1.6 gramsSodium385 mg(17% RDA)Magnesium59 mg(15% RDA)Potassium188 mg(9% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 1 loaf, 12-14 slices)
Wet ingredients:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 large eggs, whole
- 2 cups water, boiling (480 ml/ 16 fl oz)
Dry ingredients:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C/ 350 °F (fan assisted), or 195 °C/ 380 °F (conventional). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper: Simply cut two strips of paper - one should be the width of the sides and one the width of the ends. Make both strips long enough so that they hang over the edges and then place them in a loaf pan. The strips of parchment will be used to lift the bread from the pan. You can make the paper stick to the pan by lightly greasing the pan with ghee. I used a 20 x 13 cm / 8 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Place the whole eggs and the egg whites into a bowl and mix using a fork. Set aside for later.
- Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Make sure the dry ingredients are well combined to avoid uneven results. Add the egg mixture and process well using a mixer until the dough is thick. Add boiling water and process until well combined.
- Place the dough into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
- Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or up to 90 minutes). When done, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Grab the sides of the parchment paper and place the bread on the cooling rack to avoid the bread from becoming moist on the sides.
- Once the bread cools down, cut into 12 to 14 slices (nutrition facts calculated per 12 slices).
- Top with butter, cream cheese, sliced ham and cheese or home-made ham. Try Strawberry & Rhubarb Jam or Dark Cherry Chia Jam!
- Keep as many slices as you need for the next 2-3 days. Place the remaining slices in batches of two in freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to be served, simply let the slices defrost or place in a toaster, oven or on a hot pan to crisp up.
Troubleshooting
Weigh all dry ingredients. Make sure you weigh all the dry ingredients using a kitchen scale. Even small differences can affect the final result of this recipe, especially in case of psyllium and flax meal!
Psyllium notes. Make sure you use psyllium husk powder, NOT whole psyllium husks. Whole psyllium husks are great for making Grain-free Tortillas but you need to powder them when making keto bread. The best way to get the best texture and flavour is to buy whole psyllium husks and powder them in a coffee grinder of a food processor. Ready-made psyllium powder may be too dense and make the bread flat. (Note: Psyllium absorbs lots of water. When baking with psyllium, you must remember to drink enough water throughout the day to prevent constipation.)
Moisture issues. If the final result is too moist inside, do not reduce the water used in this recipe or the psyllium will clump. Instead, toast the slices before eating.
Do not leave the dough out for too long. Once you mix in the wet ingredients, make sure to place the dough in the oven as soon as you can. The mixture is activated with baking powder once you add liquid ingredients and if you leave the dough out for too long, it will not rise.
Other raising issues. If the bread doesn't rise properly, use only egg whites and omit the egg yolks (I never needed to do this).
Egg whites. To make this keto bread we are mostly going to need egg whites. The reason you shouldn't use whole eggs is that the buns wouldn't rise with so many egg yolks in. Don't waste the egg yolks - use them for making Home-made Mayo, Easy Hollandaise Sauce, Frozen Fat Bomb, Smoothies, Keto Coffee or Lemon Curd.
Use a mixer. To process the dough you should use a using a mixer or a hand mixer.
Sesame seed meal instead of sesame flour. If you use ground sesame seeds instead of sesame seed flour (about the same amount in cups), you will have to reduce the water needed by ~ 1/4 - 1/2 cup in the 2nd recipe. I use a food processor to make sesame seed meal or you can use a coffee grinder. There seems to be a difference even between hulled and unhulled sesame seeds (hulled work better). Keep in mind that the bread will still be more moist than bread made with fine defated sesame seed flour.
DO NOT USE a silicon loaf pan! As I discovered by accident, the bread will not rise properly and the dough will be dense and unappetising! You need to use a firm pan like this one.
Hollow tops/air bubble. Firstly, make sure you use baking powder - not baking soda! If you use a mixture of cream of tartar and baking soda, use 3/4 tsp baking soda and 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar for every tablespoon of gluten-free baking powder. Secondly, if you over process a dough that contains psyllium, you will end up with a hollow top and dense bottom part. Process the dough until well combined - this should take just a few seconds. If for any reason the loaf doesn't raise evenly, make the bun shapes instead (see tips below) - they always come out great! Best results will be achieved with this dough: Ultimate Keto Buns
Purple bread. If the bread turns out purple, it's due to the psyllium husk powder. Whenever I use Now Foods psyllium powder, the bread is always perfect, light brown. I sometimes use whole psyllium husks which I "powder" myself in a food processor. The loaf on the right side has been over processed.
Baking paper stuck to the bread. This will happen if you use the nut-free version that includes sesame seed flour. You can remove the paper after you let the bread cool down. If it's still difficult to peel without breaking the bread, use a piece of wet kitchen towel to pat on the parer where it's stuck. Then peel off.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, slice)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Egg, whole, fresh, raw (free-range or organic eggs) |
| 0.1 g | 1 g | 0.8 g | 12 kcal |
| Egg white, fresh |
| 0.1 g | 1.8 g | 0 g | 9 kcal |
| Water, still |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Almond flour (blanched ground almonds, almond meal) |
| 1.1 g | 2.7 g | 6.6 g | 74 kcal |
| Psyllium husk powder |
| 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Coconut flour, organic |
| 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | 18 kcal |
| Sesame flour, fine, defatted |
| 0.3 g | 2.3 g | 1 g | 20 kcal |
| Baking powder, gluten-free |
| 0.3 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Total per serving, slice |
| 2.7 g | 8.8 g | 9.1 g | 136 kcal |
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