Low carb bread – we all crave it and we are all looking for the perfect recipe. This might just be the best low carb bread recipe, and it’s so versatile, you can use it for rolls, sticky buns, pizza and more.
Yesterday afternoon I did something I rarely let myself do: I completely blew off work. It was a glorious day here in the Pacific Northwest, not a cloud in the vibrant blue sky, a perfect 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It was CIT – “Carolyn’s Ideal Temperature”, and I just couldn’t let it go to waste, sitting inside working on blog posts and articles and photos. The glorious spring weather was calling to me and I succumbed. I threw on some flip flops and went for a walk, stopping to get an iced coffee along the way. And then I went to get my toes done, something I desperately needed for an event we are attending tonight. I couldn’t let the world at large see my calloused, banged up runners’ feet and toes as they were!
How to make Low Carb Bread
So this bread recipe is going up a little late today. And it’s not one I can just throw up and leave be. This one needs a little explaining, a little talking through. See, I’ve been working on this for a while now, trying to perfect my own version of the low carb psyllium bread (hats off to those who’ve gone before, most notably Maria of Keto-Adapted). Psyllium is like many other low carb ingredients, something that takes a little getting used to. It has its own quirks and idiosyncrasies and you have to learn to work with them or you won’t get the desired results.
One thing I’ve found is that the brand of psyllium powder definitely makes a difference. I’ve tried two: Now Brand and Yerba Prima. I think I like the Now Brand better, as the Yerba Prima gives my bread more of that slight purply colour. It also seems to give my breads a more gummy texture than the Now psyllium powder.
Because of this difference between brands, it can make it hard to write recipes that work for everyone. I know many people experience frustration with psyllium bread recipes being gummy or deflating after being removed from the oven and I think a lot of that is the brand differences. So I tried to write this particular recipe with those differences in mind. In this case, you only add just enough hot water to expand the bread to about 1.5 to 2 times the original size. With Now Brand psyllium, I find you need more water and with Yerba Prima, I find you need less. It does require using your judgement and deciding when enough is enough. This may take a little practice, but when you get good results, it’s worth it.
I also wanted to develop a bread recipe that could be used in multiple applications and I think I’ve succeeded. I’ve used it for my low carb Pizza rolls, loaf bread, buns and yes, some delicious low carb sticky buns. I think it could be used as pizza crust too, but I haven’t tried it as yet. And I am going to be cruel and tease you with the sticky bun photos today, as the recipe with be forthcoming in a few more days. They were delicious and well worth the effort!
Multi-Purpose Low Carb Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 5 tablespoon psyllium husk powder (about 1.6 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic or onion powder (optional)
- ½ teaspoon herbs like rosemary, oregano or basil. Pizza seasoning is great too! (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup egg whites (about 8 to 10 large egg whites)
- 3 tablespoon oil or melted butter
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ to ¾ cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. If you are making a loaf, grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan well. If you are making rolls, line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, almond flour, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in egg whites, oil and apple cider vinegar. Slowly pour hot water over, stirring until dough expands. Start with the lesser amount and add a bit more until dough seems like it has expanded about 1.5 to 2 times. Do not add too much water or it can become a gloppy mess.
Loaf:
- For a loaf of bread, shape into a rough rectangle and place in prepared baking pan. Bake 60 to 75 minutes, until browned and crust feels hard to the touch (it will look done long before it really is. Don't take it out early or it will deflate). Remove and let cool in pan.
Rolls:
- Divide dough into 10 to 12 equal pieces and roll between palms into a rough ball. If dough is sticky, oil your palms with olive or avocado oil. Place on prepared cookie sheet. If you want flatter rolls for burgers or sandwich rolls, press down to 1 inch thickness with your palm.
- Bake 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size and shape of rolls. Rolls should be well browned and quite firm to the touch. Remove and let cool on pan.
Sarah says
I have tried Maria’s psyllium recipes before and all of them were a flop for me. Where do you buy the Now psyllium in Portland? I’m here too! Your recipes are always on point so maybe I’ll give psyllium another shot.
Jes says
I buy mine on Amazon. Great prices, convenient, and fast shipping. I do have Amazon Prime though.
Della says
I have been making Maria’s amazing bread almost every week since she posted it, I LOVE it and having it on hand really makes my crazy weeks easier. I use psyllium from Trader Joe’s and grind it in my coffee grinder really well, and get very consistent results. I did get purple bread in the early ones using some other brand. I am excited to try this recipe and compare!!! Carolyn all of your recipes have been wonderful and make being diabetic much easier. I am so thankful for all the fabulous low carb blogs!!
Della
Annette says
Sarah I buy mine at natural grocers they have one in Beaverton I get the bulk kind very inexpensive.
Deborah says
I use Whole Foods store brand (365 Brand)….worked great. Not purple.
Mary says
would this work without the psyllium? Could I sub flax meal?
Carolyn says
No, psyllium and flax are very very different and it would not work.
Tiffany says
When you say “hot” water, do you mean tap water hot or like boiling hot?
Carolyn says
Doesn’t matter that much, actually. But not full boiling.
Sevysia says
Question! Is psyllium husk the same thing as psyllium husk powder?? I found and bought a cylinder of psyllium husk at Walmart….
Carolyn says
If it doesn’t say powder, then you would need to grind it yourself.
Monica Parker says
I bought some husks too (not powder), how do i grind it to powder? blend? food processor? out of ideas. Thanks in advance!
Carolyn says
I think a coffee grinder will work better.
Annette says
Vitamix would work
Madelyn CK says
oh nooooooooooooooooo.
I’ll let you know how the psyllium non-powdered husk loaf went once it’s cooled! hahhaha
Carolyn says
Uh oh!
Ron Dans says
Caroline – I’ve been baking keto-inspired for 2+ yrs, and my wife and I almost always been very happy with the results. I’ve tried several of your recipes and they’ve been great. However, this one has me stumped. I used Yerba Buena and 1/2 cu hot water and ended up with exactly what you describe – a gloppy mess. I tried adding 2 tbs more psyllium, but no go. The only thing that comes to mind is altitude – we live at 7,000 ft. I don’t find that this interferes with rising, just have to adjust baking temp/time. I saw your comment about the possibility of the psyllium being “off”, but I can’t imagine what that means. Mine is relatively fresh (6-8 weeks old). I know that my baking powder is OK because a few days ago I made another bread recipe which worked fine.
I’d love to get this one to work! My wife was excited this morning when I told her I was going to try a new bread recipe – don’t want to disappoint her!
Carolyn says
Altitude! That might be a confounding factor indeed but I really don’t know as I haven’t tried any psyllium recipes at altitude. When I referred to one person’s psyllium being off, that was in response to the dough not expanding as she added the hot water. It should expand significantly. In your case, it sounds as if you need much LESS liquid at altitude – I would go with less than the 1/2 cup. Maybe start at 1/4 cup. And to fix the gloppy mess, definitely don’t add more psyllium. Add more almond or coconut flour to help “dry” it and give it more structure.
janet says
Psyllium husk powder just delivered Sat, and you post a recipe using it…. do you read minds?
Must try this tomorrow. Thanks again for such good and timely recipes!
Maureen says
Hi Carolyn, Just made this and it rose beautifully but sank in the middle after I took it out of t he oven. Baked for 70 minutes. Maybe I should add more time next time?
Carolyn says
Yes, it sounds like it. That’s the trickiest part of working with psyllium, it’s very hard to say when it’s done.
Lori Kaumans says
Mine sank too even though the toothpick come out clean. I haven’t cut into it yet to know how it tastes or how done it is. Next time I’ll bake it longer. Thanks for all your research and work on these recipes. Love everything I’ve tried!
Lori Kaumans says
Even though mine sank, it’s still light and airy and very close to a yeast bread in texture and feel. It’s a keeper!
Jes says
I love your recipes. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and appreciate all your creative ideas, so thank you! I am definitely trying this bread recipe. I’ve been making tortillas using a similar recipe and would love to make it into a bread. I also would love to try sticky buns. Do you have a recipe for those? They’re mentioned in this post but I don’t see a link. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yep, recipe for sticky buns coming Monday!
Jes says
Yay! Thank you!
Angie says
I love EVERY recipe I’ve ever made of yours and I have made many! I just wanted to say THANK YOU! Oh….and Any chance you have a link to those sticky buns? Thank you for all your hard work!
Deborah says
I was actually going to comment on your pizza rolls recipe today because on Friday I used the basic dough recipe and then instead of pizza sauce and cheese I slathered one side with pesto and the other side with harissa and rolled and got some lovely little rolls out of them. I see this is basically the same recipe.
One question – how long should one stir the mixture once the hot water has been added. My rolls were great but I’m thinking that maybe they’d have been even better if I’d stirred longer, because I didn’t really see that much expansion… thanks!
Carolyn says
The dough should expand almost as soon as you give it a few stirs, once the hot water has been added. If yours did not do that, then I wonder if something was off with your psyllium powder.
Deborah says
I think it must have worked somewhat because the rolls did taste fairly doughy and they looked quite like yours. I have the frontier brand… I suppose I could test it? Add hot water to a tbsp of psyllium on its own and see what happens?
Sarah G says
This is so super excititng!! I ♥ bread! Thank-you for making my day!
Maria says
Genius. EVIL Genius! Love ya anyway 🙂 (or maybe because of it?????) 🙂
Helena Angelina says
You’re a freakin’ genius. I can’t wait to give this a whirl!
Ranee says
Have you frozen the rolls/bread? 12 would last me awhile and I’d hate to waste them! Looking forward to trying these.
Carolyn says
I haven’t (I have a family of 5 to feed) but I can’t see why they wouldn’t freeze well.
Annette says
I made them yesterday and froze one as a test hubby thawed it gently in the microwave and said yum, makes lots and freeze.
Marci says
I’ve always made a big batch of Maria’s sub rolls and frozen them, they freeze really well, I’m betting this recipe will too. My first loaf is in the oven right now, can’t wait to try it!
Kat says
I just thought of something.
I love a nutty seedy bread, how do you think adding these would work? I’m up for the challenge and can let you know how it turns out.
Carolyn says
Yes, absolutely add in seeds and chopped nuts.
Kat says
Carolyn,
Good job!
I’m so grateful for you and Maria’s hard work and getting these recipes just right for us. I’ll be making this bread asap.
Again, thanks for all you do for us loyal followers.
VaMarcy says
Thank you, thank you! I’ve been on a hunt for a multipurpose, but lower calorie bread–and your recipes almost always are ‘tried and true’ winners!
Renee Nevitt says
Is there anything I can substitute for 8 – 10 egg whites? Every time I see X amount of egg whites in a recipe I shy away because what am I going to do with all of those yolks? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Why don’t you purchase liquid egg whites? No leftover yolks.
Renee Nevitt says
I didn’t know you could purchase liquid egg whites!
Chakalit H says
Big grocery stores sell it. Look where they keep the “Eggbeatters” liquid eggs, the egg whites should be in the same case.
Angelic says
A word of caution, though. Cartoned egg whites are best weighed than cup measured. So, an ounce of carton egg white for 1 fresh egg white.
Mark says
Is it possible to make the recipe using a lower quantity of whole eggs, say 4-5? Or does it only work with all whites? In my case I don’t really want to invest in all-whites in the carton, or have a whole bunch of yolks to use up in another recipe just because the recipe generates them on the side… i.e. I’d prefer to make just the bread and use up fewer eggs in all.
Carolyn says
The whites keep it lighter, whole eggs make it heavy and dense. But you can certainly try it that way.
Susie says
The egg yolks can be used in fantastic keto ice cream!
Mariana says
Or you can use the old to make your own mayonnaise
Carolyn D says
Egg yolks make lovely creme brulee, which is easy to make low carb. I’m always looking for things to do with the leftover whites!
B says
Here’s a thought… Reserve and Use the Egg Yolks for a Hollandaise Sauce, or a Homemade Mayonaise! Just Google, Recipes with Egg Yolks only” and you’ll get lots of ideas!
Kate says
Ice Cream, hollandaise or mayo. I always feel the same way when I see recipes calling for egg yolks; now I have something to do with the whites!
Baiba says
Hi, I make icecream or vanilla souce with those yolks.
Malainie says
This looks wonderful. Would a muffin top pan work for making the rolls for hamburger buns? Love you and your website! I was actually here today looking for an Asian flavored chicken thigh recipe. My local grocery has them on sale for $.89 a pound.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think the muffin top pan would work well. Make sure to grease it up properly!
Ann says
I do this all the time for burger buns. It works well though sometimes the buns are a bit small diameter wise.
Alaine says
I just orders the USA mini cake pan. 4.25 across and about 1.5 deep. I did a batch in 4.25 “ ramekins today and they look just right. In the below pan should get 6 rolls.
https://www.amazon.com/USA-Pan-Bakeware-Nonstick-Aluminized/dp/B001QXW3Q4
Dianne says
Carolyn, love your blog. Thank you so much!
Question: do you think oat bran could be substituted for psyllium?
Carolyn says
I am VERY doubtful, as they are not really the same sort of thing at all. I don’t think oat brand expands with hot water the way psyllium does.
Kathy says
Hi Carolyn,
I love your website!
Do you think I could use Konjac Root fiber (Glucomannan Powder) instead of the psyllium?
Thanks, Kathy
Carolyn says
I don’t think glucomannan works in the same way, expanding like crazy when hot water is added. You can certainly try it but I suspect it won’t be the same.
Mindy says
I am hoping you can tell me why my bread turned out purple. It must be a chemical reaction. I used powdered egg whites but other than that, I followed the directions.
Carolyn says
It’s the psyllium you’re using. What brand is it?
Susan says
I tried Maria’s psyllium bread with Now brand psyllium husk powder, but it turned out purple and gummy. Maria recommended Jay Robb brand because of the purple issue, but I haven’t tried that. I might give your recipe a try since I still have lots of Now psyllium husk powder left. Maybe it is in the process, rather than the brand?
Alaine says
I use Now brand and no problem at all. And for Susan below, my first batch turned out gummy. Now I use the minimum water and they are great.
Jenny says
This was awesome! On week 2 of my low carb lifestyle and this bread hit the spot.
This is the 3rd recipe I’ve tried and the only one that I’ll be repeating! I toasted it with some butter and garlic- yum…thank you!