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.
Patricia says
Love to try this recipe the only thing Is I can’t have almond flour. Do you think I can replace it with flaxseed flour?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t think that would work. You should check out Maria’s recipe for a similar bread using all coconut flour.
Marci says
Sunflower seed flour will work. Grind it from raw sunflower seeds. My son had a peanut allergy but before he outgrew it we had to avoid all nuts for a time. I made Maria’s sub rolls for many years with “sun-flour”. Add a couple tbs of lemon juice (acid) to counteract any green color you might get, this is a reaction between the baking powder and the chlorophyll in the seeds. (I always added twice as much lemon as baking powder in addition to any vinegar). Trader joes seeds were produced in a sunflower only facility but check to make sure this is still true. HTH!
Angelina says
I was so excited to make this that I did it twice this weekend. The first attempt was the standard bread recipe. It was incredibly simple to throw together and turned out great. The only change I will make for next time is leave it in a bit longer than an hour. Yes, the bread was a bit gummy/spongy but I was not expecting it to be an exact replica of a loaf of yeast bread and it certainly satisfied my desire for buttered toast and garlic bread.
My second attempt were sweet rolls and oh my word were they delicious! I made half of the bread recipe, added 1 cup of splenda with fiber, 3 tablespoons of cinnamon and then added 2 tablespoons of sugar free maple extract to the egg whites and I stuck with the 3 tablespoons of melted butter that the full recipe called for. Wowzers is all I can say. I expect they could only be made better by adding raisins….which I didn’t do since I’m pretty strict with carbs. I kept the rolls small and baked for an hour….that seemed to help with the spongy/gummy issue.
MarciaH says
I pretty much followed the whole thread on Maria’s site about her psyllium bread/rolls. It’s a long, long thread. LOTS of people had problems making the recipe work. I did initially, too. They puffed up and then collapsed. They had a weblike, gummy interior. They looked baked on the outside but were raw on the inside. You name it. Someone experienced it. Both coconut flour AND psyllium are squirrely unpredictable ingredients. Psyllium is a magical ingredient. But like most magic, it cuts both ways.
Finally, Maria published the actual gram weight of the ingredients—even down to the water. That made all the difference. Once I started making them with that specificity, they started to come out great every time. I realize there are still a lot of variables: oven temp., what brand of this or that. But the actual weight in grams was a very important addition.
Kathy says
I agree. I only had success with Maria’s recipe when I weighed the ingredients because of the unpredictable variations which weighing eliminates. I am anxious to try this recipe and wish there were weight measurements for consistent results because like so many others, I adore all of your recipes Carolyn.
Annette says
I weighed the psyllium,powder this time and they worked and came out perfect.
Pam says
Will absolutely have to try this recipe…no doubt I will love it as I do all of your recipes!! I hope the person who mentioned a bread machine posts her results as I, too, have one. As always, you ROCK, Carolyn 🙂
allison says
Hi Carolyn! I couldnt wait to make these rolls. I must say it was so easy and fast which is a big plus. I didnt have any problems the dough expanded nicely and wow they puffed up so big in the pan. I used a muffin top pan. Smelled just like bread. I noticed that they got brown and looked and felt done much faster than the recipe. So I took them out and poof they fell. So after reading through here I am guessing I took them out too soon? But they were done and omg tasted just wonderful! Will cooking them longer keep them from falling? I really dont mind though cause they tasted so good! I had a wonderful turkey sammie today and have 11 more Yay!! Again as usual you rock!!
Carolyn says
Yes, it sounds like they didn’t stay in long enough. They look “done” far longer than the actually are because the outside browns quickly.
Mindy says
Dear Carolyn,
LOVE your recipes! Especially the healthy candy that tastes like mounds recipe! I tried this bread recipe today. Is the bread supposed to rise a little? Mine did not and it is rather dense, but it has a nice flavor.. I do live at a high altitude (Denver, known as the Mile High city) so I am wondering if I should add more baking powder? The high altitude is frustrating sometimes – in baking I sometimes have to bake items longer or at a higher temperature or else they just don’t get done.
Thanks again for your wonderful recipes! I’ve lost 10 pounds and your mounds “candy” really helped as I didn’t have to give up chocolate – that was my downfall in prior diets.
Carolyn says
I had another person have some trouble with it who lives at altitude too, so I think it must be an issue. I don’t live at altitude and have no way of testing it but I think trying another 1/2 tbsp of baking powder would help. Don’t add any salt to the recipe because the baking powder will have plenty.
Annette says
I live in st George and did not have an issue the first time second batch not as fluffy but still damn good. It was a bit muggy today so that might have been it.
Malainie says
I’ve lived at high altitudes my whole life. My elevation here is over 5000 feet. The air pressure is lower, so things rise too fast before the structure has set, which makes it collapse. You have to DECREASE the baking powder and INCREASE the temperature. I made this with those changes and got a lovely loaf that did not deflate. I used 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder with an oven temp. of 375 degrees. I baked it in an 8″ x 4″ nonstick metal pan, sprayed with coconut oil spray, for 75 minutes. Then I took it out of the oven, which I turned off, put the loaf on a metal rack and put it back in the oven to slowly cool for another hour. Since I was using Now psyllium, I used the higher water amount.
Carolyn says
Very good to know, thank you Malainie!
Lori Kaumans says
I’m in Salt Lake City and mine has deflated both tries, the 2nd time baking it the full 75 minutes on convection. I think I’ll try your high altitude suggestions.
Mary Grade says
You are correct, Malainie. I live at 7000′ and made the same adjustments you did with Now psyllium. Got a very nice looking loaf!
Karen says
What temperature did you put it on for high altitude? Did adding the 1/2p of baking powder help?
Debbie says
Does psyllium husk powder go bad? If so, is freezer storage an option? I don’t know how quickly I would use it since there are only two of us and my husband doesn’t like these types of recipes.
Carolyn says
I’ve kept mine in the cupboard for a while, but i think you can freeze it easily enough.
Debbie says
I have made so many of your recipes without any disappointments so this is the first place I look when I want to make something specific or just need change. I have made Maria’s Amazing Bread and it is tricky using psyllium and every brand is different but fortunately my sister did some experimenting first and advised me. I want to use this recipe to make hamburger buns. I just purchased a mini round cake pan which has 6 wells that are 4″ diameter and 1.5″ deep and would like to use it for this purpose – also have muffin top pan. Your rolls look wonderful but not sure of size. Should I divide the recipe into six balls as you did the rolls? Thank you for so many delicious and easy recipes!
Carolyn says
I had more than 6 rolls, that’s just the photo. When I make rolls with this, I get about 10.
Nancy says
I just tried the recipe. Pretty good! It is so nice to have something to eat with gorgeous cheese…
Thank you! I have one question, I’m not pretty fan of the taste of psyllium husk. Do you have an idea of which ingredient I could use instead? Thank you 🙂
Annette says
I don’t notice a taste from the psyllium
Patti says
If you don’t like the taste of psyllium you could hide it with something else like yeast and/or ground flax. Lots of people like to add yeast to gluten free recipes to make them taste like regular bread, even if they won’t rise, and lots of people like to add ground flax seeds to recipes for the omega 3 benefits anyway. You could also add onion and garlic and herbs for savoury bread, or sweetener and cinnamon and spices for sweet bread.
Debbie says
I really like the smell of the yeast bread. Do you know how much yeast should I add without changing the consistency of the bread. This recipe really works for me, it really has regular bread consistency.
Carolyn says
I’d try one package of yeast. Why not?
Michele says
Hi Carolyn,
I just made this and it was a total flop for me. I used 1/2 cup hot water, the Yerba brand psyllium husks and all the other same ingredients you listed. It came out very purple and the center did not cook even after 75min. It was very gummy in the center. I am sorry to say I don’t think I will try this again. I hate to write a bad review but maybe the info will help someone else.
Carolyn says
Well, Michele, I respect your feedback. At the same time, I can tell you right now you added too much water and I specifically said in my post that the Yerba Prima psyllium needed less water. I would have gone with 1/3 cup there. Psyllium recipes are frustrating that way because without knowing what brand someone is using, I can’t tell them exactly what to do. Personally, I think they are very much still worth using if you want decent low carb bread, but to each his own and I understand failures are disheartening.
Michele says
Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for your response and I realized I put too much water in once I started mixing it. I don’t think I will use the Yerba brand psyllium again. It was really purple! I am curious what brand psyllium others are using who had good results. Anyways, I love your site and appreciate all you do for the low carb community!
MarciaH says
I have had good luck with Jay Robb brand and Now.
Carolyn says
I am not such a fan of the Yerba Prima either but I have two containers of it to use up. I liked the Now brand well enough and everyone seems to like Jay Robb. I will try that one next.
Della says
I live in California and always use the Trader Joe’s brand of psyllium husks and grind to a powder in my coffee grinder, works perfect, NO purple! 🙂
Jes says
I tried this bread (loaf) last night and it came out great! Best, sandwich-like low carb recipe I’ve found! One question – Can I substitute butter/oil with melted coconut oil?
Carolyn says
That should work, I think.
Pam says
Would powdered egg whites work?
MarciaH says
I’m interested in trying your recipe as I used to make Maria’s many times, at first badly and later with considerable success. I found that it was better to be able to weigh out the ingredients than to rely of volume measures. And that this is especially true with “alternative” ingredients, e.g. coconut flour, where you don’t know if someone scooped and then sifted or the reverse. Do you have the ingredients in grams that you could share? Thanks.
Carolyn says
No, the only weight measurement I used is for the psyllium itself. But I use Honeyville almond flour and Bob’s coconut flour and I only scoop and level, I don’t pack it. Hope that helps!
MarciaH says
Thanks. So you don’t sift the coconut flour at any point in the process? Just scoop and level?
Carolyn says
Yep, and then I break up all the clumps with a fork.
Carolyn says
BTW, I am working on a measurement post that might help in the future… 🙂
Donna says
Ok, now you’re just being cruel by not giving the sticky bun recipe. I’ve made Maria’s bread with the psyllium powder and have had pretty good luck. This recipe looks pretty good so I’ll be trying it, too. Even tho you’re cruel, I love ya!!! Thanks for all the recipes you’ve given and that I love.
Donna says
Oh man… so sorry… just found the sticky bun recipe… You’re the greatest!!!
Carolyn says
Haha, I would never make you wait that long! 🙂
Bev says
Is it important for ingredients to be room temperature for this bread?
Carolyn says
No, not really.
Judy T says
I’d like to do this in my bread maker. Any changes I should make to get it to work? (It bakes at 350 deg. so it seems like it would be great.)
Carolyn says
Ack, I have no idea because I have never used a bread machine. I guess that you don’t want two rising stages, this really doesn’t need to rise. If you try it and it works, let me know!
Michelle L. says
I have made Maria’s bread for years, love it! Can’t wait to try yours because all your recipes are spot on. I’m all over those sticky buns! In answer to one of the questions above – I freeze Maria’s recipe all the time and they freeze nicely. I’ve never frozen longer than 4 weeks. Whenever I go on vacation I take frozen ones and they thaw and are just like fresh.
Maryann says
How do you get yours. It to sink after you take them out?
Teresia says
So I use the now brand whole psyllium. Should it work for this?
Carolyn says
If you grind it into a powder, I hear it works well.
Barb says
Thank you, thank you, thank you….and did I say thank you? Awesome recipe!
Donna Hardin says
I was surprised no yeast….? Interesting. Is yeast bad for us? Curious.
Carolyn says
I have nothing against yeast but what’s the point in a bread recipe that doesn’t need to rise? Yeast is useful when gluten in present because the gluten protein strands capture the gases given off by yeast, making traditional bread rise. But there’s no way to do that same thing exactly with ingredients like this.
Garcus Maximus says
Actually, I am going to try this, adding yeast and some kind of sweetener just for flavor.