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
- 1/2 cup coconut flour, (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 5 tbsp psyllium husk powder, (about 1.6 ounces)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic or onion powder, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp herbs, like rosemary, oregano or basil. Pizza seasoning is great too! (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cup egg whites, (about 8 to 10 large egg whites)
- 3 tbsp oil or melted butter
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 to 3/4 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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 🙂
I don’t notice a taste from the psyllium
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.
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.
I’d try one package of yeast. Why not?
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.
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.
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!
I have had good luck with Jay Robb brand and Now.
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.
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! 🙂
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?
That should work, I think.
Would powdered egg whites work?
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.
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!
Thanks. So you don’t sift the coconut flour at any point in the process? Just scoop and level?
Yep, and then I break up all the clumps with a fork.
BTW, I am working on a measurement post that might help in the future… 🙂
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.
Oh man… so sorry… just found the sticky bun recipe… You’re the greatest!!!
Haha, I would never make you wait that long! 🙂
Is it important for ingredients to be room temperature for this bread?
No, not really.
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.)
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!
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.
How do you get yours. It to sink after you take them out?
So I use the now brand whole psyllium. Should it work for this?
If you grind it into a powder, I hear it works well.
Thank you, thank you, thank you….and did I say thank you? Awesome recipe!
I was surprised no yeast….? Interesting. Is yeast bad for us? Curious.
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.
Actually, I am going to try this, adding yeast and some kind of sweetener just for flavor.
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.
I buy mine on Amazon. Great prices, convenient, and fast shipping. I do have Amazon Prime though.
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
Sarah I buy mine at natural grocers they have one in Beaverton I get the bulk kind very inexpensive.
I use Whole Foods store brand (365 Brand)….worked great. Not purple.
would this work without the psyllium? Could I sub flax meal?
No, psyllium and flax are very very different and it would not work.
When you say “hot” water, do you mean tap water hot or like boiling hot?
Doesn’t matter that much, actually. But not full boiling.
Question! Is psyllium husk the same thing as psyllium husk powder?? I found and bought a cylinder of psyllium husk at Walmart….
If it doesn’t say powder, then you would need to grind it yourself.
I bought some husks too (not powder), how do i grind it to powder? blend? food processor? out of ideas. Thanks in advance!
I think a coffee grinder will work better.
Vitamix would work
oh nooooooooooooooooo.
I’ll let you know how the psyllium non-powdered husk loaf went once it’s cooled! hahhaha
Uh oh!