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.
Calli says
Would this work in a bread maker??
Carolyn says
Doubtful.
Calli says
Thank you so much
Carolyn says
Sorry, wish I had a better answer but bread machines really require yeast and gluten and such.
Dave Mckee says
Carolyn,
I found your blog as I searched for a multi purpose brad recipe. Meaning wheat bread. I have an interesting story about bread baking.
When I was about ten years old, in WW2, my mother shopped at Safeway. They gave away a little magazine called “The Family Circle”. In the back there was a feature for kids called “Little brown Coco, about a little black boy who helped his mother in the kitchen. Every issue told a little story and included the recipe for simple things that kids could make. My favorite was “Little brown Coco’s water bread” My mother let me make it several times, and it always turned out very good.
Years later, when I was raising my four sons alone, I wanted to give them that memory, so I baked the only recipe I knew. Water bread.
It was simple. 4 cups very hot water, add 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp salt. Cut up the shortening so it would melt fast. Put two packets of dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, let it set for a couple minutes, then add it in. Mix in flour until it makes a thin dough. Cover and let it raise double. Punch down and knead, then form loaves and let them raise. When doubled, bake at 350 f for 25 min. or so. I learned that I could add nuts and raisins, or I could add a 1/2 cup of vinegar to make a mock French bread, and I could form it into long French bread loaves and bake it on a cookie sheet. I also did a heaver version with a little corn meal and/or oat meal in it.
Carrie says
Thank you
Gudelia Robles says
I want to try this recipe and would like know if the flavor of eggs is over powering, thanks.
Carolyn says
Not in this recipe, no.
Destiny says
Do you think if you added the least amount of water and rolled them a bit flat, they would act a a naan type flat bread?
Carolyn says
It’s worth a try!
Nicola says
Made this recipe today (first of all thanks, tastes great!), but it didn’t rise at all. It tastes fantastic, but it is more moist than I would have expected, and it didn’t expand or rise. When I added the water, it didn’t seem to do anything. I ended up doing the full 3/4 of a cup. It’s not purple or anything though, so I don’t think I’m having the same issues as others in that regard, but it was just psyllium husk from the bulk store, so maybe it’s not very good. Is there something I might be doing wrong or something else I should try? (I also used a carton of egg whites for this. I’d never used them before and they seemed thinner than I would have thought, so maybe that had something to do with it.)
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Could be the psyllium. Was it powdered? I usually end up using a mix of fresh egg whites and the carton kind. It usually turns out better the more fresh egg whites I use.
Kathy says
I have had success with this bread, but my most recent batch was made with a new bag of Now brand psyllium and the rolls are purple. Formerly the rolls made with Now psyllium were beige and I am really disappointed, not in the flavour but in the appearance. I wonder if they changed their supplier?
Lani says
I had a similar experience. I tried using a new jar of NOW psyllium husk three or four times with a couple recipes and got purple results each time. I think I will toss the remaining NOW product. My original jar performed perfectly! I did not toss the purple bread. I cut it into cubes and added it to French Onion Soup. The color did not show up in the broth and nothing was wasted.
Carolyn says
I wonder if they did. That’s frustrating!
Lauren says
I don’t have any psyllium husk powder. Can I substitute xantham gum?
Carolyn says
NO, that won’t work in this recipe. You need psyllium husk.
Lauren says
I bought the psyllium husk powder and made the bread. The bread puffed up nice and big, but unfortunately when I cut into it I found that there was a giant hole in the middle. It tasted delicious though =). Any thoughts as to what may have caused the hole? I’m not sure if it matters but I used 1/2 cup of water. Could I have added too much water?
Helen Krahn says
Could you substitute ground flax and water for the egg whites?
Carolyn says
Very very doubtful that would work for this recipe.
JoAnne Soper-Cook says
Dear Carolyn, thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe!! I’ve been LCHF for about 4 months and desperate for bread that tasted like bread. I made this, out of curiosity, and it was amazing. So like whole wheat bread that I couldn’t tell the difference. The texture is perfect.
Thank you for creating these recipes and sharing them with the rest of us. You’re a gem.
PS: Love your blog!
Carolyn says
Aw, thanks JoAnne. Glad you liked it!
Cecilia Jones says
Wondering how airy the rolls are and if you have tried to use them as a puff pastry? I love cream puffs (which would also use up leftover yolks for the pastry cream) which use choux pastry. This could get really wicked good to me!
Carolyn says
No, this bread is chewy and dense(ish) so won’t make very good puff pastry at all.
Phil Racicot says
Hi
I tried a batch with flavor whey powder instead of coconut flour and it came out more fluffy than any other batch that I made and not so heavy , when adding half a cut of hot water it was a little soupy but when the baking powder start activating it got bigger and fluffy and stayed that way till cooked about an hour.
Carolyn says
Interesting!
Unter der Laterne says
On more thought, do you think that using my very good friend the food processor for mixing could have influenced the outcome ? I have very poor wrists and hands .
Carolyn says
I would try it. Just pulse it gently, don’t let it run on.
Unter der Laterne says
How can I make a denser bread , never got used to the fluffy American bread .
Thank you for answering yet another question !
I spent an hour reading the reviews-I am ready for a successful outcome , since my first try looked glorious but helas it collapsed!
Carolyn says
bake it longer, it shouldn’t collapse if you do that.
Unter der Laterne says
I bought NOW psyllium powder. Last night I baked the bread for 1 hr 20minutes, removed it from the pan and baked for another 20 minutes. A total of 1hr 40 minutes . Unfortunately it sank 1 .5 inches by doing so. Next time I will not disturb it and just leave it in the pan .
It was *gummy* on the bottom all he way through. I put 3 fresh egg whites in a measuring cup and filled it up with egg whites from a carton..
Tonight I will try again and use all fresh eggs . Wish me luck !
Carolyn says
The more fresh egg whites, the better the result, I’ve found. Psyllium is so tricky, it’s really hard to predict!
Unter der Laterne says
test
Joe says
What should the internal temperature of the bread be when it is done?
Carolyn says
No idea, I did not test it that way.
Deb says
Carolyn, have made Maria’s bread and made yours yesterday. I vastly prefer yours….I think the coconut flour lightens the bread a lot.
I used psyllium powder house brand from Whole Foods (the 365 brand). It was pretty fine to start, but I gave it an extra whiz in the cheap little coffee grinder I use only for low carb cooking (ie a lot of flax grinding). GREAT bread….not purple, good rise. Was so good a gobbled down 3 slices as soon as it cooled enough.
The internal temp idea is a great thought. I assume you bake this bread frequently for your family. Would you mind awfully taking the temp the next time you bake it and let us all know? The bread is a bit of work (all those eggs to separate….but sooooo worth it)….but would love to have a better indicator of what “done” is before I screw up a loaf. I did the 9×5 bread pan and would like to try the 6X3 in size to get a higher loaf….just know the baking time is going to be more for a more backed loaf pan.
Thanks for the great recipe….will be making hamburger buns this weekend with it. I can tell this recipe and I are going to be great friends for a LONG time.
Lani says
Carolyn, I made you two batches of your bread recipe for the third time yesterday and both were purple. I always use Now brand psyllium husk. This time is was a new jar. Has anyone found they changed their product? Disappointing! The early batches were awesome!
Carolyn says
Oh no, I hate to hear that. Did they still taste okay?
Lani says
So no other reports from others the formula for Now Psyllium Husk has changed? That is a puzzle. That is the only thing that was different this round.
I tasted the bread and it tastes okay. However this is something I’m making for my elderly, diabetic dad. He doesn’t know he is diabetic and thinks he is eating regular bread. Your recipe typically fools him! 🙂 These two batches are going in the trash. Wish me luck!
Carolyn says
Not thus far. But I am still working through my other brand (can’t remember what it’s called at the moment).
Lani says
Carolyn, the purple results, if anyone has them, don’t need to go in the trash! I have had success since this earlier post, simply cubing the loaves into bite size pieces and putting them in my French Onion Soup. Buried in the broth, the color blends right in, and works perfectly! No waste! My favorite solution. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” Hope this helps others if they get purple bread.
Diana says
I made a half recipe of this bread about 3 days ago into 4 hamburger-sized buns. It was very easy to make and they came out like a dense, flavorful artisan bread. I ended up slicing the buns horizontally into 4 slices each, since it is so filling. Made just amazing toast and sandwiches. But the real topper was when I crumbed the last bun, soaked the crumbs in a little rich milk and used them in my meatballs to replace the bread. Oh, my, those are the best meatballs I’ve ever had! Wonderful recipe, thanks, Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Oh that’s wonderful to hear!
Emily says
My sister whipped up some flatbread made from this recipe and I enjoyed it immensely! I’m on a VERY low carb diet and this fit the bill perfectly! She added a topping made from oats and almonds and a little Stevia.
Roya says
Thanks for the receipt Carolyn. I tried this two times with NOW brand psyllium husk and both times it came out very on top, and wet/moist inside. The second time I left it in the oven for two hours total and it was still wet inside. First time I used 3/4 cup water and second time I used just a little over 1/2 cup water. What am I missing?
Carolyn says
Without knowing every single one of your ingredients, I really can’t say. But one question…do you use the carton egg whites or real fresh egg whites. I’ve experimented further and I know find I get better results with using at least half fresh egg whites.
Roya says
Thank you for your reply. I use cartoon egg whites with nutiva coconut flour and Anthony’s almond flour. I will try the receipt with half freah egg whites. Also, i will use less water this time, maybe that would help?
Carolyn says
And it could be that your coconut flour needs less water too, hard to say. So do the fresh egg whites and go light on the water and let me know if that helps!