Low-Carb Bread

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 40 mins

Servings: 10 servings

Yield: 1 loaf

Making a fluffy, light bread that contains only two carbs per serving may sound too good to be true, but luckily it isn’t. On a keto diet, bread made with grains, whether wheat or gluten-free, are off limits. Keto dieters may get used to using meats or veggies in place of bread, or almond flour tortillas, but warm, fresh bread remains a delightful idea.

Nutrient dense bread options that are also paleo friendly and gluten and grain free, like a flatbread made with flax meal, work for times when you’re ok to have a bread that’s different than the lighter textured and colored ones you may have been used to prior to low carb eating. Sometimes you just want an easy-eating white loaf that feels like a natural pairing for deli meats or nut butters.

To make this fluffy keto bread, you'll whip egg whites to medium-stiff peaks, along with cream of tartar if you have it on hand. That's where the volume comes from. Then, you'll fold those voluminous whites into a mixture of almond flour, egg yolks, baking powder, and salt. It takes a few minutes of gradually folding in the egg whites to ensure you keep the needed volume, but the reward is a loaf that stands high.

Optional granulated keto sweetener recreates the mild sweetness of wheat flour bread. For the least crumbly keto bread possible, we recommend adding a pinch of xanthan gum, but the bread will still hold together well without it. This bread keeps for two days at room temp before it should be refrigerated, and has the perfect crunch when toasted.

Swap out wheat bread for this keto loaf in recipes like avocado toast, pesto grilled cheese, or a Caprese sandwich, or pair with a low carb soup or stew.

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, separated

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour

• 2 tablespoons coconut flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar, optional

• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, optional

• 1 tablespoon granulated keto sweetener, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather all of the ingredients together and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl with hand beaters, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar (if using), and xanthan gum (if using), on high until medium-stiff peaks form.

3. Add almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, and sweetener (if using) into a large mixing bowl. Whisk well, making sure to break up any clumped together bits of almond or coconut flour.

4. Add egg yolks and melted butter and mix together until a dough is formed. This mixture will be very dense and sticky.

5. Add 1/6 of the whipped egg whites with a large spatula and fold to combine. Continue adding the egg whites in small increments, folding as gently as possible while lightening the sticky, dense dough. Continue until all of the egg whites have been used, at which point the dough will be light and fluffy.

6. Pour the mixture into a greased 8×4 loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.

How to Store

Wrap the bread tightly in plastic wrap and place in a sealed container or zip-close bag. After two days, refrigerate any unused bread.

This bread will keep, refrigerated, for at least one additional week.

To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and seal tightly in a zip-close bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or at room temperature for several hours. It will keep in the freezer for three to six months. Once defrosted, it will be best served toasted.

Recipe Tips

To whip egg whites, it can be helpful to start the beaters or mixer on low to prevent any splashing.

When folding the egg whites into the dough, the desired texture will only be achieved if the whites are folded in in very small increments. Attempting to add them in several or all at once will flatten the whites because the dough is so thick before they are added.

You can tell the bread is done baking when it has taken on a dark golden color and springs back to the touch.

Can I eat a slice of bread on keto?

You can, if it's this bread! While the average slice of white bread has fifteen carbs and does not fit on a keto diet, this bread has only two carbs per slice. That means an entire sandwich only adds four grams of carbs from the bread.

What flours are keto?

No flours made from grains are keto. Flours that are low enough in carbs to be safe for the keto diet include almond, coconut, flax, and chia. For more information on what flours are keto, try this reference guide.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories	197
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g	22%
Saturated Fat 5g	27%
Cholesterol 127mg	42%
Sodium 343mg	15%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 3g	10%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 151mg	12%
Iron 1mg	7%
Potassium 177mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.