If there’s one thing Oprah Winfrey and I have in common — other than an interest in gardening and a disdain for uncomfy pajamas — it’s an infatuation with bread. The media mogul famously declared her love for loaves in an epic commercial for Weight Watchers (now called WW) that spread faster than the condiments, butters, and jellies I slather on my own bread.
While there are many high quality whole-grain options on the market (Food for Life’s Ezekiel is a personal favorite), there are just as many trendy diets, like keto and Paleo, that forbid them. These, paired with an apparent increase in gluten intolerance and sensitivity, have taken bread from the bottom of the food pyramid to the top.
While this move may seem entirely swift and unjust, what if I told you there’s an easy-to-make, extremely low carb homemade alternative that doesn’t require yeast, rolling out dough, or even a bread machine?
Enter keto bread: your new favorite grain-free option when that lettuce leaf or jicama tortilla just doesn’t slap (or whatever the cool kids are saying these days on TikTok).
I know what you’re probably thinking: “This is no Wonder bread.” But do you really need the high fructose corn syrup and hard-to-pronounce additives? Probably not. In fact, the ingredients for homemade keto bread are so minimal that you probably already have most of them in your pantry.
Plus, while this bread may not be identical to your grocery store favorites, it still provides a chewy mouthfeel that stands up to your favorite proteins, nut butters, and condiments and satisfies that need for starchy comfort.
No matter how you slice it, homemade is the best way — and maybe the next best thing since (*ahem*) sliced bread. Give this recipe a shot and see just how much you’ll *not* be missing your favorite store-bought varieties!
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup ghee or butter, melted
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
- In a large bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl or food processor, combine egg yolks, about 1/4 cup of beaten egg whites, both flours, melted butter, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Gently fold in the remaining beaten egg whites. Do not heavily mix — you want the mixture to remain fluffy-ish. (If using a food processor, you can add the egg whites and blend them in with only a few quick pulses.)
- Pour mixture into a parchment paper-lined 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing the bread from the pan and slicing.
- Experiment with seeds! Chia and pumpkin are excellent options, but if you use sunflower seeds in your dough, beware — they’ll turn your loaf green. (It’s still safe to eat, though.) These seeds can go directly into your dough, but I prefer to put them on top so they don’t overwhelm with extra crunchiness.
- Diversify your flours. I opted for a coconut and almond blend to make the texture and flavors more complex, but it’s fun to experiment with alternatives like chestnut and tiger nut. Just be sure to research how well these flours mix with liquids, as well as their densities. Some will dry up your dough more than others and cause your loaves to remain flat.
- You can add other things to your dough, like cream of tartar to create stiffer egg white peaks or stevia to sweeten it a bit and take away the egg flavor, but these are optional.
