Patterico's Pontifications

8/31/2018

Recipe: Low-Carb Almond Flour Bread

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:36 pm



I’ve been cooking more lately. What with the desire to avoid carbs, I looked for a way to make low-carb bread. The first time I tried was unsuccessful. The loaf was crumbly if somewhat tasty. It did not perform like regular bread at all.

The following recipe is something I’m making right now, for about the fourth time — and it has been a delight every time. I’ll warn you: it does not rise and become fluffy like a yeasty bread. It much more resembles banana bread in thickness and texture: somewhat squat and a bit moist inside. But it slices like bread. You can toast it (although be careful as the crust can get very hot and can burn). My favorite thing to do, other than eat it by itself, is to use it for almond butter or peanut butter sandwiches (using all natural nut butters with no salt).

Warning: because it’s basically a giant soft almond, this is a very calorific bread. I calculate a 3/4 inch slice as having fully 183 calories, with about 16 grams of fat and 3.3 grams of carbs (3 grams of which are dietary fiber, leaving you net carbs of only .3 grams). If you have an almond butter sandwich with two 3/4 inch slices, you’re looking at about 450 calories with about 40 grams of fat. But oh! the taste! So flavorful, with hints of vanilla. I try to make a loaf every week. I hope you like it.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I use Trader Joe’s Blanched Almond Flour)
  • 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use Trader Joe’s Vanilla Flavored Almond Beverage)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Grease loaf pan with PAM on the bottom and sides of the pan — but not all the way up the sides, just 3 inches or so

Add all ingredients to bowl

Mix (with beater if possible, to add air pockets) all ingredients until a smooth dough forms

Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan

Bake in preheated oven until top is golden brown, about 40 minutes total

25 minutes in (about 15 minutes before taking it out), tent a piece of aluminum foil lightly over the top, to prevent the crust from burning while the inside cooks

Remove from oven

Allow to sit in loaf pan 10 minutes

Use a butter knife or spatula on the sides to make sure bread is not sticking to the side (it never has for me)

Gently turn the pan upside down to get the loaf out

Transfer the loaf to a cool wire rack to cool completely. I just put it in the second oven that wasn’t used for the baking process.

I can’t get enough of this stuff. I just now tented the foil over the bread and man does it smell delicious.

Let me know if you try this.

UPDATE: Nutritional information corrected.

[Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.]

32 Responses to “Recipe: Low-Carb Almond Flour Bread”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  2. Just took it out. OH MAN does it smell good.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  3. Your passion motivates me to give it a try.

    mg (8e8dcd)

  4. Feeling: Perplexed.

    Why the carbophobia if it’s not because of the calories? A 6-inch sub roll or a full-size plain bagel will only give you 200 to 250 calories.

    nk (dbc370)

  5. And, BTW, the reason real bread rises and becomes fluffy with the help of yeast or baking powder is gluten. Flour without gluten will not rise.

    nk (dbc370)

  6. Oh, I had it totally wrong when I said a 1/8 inch slice is 229 calories. I mean a 3/4 inch slice. It’s not THAT bad.

    I fixed it in the post.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  7. I don’t know if you guys like toasted nut butter sandwiches. I like them a lot. This bread just adds a new dimension to them.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  8. So it’s gluten-free and low carb? Sounds good. I don’t even know if I’ve ever eaten anything with almond flour, do almond cookies contain it?

    Will have to try it. I love bread but you really have to moderate (as my co-worker always says: “bread is sugar!!”). Wow there’s even almond flour tortillas!

    I’ve been taking care of my invalid 89 year old father for a few years now (don’t want to go nursing home till I can’t cope any more) while somehow still managing to keep my job by working part time from the dining room table (god bless my firm) and my cooking skills have really improved.

    Maybe I’ll post a couple of my recipes downthread…….

    harkin (0f0199)

  9. I’d like to try this – my wife likes low carb diets. I used to cook banana nut bread sometimes, but it’s really fattening and I never found a recipe that I really liked.

    But for me, anything cooking 40 minutes in the oven will have to wait for cooler temperatures outside.

    Tillman (d34303)

  10. Wow, I really screwed up the caloric content in the post. I forgot that 3/4 inch slices are only .8 of a serving as I calculated it. So really a 3/4 inch slice is only (“only”) 183 calories with 16 grams of fat. An almond butter sandwich would be about 450 calories with about 40 grams of fat.

    Still very calorific but nowhere near as much as I initially represented. The post has been updated again.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  11. Anyone who tries this, post your reactions in the comments.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  12. Feeling: Perplexed.

    Why the carbophobia if it’s not because of the calories? A 6-inch sub roll or a full-size plain bagel will only give you 200 to 250 calories.

    nk (dbc370) — 8/31/2018 @ 2:02 pm

    At least for me, the situation with calories is complicated. For sure weight is a matter of calories in vs out, but the calories in part is highly related to my blood sugar level. If my blood sugar is up and down, I will eat more. If it’s stable, I am happy eating quite a bit less. So even if the things I’m eating are high in calories because of fat (such as this bread), I’m eating less over the day.

    And there’s more to it than that. I think what my body does with its excess calories depends on whether it’s burning fat or has a ton of insulin and is going to make fat.

    I go through a lot of almond flour, spinach, and meats, and rarely eat regular breads, sugary drinks, candy. Since I started doing that, I’ve gotten into much better shape.

    I’m tired when I’m at home a lot of the time, so I don’t really make low carb breads and resort to naturally low carb stuff. A salad, or a heart of romaine for a wrap, or just frying a steak in butter. It probably doesn’t work for everyone but everyone who needs to get rid of their belly needs to give it a serious shot, like two months of eating this way.

    Patterico, do you use a multivitamin? I found that magnesium and a good multivitamin was incredibly important to not being a miserable SOB when on a low-carb diet.

    Dustin (ba94b2)

  13. That sounds good, and it’s pretty much all paleo.

    Paul Montagu (9dcfd2)

  14. I haven’t made this recipe, but tried ones almost the same (but no flaxseed, a good addition though). I will give this one a spin. In general, its solid when you want something bread-like on a keto/low-carb diet. I get a craving for something like this once a month.

    I also do a variation for almond-flour pancakes, and put berries on it (allowed, but not other fruit). That’s also very good (but high-calorie). Don’t do it often, but about once a month it really helps add variety to low-carb.

    I try not to chase fads that are “its totally like the high-carb version, but low-carb” recipes. Prefer to do things that taste good and are naturally low-carb, because that cauliflower crust pizza … is not pizza. Doesn’t work for me.

    But this one is totally recommended. Worth the effort.

    PrincetonAl (567a20)

  15. 2 eggs/day
    1 avocado/day
    1 tomato/day
    1 mile swim @ Hapuna
    Everything else in moderation

    mg (8e8dcd)

  16. Duck eggs are good for you as well. Buttery!

    mg (8e8dcd)

  17. Patterico, do you use a multivitamin? I found that magnesium and a good multivitamin was incredibly important to not being a miserable SOB when on a low-carb diet.

    I tend to eat Flintstones vitamins. That’s not particularly recommended, I’m sure, but then nothing keeps me from being a miserable SOB!

    The things that keep me happiest are: good sleep, visiting the gym at lunch, meditation, prayer, and remembering to be thankful every day. If I can manage those, I don’t get grumpy without carbs.

    Until I run into dishonest Trumpers. But that’s another story.

    Patterico (b6df96)

  18. On multivitamins as of 2015:

    Safety Issues

    Taking a basic MVM that provides nutrients approximating recommended intakes should pose no safety risks to healthy people. However, individuals who take MVMs and other supplements and who eat fortified foods and beverages might consume some nutrients at levels exceeding the UL, increasing the possibility of adverse effects [36]. This can also be a concern for people taking MVMs that contain some vitamins or minerals at doses approaching or exceeding the UL.

    Smokers and, possibly, former smokers should avoid MVM products providing large amounts of beta-carotene or vitamin A because two studies have linked these nutrients to an increased risk of lung cancer in smokers [37]. In one randomized, controlled clinical trial, male Finnish smokers who took supplemental beta-carotene (20 mg/day) had an 18% higher lung cancer rate than smokers who took a placebo over 5–8 years of followup [38]. In another study, smokers, former smokers, and asbestos-exposed persons who took a combination of 30 mg/day of beta-carotene plus 25,000 IU/day of vitamin A (as retinol) had a 28% increase in lung cancer risk after an average 4-year followup compared to participants taking a placebo [39].

    Taking excess vitamin A (as preformed retinol but not beta-carotene) during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects in infants. The vitamin A UL during pregnancy is 9,240 IU/day for adolescents and 10,000 IU/day for adult women [40].

    Unless a physician diagnoses iron deficiency or inadequacy, adult males should avoid taking MVMs containing the DV for iron. At 18 mg, this amount is more than twice their RDA of 8 mg/day. Postmenopausal women, for whom the RDA for iron is also 8 mg/day, should also avoid MVMs containing the DV for iron unless a physician recommends otherwise. Iron supplements are a leading cause of poisoning in children until age 6 years, so parents and guardians should keep iron-containing supplements out of children’s reach [41].

    Interactions with Medications
    MVMs providing nutrients at recommended intake levels do not ordinarily interact with medications, with one important exception. People who take medicines to reduce blood clotting, such as warfarin (Coumadin®), should talk with their healthcare providers before taking any MVM or dietary supplement containing vitamin K [42,43]. Vitamin K is involved in blood clotting and decreases the effectiveness of warfarin and similar drugs. The dose of medication is determined in part by the amount of vitamin K routinely consumed.

    DRJ (15874d)

  19. Seems like a good recipe.

    Personally, I miss bread, but the carbs were a killer.

    Nuts and Avocados are the way to go.

    rcocean (1a839e)

  20. Thank you, Dustin. Not that I did not believe you, but I also found this from Mayo:

    The idea behind the low-carb diet is that decreasing carbs lowers insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy and ultimately leads to weight loss.

    Ok, then. Me, today I made a pot of linguine which usually turns out to be three servings of around 700 calories each counting the grated cheese and olive oil and butter dressing (you can’t really call it a sauce).

    nk (dbc370)

  21. nk, there is nothing like fresh pasta. And there’s nothing wrong with a cheat day every week.

    DRJ, that’s very interesting. I take a lot of vitamins and I wonder about that aspect.

    Dustin (ba94b2)

  22. Only take vitamins for specific deficiencies. Drink half your body weight in ounces of water everyday.

    mg (8e8dcd)

  23. So even if the things I’m eating are high in calories because of fat (such as this bread), I’m eating less over the day.

    It’s amazing how long an almond butter sandwich with this bread will fill you up.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  24. Did I miss a banishing? We are are at 23 on the comments on a food post and no happyfeet.
    Amazing….

    I find making bread to be therapeutic, but as mentioned up stream, no oven until daily outside temps go down.

    Gramps (85597f)

  25. Happyfeet is in the penalty box for cross-checking

    mg (8e8dcd)

  26. I grill. I broil. I fry. I boil. I sauté. I (reluctantly) poach. But I just don’t really bake. Maybe at long last I’ll give it a try.

    JVW (42615e)

  27. Pasta is the death knell for me. I have a near-zero resistance but I try to be strong. So it’s really not my fault that I scarfed down a capellini “salad” to day that a neighbor brought over. It just would’ve been rude to say no. I added a low-Cal balsamic vinegarette to make me feel better about it. Of course that didn’t really cancel out the copious amount of fresh Parmesan I also kept adding to it…

    Dana (023079)

  28. The best but toughest diet is not a diet. Its weightlifting squats, deadlifts to near failure, cycling steep hills, running uphill trails. Or go completely nuts and do triathlons like JD (is he doing ok?) Then you can have a diet, which consists of 1 push, up and away from the table.
    That said, the bread sounds great.

    I’m not grumpy. Just easily annoyed. I counter the annoyance by being easily amused

    steveg (a9dcab)

  29. Did I miss a banishing? We are are at 23 on the comments on a food post and no happyfeet.
    Amazing….

    happyfeet will be back Monday. We needed to get past McCain’s funeral and get a week out from McCain’s death.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  30. Thank you, Dustin. Not that I did not believe you, but I also found this from Mayo:

    The idea behind the low-carb diet is that decreasing carbs lowers insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy and ultimately leads to weight loss.

    I think there is a lot of evidence to support this theory. In part, adhering to any diet scrupulously ensures that you pay attention to what you’re taking in — ideally through an online food diary of some sort. But also, I think the evidence is overwhelming that Americans eat too much sugar. Pretty much the only unadulterated sugary substance I eat these days is an occasional spoonful of honey into a late evening cup of tea. Otherwise I have found ways to cut sugar out of my life in innumerable ways — what I put in my coffee, the “bread” I eat, etc. — and have been healthier as a result.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  31. — What’s his problem?
    — He’s been edgy ever since he went on a diet.
    — I didn’t realize. How long has it been?
    — About twenty minutes now.

    nk (dbc370)

  32. Making another loaf tonight. Trying it without the vanilla extract to see if it helps keep it from turning after 5-6 days.

    Patterico (115b1f)


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