Recipe: Keto Loaf Bread

Whether you’re following a ketogenic diet or are just “keto-curious” like me, bread is probably one of the hardest things to forgo. Bread is just so comforting and convenient. Think about it: Turkey and cheese are spare and elemental on their own, but put them between bread and suddenly they become a meal.

Read more: What Is the Ketogenic Diet, and Why Are We Talking About It?

Clearly a lot of keto-conscious people feel the same way, because the internet is full of keto sandwich bread recipes. I took some time to comb through the offerings and found they all had a few common denominators: almond flour instead of wheat flour, lots of eggs, and xanthan gum to help bind everything together and keep it moist and sliceable instead of crumbly.

I decided to give a few recipes a try to see if any could become sandwich material.

According to many of the recipes I’ve read, “eggy-ness” is an issue with keto loaf bread. Most recipes claim not to be “eggy” but do, in fact, taste eggy. So, when I went out to find a recipe for the very best keto loaf bread, I prioritized recipes that seemed like they wouldn’t have this attribute.

The first recipe I tried used active dry yeast to help the bread rise and provide a better (not gummy!) texture, which seemed promising. The yeasty bread had a lot of ingredients, including golden flaxseed meal, psyllium husks, and whey protein, and it required an hour-long rise, but I like the yeasty flavor of real bread so I was willing to go the extra mile.

Get the recipe: Soft and Fluffy Sandwich Bread (Gluten-Free, Keto, and Paleo) from Gnom-Gnom

I forgot to get the psyllium husks so I used extra flax meal as the recipe directed. And I couldn’t find unflavored whey protein so I got the next best thing: vanilla whey protein that was sweetened with stevia. It only required a tiny amount so I didn’t think the vanilla or the stevia would make a difference. Other than that I was pretty faithful to the recipe.

The end result, though, was a bit disappointing. The flavor wasn’t even close to that of wheat bread (not really a surprise) but the biggest problem was that it tasted overly salty and harsh. Definitely not something I’d eat on its own. It toasted up well in a sauté pan with oil (these keto breads toast more evenly in a skillet than in a toaster because of the lack of carbs and sugar) and it was more palatable when paired with similarly bold and salty ingredients, like salami. But I still didn’t look forward to eating it.

Next up was a bread also deemed “the best” and non-eggy, although this one required seven eggs so I was a bit skeptical about that claim. I liked that this one had just a few ingredients and could be mixed up in minutes.

Get the recipe: Keto Bread from Fat For Weight Loss

The only “odd” ingredient was xanthan gum, which seems to be essential for giving the breads the soft chew of glutinous bread. I found it easily in the gluten-free baking section at my local supermarket. I strayed from the recipe only in how I mixed it, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment in order to whip as much air into the eggs as possible. And I made sure to use super-finely ground almond flour, which is pretty easy to find in the baking aisle at Whole Foods or Amazon.

Buy Now: King Arthur Almond Flour, $9 (Prime Members Only)

The second loaf baked up looking like a gorgeous yellow pound cake (my pasture-raised eggs have super-yellow yolks). It deflated a tiny bit after I removed it from the oven, but it didn’t affect the texture. Since it was such a dead ringer for poundcake, I was a little worried it would have a similar texture: dense, heavy, crumbly. But instead it was light, moist, and even a bit chewy — very similar to real sandwich bread.

Flavorwise it was reminiscent of popovers, with a crust that even had a popover-like glossy sheen. So eggy, yes, but I love popovers. And it wasn’t so eggy that it was like eating an omelet. It definitely still resembled actual bread. I could happily eat this one on its own, let alone toasted or made into a sandwich.

And it did indeed make a great sandwich, from salami and cheese to tuna and pickles. And when toasted it was the perfect partner to a fried egg breakfast. It’s also great in avocado toast form. Whether I decide to go keto or not, this protein-packed bread is definitely a keeper.