Rustic Faux-Wheat Bread

There are a lot of low carb breads out there.  The issue I had was that they were either bland, soggy, crumbly, gooey, or all of the above.  I set out on a quest to make a low carb bread that we didn't just like, but LOVED!  My requirements were that it needed to hold together for a sandwich, toast well, have good flavor and texture.  No small order!  This final recipe is the result after 18 test loaves of bread!

This is now my all-time favorite bread and the closest I've tasted to the real deal. Crunchy outside crust. Soft, but firm inside. Bigger size for sandwiches. Delicious toasted. I may be a little biased, but if I try to make a different bread, my kids ask "where is the real bread?".  That makes my ❤️ happy. 

I make 3 loaves at a time.  We eat one right away (store in fridge). I slice the other 2 loaves, put in freezer bags and freeze. You can pull a bag out to thaw in the fridge or just pull out a few slices at a time. Can be toasted when frozen.

 

No more stamp- sized, squat LC bread.  This bread really does get sandwich sized.  Here is a pic with a piece of American cheese... it's just about the same size!  This pic is also to show what it looks like made with all almond flour (no walnut meal).  This piece is toasted, but in general, it's lighter in color which might be more attractive to picky eaters.  

If you're new to low carb bread baking,or baking in general, read these tips and answers to frequently asked questions!

✔️ I PROMISE you... this bread isn't hard to make.  It's not exactly, dump, stir, & bake, but it isn't hard.  Just follow the recipe step by step.

✔️ Don't rush to make it.  I make sure I have about 30-40 minutes to make it (that's with 2 kids usually underfoot!).  I'm not a fast cook... that's okay.  Just take your time.

✔️ Baking powder goes bad fairly fast.  If you want a good rise, make sure yours is fresh.  If it's been lingering in your pantry for more than 6 months, buy fresh.

✔️ My favorite sized pan is 8.5" x 4.5".  I've also tested 8" x 4" and 9" x 5".  All work fine.

✔️ Accurate oven temp is important.  If you've never tested your oven, I'd recommend getting an over thermometer to check it's accuracy.  If your oven is off, it can be calibrated.  Just Google how to calibrate your make/model of oven.

✔️ More about your oven. Did you know...
If your oven beeps letting you know it's done pre-heating, chances are very good it's not actually up to 350° yet. In fact, I've NEVER had an oven that has been. My current oven is only at about 300° when it beeps...it needs another 20 minutes to get up to 350°.

✔️ The dough consistency is thick!  Really thick!  It's supposed to be. (You'll get an arm workout mixing it.)

✔️ Some psyllium husk powders have a tendency to turn purple when cooked, giving your a bread a purplish color.  Nothing is wrong if this happens.  Here are some brands that DON'T turn purple though:  NOW, Anthony's and Organic India.  Also, you want powder, not whole husks!

✔️ You can find ALL of the dry ingredients and the egg white protein powder on Amazon.

✔️ What if you want both regular bread and cinnamon bread out of the same batch?  Add your plain dough to your loaf pan(s) like normal.  Then add 1 tsp of cinnamon (per loaf) to the remaining dough and mix to incorporate, and then add to your pan.  (Ex: if I'm making 3 loaves and I want 1 to be cinnamon, I'll fill my 2 pans with the plain dough. Then add 1 tsp of cinnamon to the remaining batter.)

✔️ You can make the bread with or without the walnut meal/flour.  Making it with makes the bread more like a 100% whole wheat consistency.  Making it with all almond flour gives it a lighter appearance... more like a regular wheat bread.  I make both to change it up.

✔️ If you can't test your oven, but think it runs a little cool or are having issues with the bread collapsing, the bread can bake (even truly at 350°) for up to 1 hour 30 minutes and turns out great. This extra baking times is like insurance.

✔️ Don't get scared the top will burn during the 2 hour cool down.  If your oven is 350°, it will be fine.  The top does get very dark and crispy.  And delicious!

✔️ The 2 hour cool down is a minimum.  You can leave it longer.  Heck, often I make it at night, then just leave it in the oven overnight!

✔️ Time saving tip!  While you have all of your dry ingredients out, make up bags of dry mix to speed up weekday bread baking!  Details here:  Bagged Dry Mix blog post

✔️ Bake like a European.  Most countries bake by weight, not volume.  This is actually my preferred method too.  You may have noticed most of my recipes include cups and grams... this is why!  I can make this bread using a kitchen scale and only dirty a 1/4 cup measuring cup.  Just place your bowl on the scale, add your almond flour to the grams on the recipe and tare.  Add your walnut meal and tare.  Add your psyllium husk and tare.  And so on.  The only thing I have to measure with a measuring cup is my egg white protein powder.

Ingredients can vary some, but here are the macros for each slice of bread (made with the walnut meal) using my ingredients. (For total carb counters, this bread is about 3g per slice).

AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO... 

THE RECIPE...

Recipe for 2 Loaves:

 Recipe for 3 Loaves:

(exact same recipe; I've just done the math for the ingredients to make a third loaf)