Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Grain-free Sandwich Bread (GAPS : primal : gluten-free)

(I've moved! You can see this recipe at my new website here!)

After many tries, I have finally perfected my recipe for grain-free sandwich bread.  This bread stays together well, and works great for packing lunches to go. Since it is made with almond flour and coconut flour, this bread is quite filling.  

My family has been very happy to get to eat sandwiches once again with this bread. It works great for both savory sandwiches (like meat and cheese) and sweet sandwiches (like nut butter and jelly). It is also good with hamburgers (although I've gotten so used to eating them bunless that I prefer only one piece of bread with my burgers now).   This bread can be made into toast by using a toaster oven on 250 degrees for about 15-20 minutes (make sure the bread is not directly over the heating element, or it will burn). 

Grain-Free Sandwich Bread
Makes 1 loaf
  1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Turn off heat and allow to cool a bit.  Then stir in the honey and vinegar.
  2. Break the eggs into a medium bowl.  Add the salt, baking soda, almond flour, and butter mixture.  Mix together with an immersion blender or hand mixer. 
  3. Measure out the coconut flour.  It will need to be sifted if you are not using an immersion blender.
  4. Using an immersion blender or handheld mixer, mix the coconut flour into the other ingredients very well.  There is no worry of over-mixing this recipe since there is no gluten in it.
  5. Pour the batter into a well-buttered loaf pan.  I used a 9X5 glass pan.
  6. Bake at 300 degrees for about 50-60 minutes.  It will be done when it is set in the middle (you can lightly touch it, or check to see if a toothpick comes out clean).
  7. Let cool for about 15-20 minutes, and then use a spatula or knife to go around the edges.  Invert the pan and move the bread to a cooling rack.  Cool completely.
  8. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Store in the fridge or freezer. I like to slice it fairly thinly with a Rada bread knife, place parchment paper between the slices, and store it in the freezer.
This post is part of Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Monday Mania and Pennywise Platter!

172 comments:

my3ninjas said...

We're nut free in our home. Do you think we'd be able to substitute either a sunflower seed flour, pumpkin seed flour or garbanzo bean flour (or a mix of the three) for the almond flour? We've grain free for a couple months and my kids are DYING for bread. Thanks!

Sarah Smith said...

I've never used any of the flours you listed, so I'm not sure. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried a similar one using only coconut flour and there was something about it that was not good. Hope my daughter will like this one better.

Soliloquy said...

The blog "Loving Our Guts" has a nut free sandwich bread that's really good.

I'm looking forward to trying this one, too.

Nicole said...

I make a sunflower seed bread following the GAPS recipe and I soak and dehydrate the sunflower seeds and grind them myself. It comes out dense, but it is really delicious and I high recommend trying it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you!! I, too, tried a coconut flour bread and I just didn't care for it. This one looks amazing and it's easy to boot! My 2 year old just started daycare and I'm sending food for him to eat. I was hoping to give him a sandwich once a week and this will work perfectly! Maybe my 7 year old will take to it, as well...

Laurie S said...

What a great idea - using both coconut and almond flour. The photos make it look fairly light textured; not as heavy or dense as the last coconut bread recipe I tried. Thanks for posting!

Laura said...

Sarah, you are awesome! I can't wait to try out this recipe. I have been on the hunt for something just like this and viola, you present it today! Thanks!

Unknown said...

This recipe looks great, I'll have to try it! And you ingredient list is right up my alley :)

Anonymous said...

ohmigosh! What about grilled cheese sandwiches?

Sarah Smith said...

I'm not sure about grilled cheese. You'd need to use very low heat to keep the bread from burning. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!!

Dr. Momma Laelle said...

Made this today as I was REALLY wanting a sandwich. So yummy! I will admit, I used Honeyville Farms Almond Flour instead of the crispy almonds flour. Didn't have any crispy almonds made, and have never successfully ground them into flour. How do you do it? Have you ever tried making this with coconut oil instead of butter? I'm not doing so well with dairy right now...in fact I've avoided it completely for the past 3 weeks. But caved when I saw this recipe :-)

Sarah Smith said...

I use a cuisinart food processor to grind my almonds. They do not get super fine like store-bought flour, more like a coarse corn meal in texture. But they still work fine in all of my recipes.

I haven't tried this with coconut oil yet. I would think ghee would work better flavor-wise (it is supposed to be good for avoiding dairy since the milk solids are removed). Let me know if you try ghee or coconut oil, and how it turns out! I'd like to add that as an option on the recipe for those avoiding dairy.

Leah Funk said...

Hey there . This bread looks awesome!! I was just wondering if it would be easy to digest with the almond flour being in it. I have been on Gaps 7 months and after intro have had a hard time digesting nuts and nut butters even when soaked . Also by the was i messaged you a while back concerning my pregnancy and a fluke from the Dr.s office about diabetes , well as it turn out i never had it the whole time and the doctor became more interested in the diet!! Also i had a healthy 8 lb 2 oz baby girl on April 2nd .

Sarah Smith said...

Congrats on your baby, Leah!

This bread could be hard to digest depending on if you have a hard time with nuts. My family specifically had a hard time with almonds for at least the first year on GAPS. I think it is mostly the almond skins that caused out problems. But I know others on GAPS who had no problems with nuts at all.

You could try it using crispy pecans or cashews instead, and that might make it easier to digest. There are lots of other recipes out there that use only coconut flour (for instance, Health Home Happy has one), but we never liked the all-coconut-flour breads enough to make them more than once.

Unknown said...

So excited to try this! Thank you so much for sharing!

Laura said...

I made this over the weekend... YUM! I think I need to use a smaller loaf pan, I used a 9.25 x 5.25 and the loaf ended up being really really short, not so good for sandwiches. I think I am going to try again with an 8x4 pan. Anyway, thank you for the recipe, me and the munchkin have been enjoying it with butter and jelly. MMMMMMM!

Sarah Smith said...

Great, Laura! I used the same size pan as you, so maybe mine is fluffier or something? It is definitely smaller than store bread, but so filling that I wouldn't want it bigger. I'm glad you like it!

Tiffany A. said...

Made this this morning and it came out great! My first time making bread since I started GAPS and I couldn't be happier. I just threw whole crispy blanched almonds in my Vitamix with the eggs and all. I used an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan and it made a perfect sized loaf. The bread is moist and holds up very nicely when sliced. I'm eating a piece now with coconut butter and cinnamon :) Thanks for the recipe!!

Sarah Smith said...

Great, Tiffany! I'm glad it turned out well for you, and thanks for letting me know!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this great recipe. We are going to Destin, FL for the Memorial Day Weekend, and I plan to make some there as a special treat for sandwiches. I can hardly wait. Also, thanks for the special tips in your blogs.

Sarah Smith said...

You're welcome! Have a great trip!

Christine said...

I have a little one who's allergic to eggs. I suppose this wouldn't work with an egg substitute since it calls for so many. Any thoughts?

Tara said...

I've wondered the same thing. I could use egg yolks, but the whites are problematic for me. It would be so nice to have a bread recipe, but as you said, it calls for so many that I'm not sure they could be replaced.

Sarah Smith said...

Sorry Tara and Christine,
I've never experimented with egg substitutes as that isn't something my family has any problems with. If you do find anything that works, please let me know so I can give that as an option! Here are some links to a few egg-free recipes that I hope will help (no breads, but maybe these will be good for you guys anyway):
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/02/apple-raisin-snack-bars-gaps-legal.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/11/coconut-and-fruit-granola-grain-free.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/apple-snap-granola-gaps-friendly-gluten.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-crackers.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/07/chewy-cinnamon-almond-cookies-gluten.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-bars-gaps-friendly-grain.html

Anonymous said...

I've made this bread twice now and I really love the flavor and texture-- thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! The only problem--and not really a problem, I guess--is that it takes 90 minutes to bake. Is 300 degrees really the correct temperature? I know it's not my oven or baking pan because I don't have any problem with any other recipes I use.

Sarah Smith said...

Yeah, sorry, but 300 is the right temperature. Coconut flour and almond flour both tend to burn easily, so if you raise the temp, then the top burns before the middle is done.

Little Natural Cottage said...

I look forward to trying this! I have been makiing a grain-free sandwhich bread for a while that is slightly similar to this one. So delicous!

Anonymous said...

I love this site and all the wonderful recipes. I'm just starting the process to make crispy almonds and was wondering if it would work for walnuts too. Love all nuts but have trouble with digesting most of them...this could be the answer! Thanks
Beverly

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Beverly,
I think that there is more of an issue with rancidity when walnuts are cooked because of their high omega 3 content. But I bet pecans or cashews would work in place of the almonds.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Sarah. I'm soaking the almonds for crispy almonds to eat and for flour. I'm hoping this will do the trick, but want to try pecans and cashews too. Almonds and cashews are my favorite to eat, so if this works I'll be one happy camper!! I just like to use walnuts for some of my baking. I love this website and am so excited to find it. I was so tired of using so much rice flour. Do you use any of the starches...tapioca or arrowroot in your baking?

Anonymous said...

Another question....When you eat them as a snack,do you add the oil and salt after the nuts have finished in the dehydrator? Also how do you know when they're finished?

Sarah Smith said...

I don't use tapioca or arrowroot so far, but may at some point. I've been starting to experiment a bit with rice flour and potato flour as I'm transitioning off the GAPS diet.

Sarah Smith said...

Crispy nuts are GREAT with a bit of oil and salt on them! Sometimes I get around to adding those, and sometimes just eat them plain. I actually don't eat many nuts by themselves unless my supplies of homemade snacks are running low. But my husband and daughter do like eating nuts fairly frequently.

To check for doneness, pull a couple nuts from the dehydrator and let them cool to room temp. They are done when they are completely dry and crisp. Almonds seem to take quite awhile, usually 20-24 hours for me.

Eileen in NC said...

I've made this recipe just once and loved it - thanks so much! One things I've wondered is - should I measure the coconut flour before or after sifting it? I think it must make a big difference since it seems that amount increases after it's sifted.

Sarah Smith said...

Measure befor you sift, for sure! I'm glad you like the recipe.

Unknown said...

Can I just throw all ingredients into a bread maker?

Sarah Smith said...

I've never used a bread maker. But I highly doubt this would work in a bread maker, since there is no kneading necessary.

Laurie S said...

I've made this several times, and my little gaps guy always likes it. I am wondering what the purpose is of the ACV? I've seen it called for in other baked good recipes, thought it was a raising agent, but baking soda is also used . . . ?

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Laurie,
I'm glad your little guy likes it!

I added the ACV to this recipe for flavor. It gives the bread a little more depth to the flavor, rather than tasting like almonds and coconut.

Anonymous said...

What size eggs?

Sarah Smith said...

Large-ish. I buy from a friend that has chickens, and they seem to average out to around a large egg.

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
Is it fine if i put ground almond (almond meal) instead of crunchy almond flour?

Thanks...
Lisa

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Lisa,
I've never tried almond meal, but I bet it would work just fine. Let me know how it turns out!

Devona Bell Sherwood said...

Hi, do you think that this recipe would work w/o the coconut flour and with only almond flour? I'm not a fan of shredded coconut (love the milk and oil though).
Thanks for your great posts!!
Devona

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Devona,
Unfortunately you can't sub almond flour for the coconut flour, as they behave very differently in baked goods. But, you might like recipes from Elana's Panrty, that use almond flour. Here is one of hers:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-bread/

Evi said...

Sarah I've been making this bread for some time now and wanted to let you know that this is the best GAPS bread I have tried, and I did try a lot of them!
I use almond meal though, I find the texture better.

Sarah Smith said...

That's great! Thanks for letting me know, Evi!

Questa7 said...

Sarah, THANK YOU for this bread! We recently transitioned to the full GAPS diet after having been gluten-free for a year and a half...I suppose that made the transition a little easier, but it was hard on my little guy to have to give up bread. He absolutely LOVED this bread and has asked for "bread and butter" for breakfast every day since I made it! Hubby and I both loved the taste and texture too. Thanks again.

Bambi said...

I'm not sure if you could advise but im on gaps diet but also have fructose malabsorption. Do you have any ideas to substitute apple cider vinegar? :-) i miss bread! Thank you so much and have a great day. Bambi :-)

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Bambi,
I just include the apple cider vinegar to help balance the flavors in the recipe a bit. You could just omit it if it is problematic for you.

Carol said...

Sarah my bread came out very nice but with one problem. The lower 1/4 of the bread had a blue/green color. Do you know what happened to do that? Other then that my daughter and i enjoyed the bread very much! Thanks!

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Carol,
Wow, this is definitely the most interesting problem I've ever heard of in baking! I've never seen anything like that in my bread, but I'm wondering if it is possible there was some action between the batter and the pan...did you happen to cook it in an aluminum/other metal pan? If so, I'm guessing that is why. You could avoid that in the future by lining the pan with parchment paper to keep the batter from touching the side of the pan. Or try omitting the apple cider vinegar, which is probably what is reacting with the pan.
I hope this helps!

Carol said...

Thanks for the quick reply! Haha...I know its weird right!

I made it in a Kitchen Aide stainless mixer. I baked it in a pyrex glass 9 x 5 bread dish.

I will try leaving out the ACV if this one thats baking now comes out like the first one.

Carol said...

So sad...it did it again. I will leave out the ACV for the next one and see how that goes.

Sarah Smith said...

How utterly strange! Let me know how it works out without the ACV...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the recipe! I just made it and it looks so beautiful I had to post it on my FB page https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151124895388543&set=a.10150634507558543.382615.527798542&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

Anonymous said...

Instead of apple cider vinegar, I used Coconut vinegar.

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention that I used ghee in place of butter. Eating a slice with ghee on it as I sit hear typing this. It is so delicious I just can't get over it! Thank you again for this wonderfulness!

Sarah Smith said...

Yay, I'm glad you like it!

Family Focus said...

Hi, would this bread recipe work with ordinary almond meal if I don't use the cripsy almond flour?

Family Focus said...

Thank you, so looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...

The recipe looks great! But do you think I could use coconut oil instead of butter here? If so, how much?

Natalie.

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Natalie,
I haven't tried it, but I bet you could use coconut oil in place of the butter with no problems. I'd use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined, otherwise the bread will probably taste too coconut-y.

demeni said...

Don't know if ur still out there but nutflours like pecan and almond are much easier on the digestive system. Please see www.pecan.com for more info. Coconut flour quite high in fibre so harder to digest. :)

Unknown said...

MUST a person use all those eggs? Is there Anything else to substitute for most of them? Scd diet and egg allergy desperate person!

Sarah Smith said...

Sorry, but yes the eggs are essential to hold everything together. I know some others have tried substituting chia seeds and gel in some of my baked goods with poor results. Sorry. Some egg-free recipes you may like:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/02/apple-raisin-snack-bars-gaps-legal.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/11/coconut-and-fruit-granola-grain-free.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/apple-snap-granola-gaps-friendly-gluten.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/red-crackers.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/07/chewy-cinnamon-almond-cookies-gluten.html

http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/01/peanut-butter-bars-gaps-friendly-grain.html

Anya Vien said...

It definitely looks real! Have to try this recipe!

Anonymous said...

I used coconut oil instead of butter, no dairy for this nursing mama, and it is wonderful!!! Thank you for your awesome blog:-)

Sarah Smith said...

Yay, I'm glad it worked for you! Did you use unrefined or refined coconut oil, just so I can list that as a substitution?

Unknown said...

Good day !

Any one knows how to make bread with meat in it ?

Rachel @ The Health Revival said...

You could maybe try buckwheat, amaranth or quinoa flour? I haven't used quinoa before, but I've heard that it's easy to work with. I'm gluten free, but thinking of going grain free (too many tummy issues). I'm an absolute bread freak, so I'm going to test this out this week. Thanks!

Suzanne said...

This recipe looks great for our grain-free household. I am confused about this and several other recipes I have seen on different sites all containing baking soda being listed as GAPS-friendly when baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is not allowed on GAPS. Is the baking soda optional?

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Suzanne,
Sorry for the confusion. I, too ,used to think bicarbonate of soda was not GAPS-legal. But, in the 10th edition of the GAPS book, it IS listed as legal! On page 164 of my GAPS book, under foods to avoid, it says "baking powder and raising agents of all kinds APART FROM bicarbonate of soda".

Suzanne said...

I have a much older edition, so that explains it! Wow, that really opens up a TON of new baking options! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

hi my bread didn't rise very much, it's only about 2 inches high. Also the batter that went into the pan was quite thick, i.e. I couldn't 'pour' it in. Where did I go wrong?

Sarah Smith said...

It sounds like perhaps there was too much coconut flour used. My way of measuring may be different from yours...

Anonymous said...

I made this and like it, but was hoping for more of a bread to make pb & J or with turkey..it tasted like corn bread. I used almond meal/flour and sifted the coconut flour..what did I do wrong?

Sarah Smith said...

It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong with the recipe. I'm thinking tis is just a difference in your taste buds versus mine. I liked the flavor of the bread with PB&J and turkey, but maybe they don't pair so well for you... I may also be because, when I developed this recipe, we hadn't had any grains at all in over a year, and that seemed to have quite an affect on our taste buds.

Sember said...

I just made this using half unrefined coconut oil and half ghee. Also, I put it in my blender, since I do not have an immersion blender. Easy and wonderful. My kids are so thrilled! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.

Colleen Stewart said...

Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!!! I've gone gluten free last year and just recently grain free. (I have fibromyalgia and this helps) This bread fills my breakfast need/want for bread! It turned out exactly like it shows in your pictures :) I make homemade almond butter and that is my new breakfast. Oh and I can't believe how long I stay full with one slice! I'm making more tonight!!
Colleen

Anonymous said...

Hello, I baked this recipe today. I followed the amount and steps, and yet what I got is a very greasy bread that crumbles apart... Why?

Sarah Smith said...

I'm not sure why, as I've never had that problems with this recipe. Crumbling apart sounds like not enough eggs were used, but greasy like maybe more flour was needed. Or is it possible that the nut flour was overly coarse?

Unknown said...

I have tried them ALL this is great and will become my go to, so easy and so good I cannot stop eating it Thank You

Unknown said...

Just wanted to give a big THANK YOU for such a great blog! I am on GAPS and am slowly replacing all of my products to natural ones. Your blog is so informative, organized and well-written. I appreciate all of your hard work for us (the readers).

Sarah Smith said...

You're welcome, Becki!!

luluweezie said...

That was DELICIOUS! We've been paleo for over 2 years and never found a great bread replacement, until now. Burgers WITH BUNS for dinner tonight; super happy!! We're out of the habit of eating a lot of bread, but it's wonderful to have something to spread egg salad or guacamole on, at long last! Thank you SO much.

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this one! One question...I'm supposed to be eating low carb due to pancreatic issues, does anyone have an idea of what the carb count might be?

Thanks for sharing.

Diggs said...

This bread is moist, delicious and sooo filling! I used a non-stick steel loaf pan from Sur la Table, so no oiling of the pan was needed. The bread baked evenly in 50 minutes and slid right out when I tipped the pan over. I highly recommend using a metal pan instead of glass to keep the outside of the loaf from overcooking while the inside finishes up.

Anonymous said...

How many carbs and calories per slice?

Sarah Smith said...

Sorry, I don't count calories so I don't know these numbers.

Mommy Vomitpants said...

Baking Soda isn't paleo. Does your recipe work without it?

Sarah Smith said...

Without baking soda it will be more dense and will not rise as well. You could try to make up for that by using an immersion blender and blending it extra to get some air into the batter. I've never tried that with this recipe, but it has worked with others.

Kristin said...

Thanks for this great recipe! I subbed coconut oil for the butter and it worked just great. I don't buy refined coconut oil, so mine was unrefined and it tastes fine.

Anonymous said...

Yum! This is delicious! I made this exactly as written but halved the recipe to test it and made one mini loaf and two muffins (For the smaller loaves 325 F was fine). I ate the muffins hot out of the oven and they taste like buttery cornbread mmmmmmm. I just got over a stomach bug and am SCD and needed something plain for my first meal and boy, did this hit the spot.
I had to sit on my hands to keep myself from eating the other loaf so I could see how it is cooled, and the texture is very firm which is a must for slicing and sandwich-making. I wouldn't say it's anything like traditional bread - it's spongy and sort of cake-y, but it's by far the best loaf I've tried. Thanks so much for a fantastic recipe! Liz

Anonymous said...

An amendment: Now I've tried toasting a slice, and that gives it at much more "bread-like" texture, and it's so nice to have something crunchy to spread things on. Thanks again for the recipe! Liz

Sarah Smith said...

Great, Liz! I'm glad you are enjoying it!

Anonymous said...

You could also try whipping up the egg whites separately, then mixing them in gently. That would give you the 'lift' without the soda.
Magda

Allyson Bossie said...

I just put my batter in the oven and I'm holding my breath, thanking you for the recipe. My batter was quite thin, more like maybe a cake batter than a bread. Is this normal? We just went wheat free a month ago, and the first month we simply cut out anything other than fresh fruit, veggies and meat. I am really needing to expand into baking to make this more livable :)

Sarah Smith said...

Yes, the batter is thin. But if it seems too thin, you could add a touch more coconut flour next time. I hope you like it!

Gisele said...

Another thick batter ...here's hoping it turns out as good as the last time (the very first loaf I made)! If so, I'll be enjoying it with peanut butter for a pre-run breakfast. It kept me very satisfied on my last 1hr trail run! My husband & I also loved a slice of it with roast turkey, humus as a spread, fresh baby kale, red peppers, onions, celery, salt & pepper ...looking forward to having it on a hot summers night!
Thanks
Gisele

Stacy Makes Cents said...

I featured your bread in my Cornbread Salad post! :-)

Sarah Smith said...

Yes, it can be a bit cornbread-y, and it is fairly dense compared to wheat bread. If you want it to rise more, you could try increasing the baking soda a bit.

Anonymous said...

has anyone tried making this in a bread machine? If so, what changes did you make, and what settings did you use?

Thanks!

Sarah Smith said...

I don't think this would work in a bread machine. No kneading is necessary, and the "dough" is rather thin and liquidy.

Anonymous said...

I made this bread today and really enjoyed it. My son is now looking forward to having pbj in his lunch with this when school starts. I tried baking before with homemade coconut flour with no success. This was my first recipe using store bought. I got a one pound bag of organic coconut flour by edward and sons for $5.35 at a natural market, so I guess thats not too expensive. The results seem to be worth it.

Okay, my question is about making toast. I don't have a toaster oven so please tell me what your think would be the best method in the regular oven. Should I put it under the broiler and watch closely as we would with wheat bread, or set the oven for a certain temp/time?

Thanks so much for the recipe!

Sarah Smith said...

Wonderful!

It sounds like others have made toast with this bread with no problems. I'd try using a regular toaster and watching it carefully. Let me know how it goes!

Anonymous said...

Well I made the toast in the oven under the broiler, and it was okay, a little dry. ( I know toast is supposed to be dry but it kinda stuck in the throat when swallowing.) But I also used the leftover toast for french toast the next day ( dipped in egg, vanilla, honey, and a little almond flour then cooked in butter) and that was great!

Anonymous said...

This loaf looks very nice in texture. I have several I want to try soon and this just made that line-up.

justagirl said...

I was wondering if you could substitute the almond flour for tapioca starch? Ive used tapicoa for making paleo gravy which turned out to be a great alternative to ordinary white flour. So I got to thinking could I do the same for bread? Has anyone tried it?

Anonymous said...

great recipe love the flavor of the bread. ? Could you use a package of yeast to make it rise more. New to all of this

Tammy said...

Made the bread and LOVE it....Was wondering if I added yeast would it help it to rise like "regular" bread?

Sarah Smith said...

I don't think you could add yeast to this recipe, as the batter is too thin. But if you want it to rise more, you could try increasing the amount of baking soda or perhaps adding in a bit of baking powder. I hope this helps!

Anonymous said...

What is crispy almond flour and where do you get it?

Sarah Smith said...

Crispy almonds would be almonds soaked in salt water and then dehydrated until crispy. (This reduces the anti-nutrients present in all nuts.) Then the crispy almonds are ground into flour using a food processor. You can see more about making crispy nuts here:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/03/pecan-cashew-peanut-butter-delicious.html

Otherwise, you could just use regular store-bought almond flour instead.

Anonymous said...

I just made this bread the first time. I use 2/3 cup of Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour and 3/4 cup of regular almond flour, 1/2cup +2 Tbs.of ghee instead of butter,8 eggs (seams like alot),1 Tbs. of honey,1.5 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt, 3/4 tsp baking soda. All organic ingredients. I mixed it with a handheld mixer and baked in a 9x5 glass pan. I did notice that it was really runny until I added the coconut flour. It became so stiff I had to spoon it into the pan. I baked it at 300 degrees like you stated but for about 65 mins.until toothpic came out clean, but that still wasn't enough because after it cooled it was still doughy in the center top. It crumbled apart when slicing with an electric knife. It looks more like cornbread in color and texture and taste terrible. What went wrong? Was hoping to give my grandson a peanutbutter sandwich.

Sarah Smith said...

Judging by how thick the batter it was, it sounds like there was definitely too much coconut flour in it. (My method of measuring it must be different from yours.) The batter should be easily pourable, not so thick that you have to spoon it into the pan. So that is probably the reason it ended up being to crumbly.

As for the flavor, some people like coconut/almond based baked goods, some do not. You can tell by the comments here that many people like it (but some have definitely liked it to cornbread). (Of course the flavor would be a bit different without so much coconut flour as well.)

Anonymous said...

How do you measure? I filled a 2/3 cup and leveled it off with a knife. Like I said it did't start to get thick until I put the coconut flour in . I might try again but use my own coconut flour.

Sarah Smith said...

I measure the same way. But maybe it has to do with how "packed" the coconut flour was, or maybe your eggs were smaller than mine. All I know for sure is that it sounds like there was not enough liquid in yours compared to mine.

J. Paige Edwards said...

Glad I looked through the comments, as mine turned out greasy as well, but I sifted my flour then measured it, so I at least know the problem... Will hope my chickens produce more eggs in the coming days so I can try it again =) still tastes pretty good, I used Homemade ghee since I will be starting GAPS soon, I wanted to experiment with some recipes for when I can't grab a crappy meal from the pantry or freezer because I botched a recipe... I am excited at how well things are turning out generally though!!

J. Paige Edwards said...

The only carbs will come from the coconut flour, 2/3 c. = 66g. Carbs, so divide by how many slices you get out of it... (in comparison, 1 slice of regular white bread has around 20g carbs, so major difference there... Actually, I forgot to count for the honey, so you will want to add for thar, but it will be minimal...

Unknown said...

Hi! Thanks for sharing, going to try to make this today. Do you think if I cut it into squares and left out overnight they would get hard enough to add to a stuffing recipe? I found this recipe online from Deliciously Organic, but her cornbread uses Baking Powder and Sour cream.. but the stuffing recipe itself if GAPS safe. Thanks!!
Kristen

Sarah Smith said...

Because this bread is rather moist, I would think it might work better to cut it into squares and bake at very low temp for several hours to make it get dry enough. Let me know if it works!

Anonymous said...

Did you sub sunflower seeds for the almonds? Sunflower seeds will react and turn that color when baked. Weird, but I don't remember what it's reacting to. Or what's in it that does that.

Unknown said...

WOW! This bread is awesome! I find that if you sift the coconut flour before you measure, you get the right amount! I made french toast with this bread (Just now!) and blueberry "syrup" - Just blueberries and honey..very yummy!! Thanks for this recipe :)

Anonymous said...

The vinegar also reacts with the baking soda (making bubbles) and helps the bread to rise more.

Unknown said...

I made this bread today and it is really good, my only problem was that it got brown but the inside was not firm yet. Do you think I should put parchment paper in the bottom so it won't be so brown?

Sarah Smith said...

Hello Nahla,
If it is getting too dark on the bottom, you could either bake it at a higher point in the oven or try wrapping the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil (with the shiniest side facing out to reflect the heat coming from the bottom of the oven). I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other problems.

Anonymous said...

I read something recently that talked about sunflower seed flour substituted well for almond.

Anonymous said...

Yes, you can soak and dry walnuts easily. From Sally Fallon's cookbook. My daugter and I make crispy pecans, too! Polly

Unknown said...

Hi! I made this recipe with Ghee and it turned out great, thanks for the recipe - my version is here: th3hungrymind.blogspot.ca

Unknown said...

What is "crispy almond flour" please?

Sarah Smith said...

It is flour made from crispy almonds, which have been soaked and then dried to reduce the anti-nutrients. You can see a recipe for making crispy nuts here:
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2011/03/pecan-cashew-peanut-butter-delicious.html

Anonymous said...

I just read where the greenish/gray color some of us get, comes from a reaction from the baking soda and coconut flour. Or, in other words, the baking soda reacts to a plant based food high in chlorophyll. Do you think I could use baking powder in place of the baking soda and apple cider vinegar? If so, how much would I use?

Sarah Smith said...

Hmmm, I still find that strange as I have been baking with coconut flour for years now and never seen that color change occur.

Yes, I bet the baking powder would work, but you'll have to play around with the amount to see what works well. There is an article here that talks about how to substitute:

http://bakerbettie.com/baking-101/baking-powder-and-baking-soda/

Unknown said...

Thank you for the recipe! I made this tonight and everything went well accept that when I cut into it, I noticed the top half looked fine, but the bottom half was discolored. Almost a shade of gray. Any ideas?

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Kevin,
You're not the only one to ever report something like this, but I've never been able to duplicate it or figure out what causes it (and apparently it doesn't happen for the vast majority of people who've tried the recipe). You might try the suggestion of the previous commenter who thinks it has to do with baking soda reacting with coconut flour. If you figure anything out, please let me know!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for the prompt reply! I will try it the next time!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I just came across your blog and this bread looks delicious! I would love to try it however I cant have dairy, so no butter. Do you think I can use coconut oil? If so how much can I use? Also, if I wanted to try it as a grain bread, do you think I can add seeds and nuts, etc? Thank you so much!

Sarah Smith said...

Although I haven't tried it, several readers have commented that they successfully used coconut oil as a substitute for the butter. Just use the same amount as the butter amount.

Will B said...

I tried this as Ive had to go recently starch free for an auto immune problem. Unfortunately I found this to be waaaaaay too eggy and very unpleasant smelling. It stinks of eggs when it comes out of the oven and tastes of eggs too.

The texture isnt great either. Very cake-like and quite sweet. I think the search continues for something thats less cakey and less eggy.

Unknown said...

I am experienced at paleo baking and baking in general and I have tried many recipes and this was not an effective recipe. After being on paleo for a while you grow tired of people not posting honest reviews or just posting "wow, this looks great" type of reviews. These ingredients are expensive and thus people need to post their honest experience. This recipe had way too much coconut flour, even half of what the recipe called for would probably be too much. I would bet you could use 6 eggs and 2 tablespoons of coconut and you MIGHT get a better result. Perhaps the problem is calling this bread. If it were called a coconut loaf I might have been less disappointed. Regardless, if you still choose to make this make sure you have lots of water to drink it with, eventhough it is moist it is dry due to the amount of coconut flour. My plan is to try to repurpose this.

Unknown said...

PS. In response to posters saying coconut cannot rise, that is absolutely untrue. I have made many loaves of paleo bread both from almond flour and coconut that rose beautifully. It just requires the right recipe. It's definitely a chemistry experiment!

New at This! said...

I just made the bread last night--we enjoyed the taste --it didn't rise and the batter was thick. I am new to baking with these ingredients --what is shifting the coconut flour? and is there anyway not to use eggs? is there a substitute?

I did one loaf with flax grounds/ water to substitute 2 of the eggs ---ultimately I would like to be egg free. Any ideas? thanks

Sarah Smith said...

Sifting the coconut flour is using a flour sifter to break up any lumps in the flour.

Sorry, I don;t have any experience with trying to make this egg-less.

Gail m. said...

I haven't seen any grain free recipes for breads that use yeast. Is there a certain reason for this. Thanks in advance for your help.

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Gail,
It is likely because of the fact that grain-free bread doesn't really have a "dough" like gluten and grain-breads does, so quick-bread methods (such as using baking soda) work better for grain-free bread.

Nancy Power said...

Just wondering if you tried this bread without eggs and used a substitute that would work???

We are egg free in our home... what to do?

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Nancy,
Sorry, but I don't have any experience with using egg substitutes in this recipe.

Sarah

Anonymous said...

Is this bread moist or dry

Sarah Smith said...

This bread tends to be moist rather than dry.

Sivan said...

Hi. I have made this bread several times and has turned out great, what I would like to know is can i add a little bit more honey to give it a slightly sweeter taste?

Sarah Smith said...

You could probably add a bit more honey to make it sweeter, although I haven't tried that with this specific recipe. Or, you could try my recipe for Grain-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread, which is similar but sweeter. You could omit the raisins and spices if you want that recipe to be more neutral-flavored.
http://nourishedandnurtured.blogspot.com/2012/01/grain-free-cinnamon-raisin-bread-gaps.html

RoseUponBecoming said...

Hi! I look forward to trying this recipe, but I am a little confused about the crispy almond flour. I clicked on the link and it took me to the nut butter page. How do you make the crispy nut flour? would like to know, since I have used in other recipes the regular almond flour. can you please provide the recipe for the crispy nut flour? thank you!!

Sarah Smith said...

The recipe for crispy nuts is in the post about nut butter, underneath the nut butter recipe. To make crispy nuts into flour, you just grind them up in a food processor until they are very fine (but before they turn into nut butter).

Iamej1680 said...

First time baking and just pulled it out of the oven 3 min ago.

Smells wonderful while baking.
The small bit I broke off tastes great.
It didnt really rise so that was a little disapointing.
Since it didnt and I bakedit in a 9x5 it is a bit flat.

Overall I think it is wonderful and I am pleased. I will definitely be making this again and I hope the hubby likes it too.

As a side note; I omitted the honey and added about a half of an 1/8 of a tsp. of stevia for the sweetner since I can't have any of the normal sweetners.

Thanks so much for this recipe, Elizabeth

katie.peters said...

I don't know if you'll still answer questions on this... but I just tried this. The taste is okay, and consistency is okay... but it didn't come out of the pan without tearing.

More oddly than that, though, is the color! The bottom half of the loaf came out BLUE! Well, maybe it's a blue-greyish color, but it's a perfect, perfect line halfway up the loaf. It looks SOOO weird! I cooked it in a non-stick metal loaf pan that is a greyish color, but I can't imagine it somehow pulled color from the pan. But I put nothing blue in there! The pan is still in perfect condition! Have you ever had this happen?

Here's a picture.

Sarah Smith said...

Hi Katie,
Someone else reported having the same problem. I've never seen anything like that in my bread, but I think it has to do with the apple cider vinegar in the recipe reacting with the metal baking pan. (I always bake it in a glass loaf pan.)

You could avoid probably keep this from happening again by lining the pan with parchment paper to keep the batter from touching the side of the pan. Or try omitting the apple cider vinegar, which is probably what is reacting with the pan.

I hope this helps!

Unknown said...

Such an old post, but I ran across this gem on Pinterest. I'm on a super strict, complicated diet for an autoimmune disease. I miss bread and have been craving it for WEEKS, but all of the gluten-free bread recipes I have found have something in them that I cannot have (go figure...). After 5 weeks of googling and pinteresting, I finally found this recipe. I used lemon juice in place of the ACV and ghee instead of butter, but regardless, let me just say that this is the best bread recipe I have tried. Thank you thank you thank you!

Sarah Smith said...

Yay, Ashlee, I'm so glad it worked for you!!

Unknown said...

I just made this and it turned out AMAZING! This is, by far, the best grain free bread I have made. It is airy, surprisingly not eggy, and sturdy without being dry. It also has a very nice, mild flavor that would make it quite versatile. As a plus, it did not stick to my pan at all, which is a first for me in grain free baking!
Because there were a few questions about these things:
#1- I used non refined coconut oil in place of butter (in the same amount) and that worked very well, but the lack of moisture in the coconut oil and the fact that it hardens at a higher temperature than butter required me to add one more egg and a splash of liquid (I used soy milk) to make the batter "pourable" instead of needing to be spooned into the pan. It tasted slightly coconut-y but not unenjoyably so. It is not greasy, either.
#2-I baked this in a bread machine. I have a Zojirushi, which allows you to bake only, without any kneading. I did it on medium for 1:10 and it came out perfect and moist. If you have a bread machine with a bake only option, it works very well. It keeps the bread moist and bakes at a lower temperature that won't burn the bread.
What a great recipe! I love when I make something that doesn't waste half a dozen eggs and a bunch of expensive ingredients!

Sarah Smith said...

Macy - Thanks for sharing your experiences! I'm glad the bread worked well for you!

Kendra said...

I have a question about storing it in the freezer. What is your process of thawing? I haven't made it yet as I need to go shopping for some ingredients but I'm excited to try! I just have a feeling that my husband won't eat it so I'll have to store it in the freezer for myself so it won't go bad.

Sarah Smith said...

I don't generally thaw it after freezing. Rather, I just place the slices straight into the toaster oven and toast it lightly. Does this answer your question?

Kendra said...

That's perfect. Thank you! I'm going to bake this today, so we will see how it turns out!

SLKep said...

That isn't carb free. Almond flour and honey have carbs...

Unknown said...

Do you have any idea how many carbs per slice? My husband is trying a low-carb diet and I want to help him as much as I can.

Sarah Smith said...

Sorry, I don't know, but you could put the ingredients into a nutrition calculator and find out that way.

Anonymous said...

Hello, I would like to know if honey can be omitted or substitued? I am not allowed any sweeteners. Also I am not sure if I can find the vinegar here where I’m from. What should I do?

Anonymous said...

HELP!! I made keto bread today ( will post the link). Coming out of the oven it smelled fine... when it cooled down I flip it over to detach from the glass container, and it smells like AMMONIA!!! Now when I sliced it, the bottom half is dark (greyish) 😱😞😢what appended? It is safe to eat?!!

Unknown said...

Have you added anything like garlic or any other seasoning? Not a big fan of honey.

Unknown said...

OMG this bread is so good! I havent had bread in 2 weeks and this definitely hit the spot. This recipe is wonderful! I went exactly by the directions except I didnt add the honey. Thank You so much!!!!