002 - RECIPE - Best thing since sliced bread: Part 1

Wheat bread. It is supposed to be the healthier option to its counterpart, white bread. Not necessarily true if you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. For years, I ate wheat bread with the impression that it was healthy for me but was always left bloated and in pain. Prescribed pill after prescribed pill provided no relief.   

In the last few years, I started taking a holistic approach to relieving my dietary symptoms. On the wheat belly diet and low fodmap diets, I saw some improvements but nothing to write home about. Enter the keto diet: It’s more restrictive but has paid huge dividends. I had pain and bloat relief within the first 48 hours. Obviously, I’m not sensitive to ALL carbs. At some point I’ll start to re-introduce certain carbs back in my diet to pinpoint all the problematic foods, but right now I’m going to continue to enjoy life without pain and bloating for the first time in a long time.    

I LOAF IT <3  

I love bread. A Lot. Everything tastes better between 2 slices of bread or as a companion to soups or sauce…Everything! 

On the wheat belly diet and low fodmap diet, I was able to have store-bought, gluten-free bread, even though they were made with flours that I would consider empty calories. They provide no real nutrients, but I LOVE BREAD. So…  

The beginning of my baking obsession  

I stalked Pinterest…pulled out my husband’s 15-year-old hand mixer, of which only 2 of 6 speeds worked, rolled up my sleeves and started making keto bread recipes. The results? I was left sadly underwhelmed. They were either 1) too eggy 2) really short; no rise; I couldn’t make a sandwich with it and/or 3) really moist/wet, so I set out to make a better keto bread. Project “keto bread” consisted of the following missions: 

• A bread that wasn’t eggy. 
• A bread that had a good rise and didn’t require a ton of flour for volume... Basically, a bread I could make a sandwich with.

• A bread that I didn’t have to toast in order to eat because it was too moist/wet
• A bread that didn’t rely heavily on just almond flour. The ketogenic lifestyle relies heavily on almonds; almond flour, almond milk, almond yogurt, raw almond nuts as snacks, etc. While almonds are healthy, like most things in life, too much of a good thing makes it not so good. They contain omega-6 fats, which is an essential fat, but with today’s modern diet, we get more than enough. 

• A bread that wasn’t too high in fat, but still low net carbs…I have young kids that aren’t living my ketogenic lifestyle. My goal for them is to still have a well-balanced diet; not a high-fat, low-carb diet. 

• A bread that was higher in protein...I have problems getting my recommended protein intake, and my kids are not the biggest meat eaters, so why not add extra protein where I can? 

Read Before You Leap

I think I’ve hit all the marks with the recipe. I’m sure it can be improved, either by me or one of you. That said, there are some things I’d like to highlight:  

1. Cane Sugar: You need to use real sugar to proof the yeast. The yeast needs real sugar to feed off of. This won’t work with alcohol sugars. How do I know? I’ve tried; several times. 
2. Room temperature eggs: This helps with the eggy taste. You can put your eggs in a bowl of warm water to help to get them to room temperature.  

• Why so many eggs?!: This recipe incorporates coconut flour, which is a very absorbent flour. It is recommended to add about 6 eggs for every cup of coconut flour. I try to incorporate eggs and egg whites in most of my baking recipes. The egg whites help with the eggy taste!  
• Pure Label Nutrition Protein Whey: This whey protein is 100% grass fed and made in the USA. It is the cheapest protein powder I’ve found that met my buying preferences (grass fed, low carb, etc.). $30 for 2lbs (32oz) and $59 for 5lbs (80oz). This particular recipe uses about 4.4oz of protein, I get the big bottle, so it goes a long way. #NotSponsored  

• Psyllium Husk & Xanthan Gum: These ingredients are important. It acts as a binding agent in the absence of gluten. 
• Psyllium Husk vs. Xanthan Gum: I discovered I have a sensitivity to xanthan gum. Upon further research, this isn’t all to uncommon. Psyllium husk is an equal replacement for xanthan gum but with the addition of a better rise. 
• Flat Beater: I have to emphasize that switching out to a flat beater attachment greatly helped with the texture and overall rise of the bread. 

• 13 x 4 pullman bread pan: I started baking the bread in this pan for a few reasons. 1) it is the perfect sandwich shape. 2) the bread’s rise doesn’t overflow over the pan and the slices fits in the toaster and 3) I get more slices! If you don’t have a 13 x 4 pullman pan, a 9 x 5 pan works. Note: When I created this recipe it was to fit a 9 x 5 pan, the 13 x 4 pullman pan’s volume per square inch is greater than that of the 9 x 5 pan, so the bread doesn’t quite rise to the top. I personally don’t mind it. It is almost a perfect square and that makes my OCD happy.  

• This bread can be made without the yeast. You’ll still get a decent rise. It won’t overflow your 9 x 5 pan but it will crest the horizon.   

• You need a scale: Sorry, guys. There are too many variables when it comes to measuring by the cup/spoon. For example, 1 cup of flour. Did you do a heaping cup? Was the flour packed tightly in the cup? Too. Many. Variables. This is the one I use. It is cheap but still gets the job done.  

Now that I’ve gotten all the gabbing out the way, here are the recipe instructions. If you make this recipe and have tips on how to improve the bread, please, please let me know. I’m always open to making food taste better and more nutritious!    

Yeast Proofing  

• 1½ tsp 365 Cane Sugar  
• ¾ tsp Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast  
• ¼ cup Filtered water  

Wet Ingredients  

• 3½ oz 365 Unsweetened Organic Almond Milk, Room temperature 
• 4 365 Large Eggs, Room temperature 
• 112 g Kerrygold Salted Grass-fed Butter,  Room temperature 
• 317 g Open Nature Liquid Egg Whites, Room temperature  

Dry Ingredients  

• 1 tbsp 365 Baking Powder  
• ¾ tsp 365 Baking Soda  
• 1½ tsp 365 Cream of Tartar  
• 104 g Terrasoul Coconut Flour  
• 82 g Kirkland Almond Flour  
• 125 g Pure Label Nutrition Protein Whey  
• 60 g Swerve Granular Sweetener (or equivalent sweetener)  
• 25 g Vitacost Psyllium Husk or 2 tsp Xanthan Gum  
• 18 g Spectrum Ground Flaxseed      

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰F, take out your eggs, egg whites, and almond milk to get to room temperature, then grease your baking pan.  

2. If you aren’t using yeast, skip to step 3. Proof yeast. Mix yeast and cane sugar with filtered water (water must be between 100⁰F – 110⁰F). Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. If it is active, it should look foamy like this.  

3. Mix wet ingredients with a wire whip in your mixer on medium (level 6 on my Kitchen Aid) for about 5-7 minutes. If you are melting the butter in the microwave, let it cool down to room temperature before mixing it with the eggs. You’ll end up cooking the eggs, and you really don’t want that to happen.  

4. Switch the attachment to a “Flat Beater” and continue to mix while slowly adding the dry ingredient mixture (1/3 of mixture at a time). Make sure to thoroughly mix dry ingredients to ensure all the ingredients are well distributed. Pour the proofed yeast in the mixer, then slowly continue to add in the remaining dry ingredients and continue to mix for about 1 – 2 minutes. DO NOT over mix.  

5. Pour batter into greased pan and spread out evenly using a wet/oiled spatula to help with spreading as the batter will be very sticky.  

6. If you aren’t using yeast, skip to step 7. Let bread rise for 1 – 1.5 hours in a warm place. If you are using a pullman pan, let it rise with the lid off. I like to let it rise under our kitchen stove hood vent lights. The warmth from the warm lightbulbs helps it to rise. 

7. If you are using a pullman pan, bake with the lid on for about 70 minutes. 

8. If you are using a 9 x 5 pan, bake for 25 minutes. Remove bread from the oven and cover with foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes. This step is crucial! Whey protein browns really easily. Adding the foil will help keep the browning under control. Also, if you aren’t using yeast, make sure to leave room for the bread to rise under the foil, about 2 inches above the top of the pan. Be careful! The pan will be extremely hot!  

9. The “toothpick test” is useless. The most accurate way to determine if the bread is done is with a baking thermometer. I personally don’t own one, but the timing prescribed in steps 7 and 8 has worked well for me. I should add that my Tappan brand oven is very old. I’m not 100% assured of its temperature accuracy.   

10. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes.  

11. Remove from pan and let it finish cooling on cooling rack for 15 – 20 minutes before slicing. For the best slices, use a bread knife.  

12. The bread should keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for about 7-10 days. The bread container I bought fits the bread made in the pullman pan perfectly! Again, OCD is happy.     

If you search for House of Hotard Bread on My Fitness Pal, you should be able to find both for easy tracking. 😊 

•  Servings with pullman pan: 27 Half-Inch Slices / Calories: 109 Per Slice  
• Fat: 7.7g / Net Carbs: 1.2g / Protein: 7.2g  
• Almond Serving: 3.27g (recommended almond serving a day is 28g)  
• Erythritol Serving: 2.3g (recommended < 50g)    

• Servings with 9 x 5 pan: 18 Half-Inch Slices / Calories: 159 Per Slice  
• Fat: 10.9g / Net Carbs: 1.8g / Protein: 10.8g  
• Almond Serving: 4.56g (recommended almond serving a day is 28g)  
• Erythritol Serving: 3.33g (recommended < 50g)    

Monetary Costs vs. Health Costs 

What is making your own bread worth to you? In part 2, not only will I break down the monetary cost per loaf, but I’ll also talk about the health benefits! What exactly is in certain store-bought, gluten-free and grain-free, breads and why you should care.  

 Some Knowledge for Those That Are Hungry to Learn 

Coconut products seem to get shunned often because it is a saturated fat.  

1. Saturated fats consist of a GROUP of fatty acids. Each individual fatty acid has its own health benefits and risks. 
2. Coconut flour/oil (MTC oil) is a medium-chain fatty acid. It is easily absorbed into the bloodstream, which gives your body immediate energy. Personally, I eat coconut flour pancakes as my pre-workout snack, and it has never failed me, whether I’m weightlifting or doing a high-intensity workout.  
3. It also promotes heart health, supports a healthy metabolism, aids in skin health, and supports a strong immune system. 
4. Coconut oil is comprised of mainly lauric acid. Google can better explain this than I can, but it is basically a virus and bacteria killer.    

So don’t shun the coconut, just eat it.    

Until next time,  

Tami

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