This keto yeast bread is so soft and light, with a fluffy and elastic crumb! It tastes 100% like regular white bread, yet it has just 1.5g net carbs per slice. It is the low carb sandwich bread I've been dreaming about for years.
This bread started with an email from my reader Paul. He sent me his keto bread recipe that he makes in a bread machine, along with photos of the finished loaf. I tweaked the recipe a little to my liking and couldn't believe how good the result was.
I've made plenty of low carb bread over the years, but this one is completely different. It uses vital wheat gluten, which gives the bread the stretchy texture of classic yeasty wheat bread. The taste? Fully and utterly like proper bread.
It's also a full-sized loaf. Keto breads are often small and compact because low carb ingredients such as almond flour are so nutrient-dense. Watching this dough double in size and bake into a regular-sized sandwich loaf was incredibly satisfying.
This bread is NOT GLUTEN FREE, because it uses wheat gluten. But, it is still VERY LOW IN CARBS.
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Katrin's Recipe Highlights
Just Like Proper Bread. It has authentic bread taste and texture. You can bend a slice without breaking, press it down and watch it spring right back up.
A Full-Sized Loaf. The yeast dough doubles in size and bakes into a proper 9x5 inch sandwich loaf. No tiny keto bread slices here!
Only 1.5g net carbs. That's per generous, thick, satisfying slice.
Perfect for Sandwiches and Toast. It slices beautifully, holds fillings without falling apart and turns crisp and golden in the toaster. I am in sandwich heaven right now. In big sandwich heaven.
Ingredients
Here is what you need to know about the ingredients and possible substitutes. (See the recipe card for exact amounts.)
- Yeast - Instant dried yeast powder, or fast acting / quick yeast. I have made the bread with Allinsons Time Saver yeast as well as Doves Farm Quick yeast. It helps the bread rise and gives it that light and fluffy crumb structure.
- Inulin - This is a gently sweet prebiotic fibre that I use in place of sugar to activate the yeast. As a replacement, it is possible to use honey or sugar. Yes, even that is 100% keto friendly! The yeast feeds on the carbs during fermentation. Important: Low carb sweetener does not activate yeast and you cannot use it here.
- Water - Must be warm water (think baby bath temperature), not hot or cold. Hot water can kill yeast!
- Eggs - I have made the bread with 2 whole eggs and also with 3 egg whites. The egg white bread is ever so slightly lower in fat and higher in protein. The taste is pretty much the same.
- Olive oil - I used a light olive oil to keep the recipe dairy-free. You can also make the bread with softened butter, which is what Paul did. Exact amounts for this swap are in the recipe card notes.
- Wheat Gluten - This is not the same as wheat flour! Vital Wheat Gluten is made from the natural protein found in wheat. It is high in protein (80%) and very low carb. It gives the bread its elastic structure. There are no substitutes for the wheat gluten. It is essential for this bread.
- Oat Fibre - It is a zero carb, insoluble fibre made from the outer husks of the oat. It adds bulk to the bread. It is keto friendly and NOT the same as oat flour! I used Groovy Keto.
- Golden Flaxseed - Golden Flax meal has a milder taste than brown flax and it adds earthy "wholemeal" flavor to the bread.
I don't recommend any other substitutions such as almond flour, coconut flour or psyllium husk.
Instructions
It is simple to make keto yeast bread. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
PREPARATIONS
- Grease the inside of a 9x5 inch silicone loaf pan with olive oil. If using a metal loaf pan, line it with parchment paper.
- Mill whole flaxseeds into a flour with a food processor or spice / coffee grinder. Shop-bought ground golden flax also needs to be reground into a finer flour.
- Bring eggs to room temperature.
- Set out digital kitchen scales to measure the flours. I'm not giving you US cup measurements for this recipe on purpose. You'll get the best results with scales.
METHOD
STEP 1
Put the yeast, inulin and warm water into a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and put it in a warm place to activate the yeast, 15-20 minutes.
Visual clue: A thick layer of foam on top.
STEP 2
Add all remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix for 5 minutes with an electric mixer using dough hook attachments (whisk attachments won't work).
The mixture starts out crumbly and turns into a smooth, supple and elastic dough.
STEP 3
Stretch the dough into a large rectangle, about as wide as your bread pan.
STEP 4
Roll the dough into a log.
STEP 5
Place the dough log seam side down into the prepared loaf pan.
STEP 6
Loosely cover the pan with clingfilm (lightly oil it on the underside so it won't stick to the dough) and wrap the bread pan into a kitchen towel.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes until it has doubled in size.
STEP 7
Bake the bread until the bread has risen and a golden crust has formed on top, around 42-48 minutes depending on type of pan.
The loaf should feel light and sound hollow when you tap it.
Let the bread cool for a few minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and let it come to room temperature on a cooling rack, 90 minutes.
Katrin's Top Tips
Don't rush the steps. Stick to the recommended yeast activation time, mixing duration, rising time and cooling time of the bread. This ensures that the dough is elastic without holes, and the bread texture is fluffy and light.
Pans matter. Bread bakes and browns slightly quicker in metal loaf pans because they conduct heat. Check towards the lower end of the baking duration recommendation. In a silicone pan, which is what I used, the bread took 47 minutes.
Cool the bread fully. Wait for 90 minutes until it has firmed up and is easy to slice.
Bread Machine Keto Bread
My reader Paul sent the images above of this yeast bread recipe that he made in his Panasonic Bread Machine.
He used the standard bread cycle, adding the dry ingredients first and the wet ingredients on top. His loaf turned out very light, soft and fluffy (the top got accidentally squished).
Paul used butter instead of olive oil. Also, he used more yeast (1 tablespoon), which may be the reason why his bread deflated a bit. Too much yeast can make bread collapse.
Check out the image above ⬆️. Can you see how elastic and soft the bread is where I press down on it with the knife? The texture is just like classic white bread!
Serving Suggestion
The bread slices easily and is perfect for sandwiches or golden brown toast. For breakfast, try it with sugar free strawberry jam, keto nutella, a fried egg or mashed avocado.
For lunch, re-create all those sandwiches we enjoyed pre-low carb. Think BLT, Ploughman's or a tuna melt with my keto tuna salad as a filler. Or, simply spread a slice with butter and serve it with keto chicken soup.
I had mine today with avocado, lettuce, tomato and cheese (see image below).
FAQs and Troubleshooting
You need to mix the dough for longer to let the elastic gluten structure develop. Mix until the dough is supple and smooth, without holes when you gently stretch it.
The most likely cause is that the yeast did not activate properly. After 15-20 minutes, it should have a thick layer of foam on top. Also, make sure the water is warm but not hot, the eggs are room temperature and the dough rises in a warm, draught-free place.
Yes. Start mixing the dough with a spatula. Then, knead it for AT LEAST 5 minutes with your hands on a kitchen surface until the stretchy gluten structure forms and the dough is elastic and supple.
Yes, you can add a handful of seeds such as sesame, pumpkin, sunflower or poppy for a wholegrain seeded loaf.
Storage
I store the bread in a bread tin for up to 4 days.
The bread freezes well for up to 3 months. I slice it first. This way, I can pop a slice at a time straight into the toaster.
More Keto Bread Recipes
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Recipe
Keto Yeast Bread
Equipment
- 9x5 rectangular bread pan I used a silicone pan
- digital kitchen scales to measure flours
Ingredients
- 250 ml warm water 1 cup plus 1 tbsp, not hot
- 2 teaspoon instant dried yeast 7g
- 1.5 tablespoon inulin or use sugar/honey (low carb sweetener DOES NOT WORK)
- 175 g Vital Wheat Gluten I used NKD Living
- 50 g Oat Fibre I used Groovy Keto
- 70 g Golden Flaxseed Mill whole seeds to a flour. Also regrind ground flax into a finer flour.
- 60 ml light olive oil
- 2 large eggs MUST BE ROOM TEMPERATURE, or 3 egg whites, 100g
- 1-1.5 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Prep
- Grease the inside of a 9x5 inch silicone loaf pan with olive oil. If using a metal loaf pan, line it with parchment paper. Regrind ground golden flax into a finer flour with a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Bring eggs to room temperature.
Proof yeast
- Put the yeast and inulin (Recipe Notes 1) into a large mixing bowl with the warm water. Whisk with a balloon whisk or fork to combine. Cover with a kitchen cloth and put the bowl in a warm place to activate the yeast (Recipe Notes 2). This takes around 15-20 minutes. It will create a thick layer of foam on top.
Mix Dough
- Add all ingredients to the mixing bowl with the yeast. Mix for 5 minutes with an electric mixer using dough hook attachments (whisk attachments won't work). The mixture starts out crumbly and turns into a smooth, supple dough (Recipe Notes 3).
- On a clean kitchen surface and with clean hands, stretch the dough into a 9 inch wide, large rectangle.
- Roll the dough into a log, starting from the narrow side, and place it into the prepared loaf pan seam side down.
Let Dough Rise
- Loosely cover the pan with clingfilm (oil it on the underside so it won't stick to the dough) and wrap the bread pan into a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place (Recipe Notes 2) for 60-90 minutes until it has doubled in size. Option to score the top with a knife.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 190C / 375F and bake the bread for 42-48 minutes (Recipe Notes 4) until the loaf has risen and a golden crust has formed on top. It should feel light and sound hollow when you tap the top.
- Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack to let it cool to room temperature (90 minutes, Recipe Notes 5).
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