A soft, pillowy flaxseed bread that can be baked as a loaf, Focaccia-style or even as muffins. This bread uses coconut flour as a base and is great toasted. Great for low carb, gluten free and Paleo diets. No eggy taste!
Who loves bread? Well, who doesn’t love bread??
For many people, bread is one of those things that is impossible to give up. It’s not only delicious in a comforting kind of way (I’m thinking buttered warm toast here), it is also such an easy and transportable meal staple.
Unfortunately, two slices of wholegrain wheat bread will raise your blood sugar levels higher than eating 6 teaspoons of table sugar. You can test this yourself with a simple glucose meter – check your blood sugar between 30 to 60 minutes afterwards.
It really is astonishing that we are still being told by our governments that the bulk of your diet should come from carbs and grains.
All that’s definitely going to happen when you eat according to the food pyramid is that you end up looking like the food pyramid.
Our bodies cannot process all the excess glucose we’re consuming on a regular carb-heavy diet. It gets stored as fat around our waists and around our organs. There are predictions that by 2050 up to 90 percent of the population in the UK will be obese (today it’s 60% of the adult population, 1/3 of the children), and Type 2 Diabetes continues to be on the rise.
With wheat and other grains off the table, there still are many ways of enjoying bread when you’re on a low carb diet.
Low carb bread is generally made with either coconut flour or almond flour as a base. I have quite a few recipes on my website using either or both in combination. Try my easy low carb rolls, these low carb English muffins or this really rustic Paleo bread, which is packed with seeds.
I wanted to create a coconut flour bread recipe using flaxseed, which is super-low in carbs and a brilliant source of fibre. I decided to base it on my low carb roll recipe and after a bit of experimenting I’m excited to share the result with you here.
This coconut flour flaxseed bread recipe is delicious, easy and really versatile.
Here’s all you need to know about the recipe:
1.) The great thing about this bread is that here’s no need to whisk the egg whites until they’re stiff. You could do it if that’s your thing – it might make the bread even fluffier – but it’s pillowy and soft even without.
2.) Talking about eggs – one of the great things about this coconut flour bread is that it DOES NOT TASTE EGGY. This is because I’ve left out 3 of the egg yolks and used only the whites.
3.) The first time round, I made this coconut flour bread as a Focaccia-style flatbread. Just before I started writing this post I made it again in a silicone loaf mould (yes, I do double-check these recipes work!!). Both work well – as a loaf the bread needs 10 minutes longer in the oven.
4.) I baked my bread Focaccia-style in a 25×15 cm casserole dish. Next time, I will line it with baking paper to be able to take it out easier.
5.) You can even make flaxseed muffins with this bread recipe! In this case, the oven time will probably have to be reduced. My guess would be 25-30 minutes.
6.) I calculated the recipe as 8 portions. These portions are GENEROUS! Flax is very filling, as is coconut flour.
Recipe variations
You CAN make this flax bread with almond flour instead of coconut flour. I’d think you would have to use twice the amount of almond flour as it’s less absorbent. In this case, you’d also leave out one of the eggs.
You could top your coconut flour flaxseed bread with seeds (I tried sesame seeds, which worked well) or even mix some seeds into the dough. Or you go full-out Focaccia by adding rosemary and garlic on top.
I used olive oil in the recipe because I was after a “bread” taste. I think it masks the taste of the coconut flour well, especially in combination with the salt. This way, the bread is perfect for savoury toppings. If you wanted, you could use melted butter instead and have more of a muffin-type taste, which would be good for sweet toppings.
Here are some other delicious recipes using flaxseed:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Flaxseed Bread with Coconut Flour
A soft, pillowy flaxseed bread that can be baked as a loaf, Focaccia-style or even as muffins. This bread uses coconut flour as a base and is great toasted.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup / 75 g coconut flour
- 1/2 cup / 60 g ground flaxseed / flax meal
- 3 eggs large
- 3 egg whites large
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4.7 oz / 140 ml / water (10 tbsp)
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit.
Whisk the eggs and egg whites with an electric mixer or in a food processor until foamy.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you have a smooth dough.
Let the dough sit for a few minutes so the coconut flour and flax can absorb the moisture.
Pour the mix into a well-oiled pan (alternatively, line a pan with baking paper) and bake at 180 Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit for 35 minutes or until browned on top. It's ready when a knife inserted comes out clean.
If you prefer to bake as a loaf, increase the time in the oven by 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
I baked my bread Focaccia-style in a 25x15 cm casserole dish. Next time, I will line it with baking paper to be able to take it out easier.
When you make flaxseed muffins with this recipe, the oven time will probably have to be reduced. My guess would be 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition is calculated on the basis of 8 portions (when I cut the focaccia flaxseed bread into squares).
These portions are generous! The loaf I made on day 2 yielded 20 slices.
When I made the loaf, I used a silicone loaf mould - they are brilliant! SO much better than the regular tin pans. Nothing EVER gets stuck in a silicone mould. It will change your (bread baking) life!!
The bread freezes well.
(This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link like this and purchase a product, I receive a small commission – at no extra cost to you. This money helps me with the running costs of my site.)
Deborah says
Katrin, have you had any experience using LUPIN (or lupine) FLOUR in baking? I just bought a pound of it and am searching for low carb recipes using it and there really aren’t many.
Found this on a low carb site:
Bread and cake dough becomes looser and more fluffy with lupine flour.
Lupine flour can replace the soy flour in recipes that contain soy flour.
Like flaxseed, it is very very low carb…..30g has 21g of carb but 11g of that is fiber.
It sounds like it might behave more like coconut flour that almond flour…..and I though this bread recipe might be a good one to try subbing a bit of lupin flour for the coconut flour (thought I would start with 2 – Tbs and see how that goes). Was hoping if you had any experience with it you might steer me in the right direction. Thanks looking forward to your comments
Katrin says
Hi Deborah, I was sent a packet of lupin flour recently and I haven’t tried it yet. Thanks for the nudge, I must experiment with it. I was thinking of using it for “breading” chicken and veggies instead of almond flour, which burns so quickly. I haven’t looked into using it in sweet recipes yet, time for some research 🙂
CHARLENE says
I love the flavour and held up nicely. Unfortunately I am a terrible baker so it did not rise more than what the dough consisted of. Still very delicious. I was missing “bread” for breakfast and this just fits the bill. Will keep trying. Thanks.
Katrin says
Using room temperature ingredients, fresh baking powder an beating the eggs to create air inside the dough should help to make your bread fluffier. 🙂
karen says
Interesting about flax seeds/ linseeds. here in Ecuador flax seeds are only 060 per pound so it is worth it to cultivate a taste, which i find difficult because everything, to me, ends up tasting like, well, gummy flax seeds! However, I do grind up my own flax seeds almost by recipe because not a lot is needed.
Just a point here: If you grind more than you need please put in the fridge or freezer. Most nut and seed flours may go rancid if left out.
Katrin says
Yes, that is true! Flax does have a bit of an individual taste, although I think that golden flax has a more gentle flavour than the brown flax. And you are absolutely right about leaving it in the freezer once ground so it does not oxidise.
karen says
what size loaf pan – metal or silicone? thanks
Katrin says
I prefer silicone over metal, because it’s non stick. However, a metal loaf pan works too – i’d use parchment paper cut into 2 strips so you can line all sides of the pan. you can use a regular size loaf pan like the one I have linked to in the post. That way you will get a flatter loaf (low carb bread does not rise as much as wheat) that will not rise above the top of the pan. I have a half size small loaf tin which holds 450ml and produces a loaf that is taller than wide.
Averill says
Hello,
I can’t wait to try baking this tomorrow!! Been on the hunt for a gf and almond meal/flour free bread for a while!
Just a quick question – I don’t have a food processor/blender at the moment. Only a hand held stick.
Would I be okay to just beat the eggs then mix in all the ingredients really well in a mixing bowl?
Thanks xx
Katrin says
Yes, that should be fine! Just make sure you’re beating the eggs until they’re nice and frothy to get plenty of air into the dough
Toni Leggate says
My husband made this today but misread and left out the baking powder, water and salt! He said he didn’t know why it was called a batter! I said the flax and coconut flour might be more absorbent! Even so it was delicious especially with cream cheese and smoked salmon for tea.
This will be made again – properly with all ingredients and I will re-report what I fully expect to be a triumph, Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Katrin says
Glad you all liked it!!!
Ioana says
Hi Katrin,
Thank you for your reply. For some reason I couldn’t reply directly to your comment, sorry. I will definitely try the fathead pizza dough now that I made your cinnamon rolls (awesome, btw!) and I saw how easy it is to work with a dough made mainly of cheese. I guess I was just not ready to process this information, lol.
Thanks for all the yummy recipes and the information you offer in there, I’m glad I discovered your page.
Ioana
Ioana says
Hi Katrin,
After reading your recipe and by the look of the bread (which I can’t wait to try tomorrow morning! 🙂 ), I’m wondering if the dough/ batter would work for a pizza base? I’ve been on Keto for a couple of months now and I kinda miss pizza – and for some reason, I’m not ready yet to jump in the fathead pizza dough boat. Everywhere I look online that seems to be the only thing people are using for pizza, but I’d rather have a more “real” feel/ texture/ crumb to it.
So, have you ever tried using it as a pizza base, please?
Thank you!
Katrin says
I have never tried it, but I guess it could work. However, the fathead pizza dough is AMAZING and you REALLY should try it – it comes close to an actual pizza base. I have a super easy recipe on my site, you should check it out – low carb pizza.
James says
Mine’s just come out of the oven. Should I leave to cool in the tin or take it out?
Katrin says
Definitely let it cool completely in the tin, unless you used parchment paper.
Sally says
Have you worked out how much protein is in a serving?
Katrin says
hi Sally, I’ve just added it in – 7.5g per portion.
Samer says
Thanks for the awesome recipe. I made it yesterday and it tastes soo good. I’m still not sure what to consider a serving when I’m counting my macros. Can you please elaborate on that?
Thank you
Keep doing your thing, we love it
Katrin says
The focaccia-style flatbread I cut into 8 squares, so the nutrition I calculated is for 1/8 of the recipe. (Each square I then cut into 2 slices/halves.)
Jaime says
Can this be made in the bread machine? If yes, which setting should be used?
Katrin says
I’m afraid I have no idea – I’ve never used a bread machine! Sorry I can’t be of help
Oy says
Hi, thanks for the recipe. Dont yiu add any sweeteners toyour bread?
Katrin says
I don’t think it’s necessary, but you can always experiment with a bit if you’re after a sweet loaf!
Sonia says
Thank you for the recipe!! I added some olives and cheese and it was delicious!!!
Katrin says
Ooooh, that sounds yum!
Wowa says
I love the taste and texture. Not eggy. Thanks for the recipe.
Katrin says
Glad you like it!!
Pat says
Good texture but too coconutty to me. I even put in savory flavor of Everything but the Bagel seasoning. (garlic, onion, sesame) If I put more flaxmeal in and less coconut flour do you think I should change the amount any of any other ingredients. I get stomach upset from almond flour.
Katrin says
Hi Pat, you can experiment with changing the quantities of the flax and coconut flour, but I would not adjust the other ingredients as well.
Rosie Ellett says
Hi,
I added the 5 spoonfuls of oil to the mix, just wanted to check that was right?
House smells amazing!
Rosie
Katrin says
yes, that’s what I did!
Valerie says
Love this recipe! I add 1 tsp of sea salt , make 12 muffins I freeze and pull one out for my breakfast each day. Great with low-fat cheese or natural peanut butter. Thanks!
Katrin says
That’s great to hear – thank you for your comment!
Stacia Jahnke says
HI Karin! This bread looks so delicious, I can’t wait to try it! I grind my own flax seed…does it make a difference whether they are golden flax seed or regular? Thanks!!!
Katrin says
I don’t think it would make a difference. Happy baking!
joanne DULL says
I tried this last night and oh my goodness! It was delish. I didn’t make a loaf though. I formed them into round buns on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Excellent!!!!
Katrin says
What a great idea!!!!
AnjaPC says
Excellent bread – easy to make – good for a European taste buds (some paleo breads are plain awful regardless of raving comments)
Katrin says
Glad you like it Anja!
Claire says
Hi do you think you could use powdered egg whites whipped up to replace the 3 egg whites – I have a load of it!! Thanks
Katrin says
I’ve never used powdered egg whites, but why not? It’s the same thing 🙂 Let me know if you’re happy with the result!
Claire says
Have made this bread now numerous times and with the egg white powder…..turned out great each time!! Thanks fornthe recipe.
J. Refstrup says
Absolutely delish! Followed exactly ain’t missing any words’ from your recipe & voila!! Thank you so much ! ( … enjoyed half loaf of this when it was out of the oven. ☝with& ☕️ but I can tell ya it’s already good to eat it on its own!)
Katrin says
Wonderful! Glad it was a success 🙂
Valerie says
Thanks so much for this great recipe! Best low carb, healthy bread I’ve made so far!
Katrin says
Wonderful! Glad you like it 🙂
Esther says
Wow! I just pulled out my bread from the oven it’s amazing!! Fluffy and tasty! I was inspired by the pics so i loaded it with cream cheese and a bit of salmon with some salt,pepper and a cherry tomato. Heaven. I definitely making this again and try the muffin version, make it maybe a little sweeter with some sort of natural sweetener.
Thank you!!. My low carb lifestyle is getting more and more easy.
Esther, London
Katrin says
Glad you like it!!!
Melissa Michaud says
Thank you thank you! Finally a bread without the eggy taste!! I put ginger and cardamom in mine and this was delish! Yum! 🙂
Katrin says
That sounds delicious
Hema Teji says
Top marks for taste, ease of making and readily available keto ingredients! This is easily the best tasting keto bread around and doesnt taste eggy or coconutty go figure! Any plans to make a sweet version of this, I think the texture lends itself well to muffins or cupcakes. Would adding cocoa or sweetners affect the texture?
Katrin says
If you add a lot of cocoa powder and sweetener, your mix would become drier. This could affect the texture. But as you have made the bread without, you know exactly how thick your dough should be. If you find it gets too dry, just add some cream or another liquid
gerard kaye says
hi do you call one slice a serving—-or—–2 slices? thanks—-yummmm
Katrin says
Hi Gerard, it would be roughly 2 slices. My focaccia yielded 8 squares (you can see in the photo), the bread I was able to cut into 20 slices.
kim says
I made this bread and it turned out great. I used chicken bone broth instead of water and sprinkled in rosemary and sage too. I added a teeny bit of honey as well and cooked it in a cast iron skillet. Even my kids liked it!
Katrin says
Wow, that’s some cool recipe alterations! Thanks for sharing these great ideas 🙂
Jo says
Really wanted this to work but it didn’t for me… Not sure why. The bread didn’t raise at all. When I mixed the dough it was like a dough instead of the batter consistency Katrin mentioned… I’m not sure if the large size eggs I have are smaller… Anyways when I mix the dough it seemed dry. Wondering would you suggest for me to add extra egg or water or oil?
Katrin says
Hi Jo, I don’t think it has anything to do with the eggs. Did you measure the ingredients with either a scale or US cups? That’s always important so you get the quantities right. Also, I find that the bread rises better if the egg whites are whisked until they are firm. That locks in the air and helps it becoming fluffier. If you feel your dough is too dry, I’d add a tbsp of water over oil.
Lawren Phillips says
How much fiber and Omega 3 are in this recipe? My daughter needs both of these added to her diet..
Katrin says
Hi, this recipe has 6.5g of fibre per portion. My nutrition calculator does not include omega 3 – but the amount of flaxseed I used (flaxseed = 22g of omega3 per 100g) calculated per portion would be 1.1g. This does not include any omega 3 the other ingredients may have. Hope this helps!
Rebecca Una Sultana says
Could I use chia seeds instead of flaxseeds?
Katrin says
That’s a good idea, though I’m not sure if it would be the same amount. Definitely grind them before using! I have a great bread recipe with chia seeds and almond flour – this low carb bread
Paul Sanders says
Hi, can you tell me how long this bread will keep in the fridge?
Thanks
Paul
Katrin says
It’s fine for a few days. I normally slice my bread and freeze it straight away. When I want a slice, I stick it in the toaster to defrost.
Fer says
How many grs is each portion of bread? Is this recipe on my fitness pal?
Katrin says
Hi there, I’m sorry I don’t know – I did not weigh the bread! Even if you‘d add up the weight of the ingredients and divided by 8, you‘d end up with more weight as you‘d lose liquid through baking. It’s a generous portion though – when I made the recipe as a loaf it yielded 20 slices. The bread is filling:)
Alexa says
I went wild and experimented based on this great recipe. I used half a cup of flax seed flour and half of chickpea flour. I only added 3 eggs, 5 tbs of olive oil and 1 small greek yoghurt, plus the baking powder, ofc.
I used a muffin tray, I got 6 of them using the above quantities.
They are soooo fluffy and soft and really delicious. OMG I have been trying to find the perfect gluten free bread recipe for 3 years since I fou d out I have the celiac disease.
Thank you for inspiring me! I am really happy right now. Premix gluten free flour and premade bread are really expensive but these flours I used only cost like a third of the amount I used to spend.
So happy!
Katrin says
Thanks so much for sharing – and so happy to have inspired you!!!! I really like the idea of the yoghurt in your recipe. I must experiment on that 🙂
Fer says
How many grs is each portion of bread? Is this recipe on my fitness pal?
rani sofyan says
wow, the bread looks so delicious..
rani says
is the bread low carb???
Katrin says
yes, it is. You can see the amount of carbs in the nutritional analysis below. I deduct the fibre from the total carbs to get the net carb content. Hope you’ll try it!
Verity says
Hi there
I didn’t get much of a dough and more of a batter, but all my liquids were correct so I’m not sure what went wrong!
Katrin says
Hi Verity, how did the bread turn out though? Was it bread-y and yum? The dough is not so firm that you can knead it – maybe I should have called it batter 🙂
Michelle says
As as I write this I am sitting in front of my oven eating a warm muffin I made with this recipe topped with some kerrygold butter and it is absolute heaven ! I have been on keto diet for almost a month and this recipe helps me picture a permanent lifestyle change! Who needs carb loaded bread when this is so delicious and easy to make! Hit the spot big time! Thanks so much
Katrin says
I’m loving it! Thanks for your kind words. I”m glad you’re enjoying the bread 🙂
Susan K Simpson says
New to your site, like it very much…
One question, I appreciate your nutritionals, but unless I am blind nowhere do I see the serving size…..
Katrin says
Hi Susan, you can find it near the top of the recipe card. The nutrition for this bread is calculated on the basis of 8 servings.
Mel says
This is the best grain free/ low carb bread I have tried, soft texture and really tasty. Thanks for sharing your recipe! Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Katrin says
Hi Mel, I’m glad you found my site and that you liked the bread. Have you seen my other bread recipes? This low carb garlic bread is getting really good reviews, it’s made with fat head dough. I also love this rustic Paleo bread. The latter reminds me of the rye bread I used to eat as a kid (us Germans are big on dark breads). It’s really dense, you can cut thin slices (not crumbly at all) and it’s superb when toasted.
TheaMaria says
Could I use all egg whites? If so, how many would you recommend? (I have a stockpile of whites left over from making keto frozen custard.)
Katrin says
You could definitely try that – I wouldn’t add more eggs, just leave out the other yolks. It would be interesting to see if the coconut flour taste would come through stronger. I’d also consider adding some butter to replace the fat in the missing yolks, or add another tbsp of oil.
TheaMaria says
Great suggestions – thank you!
TheaMaria says
I decided to follow your recipe and save a few egg whites for next time. Unfortunately my bread (loaf) is dense – not at all soft or pillowy. I do like the flavor though! I just wish my loaf looked like yours. I wonder if your silicone pan is what gave you such a nice rise…
Katrin says
Hi Thea, silicone pans are definitely awesome, but I don’t think they’d make a difference in terms of outcome. The main benefit is that nothing gets stuck! When I made the focaccia, I used a glass pan, and the taste of the bread was the same. It’s always hard to say what happened when you’ve not been there yourself… maybe your oven wasn’t hot enough? of perhaps it could have been the baking powder you used? If it’s on the old side, I find it does not give the same rise. Another thing you could try is whip the egg whites until they’re stiff and fold them in last. That would definitely make the bread SUPER light (as it’s something I have to do by hand – none of my blenders get it right – I tend to avoid it when writing recipes 🙂
Hope this helps!
TheaMaria says
I opened my baking powder pretty recently and its expire date is August 12, 2019, so I doubt that’s the culprit. You may have hit the nail on the head with my oven temp though. I have a thermometer in my oven so I know it runs cold and I typically add 5°F. Maybe that wasn’t enough. I also have the option to bake with convection so I could try that. I’m going to continue experimenting because we both love the flavor of this bread. Thank you!
Michelle says
Hi there. I made this into a loaf and I love the flavor and texture. Didn’t rise much at all however. Would yeast help? Any suggestions on how to get it a little taller? It was only a couple inches high. Thanks
Katrin says
Hi Michelle, when I used a regular size bread mould for mine (you can see it in the picture inside the recipe card) and it was about half the height of a regular bread. So it did not rise massively, but it did come out of the oven taller than I put it in. If yours did not rise that much, I’d first check the expiry date of your baking powder (they do go off and are less effective after). Then you could try the following: You could try adding 1 more tsp of baking powder next time to see if that makes a difference or you could try beating the egg whites to stiff peaks and folding them in last to get more air into the dough. I have no experience with yeast and coconut flour, so cant really advise on that. Let me know if you try any of these and if it makes a difference!
Tena says
So 3 egs plus 3 egg whites or the whites from 3 large eggs?
Katrin says
3 eggs plus 3 additional egg whites. You need 6 eggs in total and use only 3 yolks. 🙂
Alison says
Hi Katrin, I was wondering if the carbohydrates listed in the nutrition facts are net carbs or not – are the net carbs 9.7g or do I need to calculate them myself? eg. 9.7g carbs minus the fibre 6.5g equalling net carbs 3.2g… in all your recipe nutition panels, which is it that you are showing? Many thanks.
Katrin says
Hello Alison, the net carbs would be the total carbs listed in the table minus the fibre – unfortunately the table does not do the calculation for us 🙂
Chris houle says
What would happen if you used the whole egg instead of just the whites?
Katrin says
It would work, but it might taste more eggy. Personally, I don’t mind that but there’s always someone who complains about it!
Jane says
This recipe looks amazing. I live in Mozambique and I am now going from shop to shop searching for ground flax seeds so that I can make it!! I have made a number of your other recipes and they’ve all been simple to make and so delicious! Thank you.
Jane says
Sadly, I haven’t been able to fin ground flax seeds here. Is there something else that I could use as a substitute? Thank you!
Katrin says
Hi Jane, I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes! If you can get whole flaxseeds, you could grind them yourself. Or is it possible at all to order them online? As a replacement…. it would all be a bit of an experiment. I think ground sesame seeds could be interesting, though I’m not sure if they absorb the same amount of moisture flax does. You’d have to let your dough sit for a bit and see if it has a good consistency. Psyllium Husk is another alternative, though I think you should not use the same amount – half max. The taste is too strong. Maybe half psyllium and half ground sesame seeds? That could work well.
Jane says
Thank you so much Katrin! I eventually found them – they called Linseeds here and I didn’t initially realize they were the same thing as flax seeds! I ground them down myself like you suggested – I used my blender and it worked easily. I just made the bread and it’s delicious!! Thanks for the recipe! Have a lovely weekend.
Katrin says
Of course! Linseeds and flaxseed is the same… I’ll add this in the recipe
Jane S says
Loved this recipe! The bread is moist and tastes good even on its own. I’ve tried many Keto bread recipes and there’s always something wrong – some are plain disgusting. Normally my family leaves me to eat my own bread, but this time they ended up eating half the loaf!
Layla says
I’ve been looking for a recipe with flaxseed. I have a tree nut allergy, so I was so happy when I found this one!
Debbie says
me Too!!! Can’t have almond flour