This chia almond low carb bread recipe has a texture just like whole-wheat bread and can be baked as a loaf or as rolls. A perfect everyday grain free bread, this easy recipe is gluten free, Keto and delicious with sweet and savoury toppings. No eggy taste!
Bread. Do you love it as much as I do?
When I first went low carb, I thought I had to give up bread forever as grains are off the menu. Wheat and other grains contain easy-to-digest carbohydrates that the body converts into glucose (=sugar). Eating grains provides a short term energy boost and will spike your blood sugar - whether you choose a white loaf or a "healthy" whole-wheat one. Shortly after, your insulin levels plummet and you'll feel hungry again.
As Dr Willam Davis writes, 2 slices of whole-wheat bread raise blood sugar higher than 6 teaspoons of table sugar. Read his book Wheat Belly, which explains in detail why we should ditch wheat and other grains - it's an eye-opener.
So much for the bad news. The good news is, there are plenty of bread recipes using grain free flours. These will not spike your insulin levels the way regular bread does AND they taste absolutely delicious.
I am so happy with this almond flour bread - it might just be my all time favourite. The texture reminds me of a whole-wheat bread. It's soft, with a tender crunch in the crust.
The secret ingredient in this low carb bread recipe is quark.
What is quark?
Quark is a German cooking cheese, which is made by heating soured milk until it curdles. It is available in larger supermarkets in the UK and Northern Europe. In the US you can get it online or in delis/natural food stores.
Why does quark work so well in this recipe?
Recipes using almond flour can result in a crumbly, dry texture because of the lack of gluten. The quark makes up for this and gives this low carb loaf a wonderfully moist bread-like texture.
Any other benefits?
Yes! Quark makes this recipe also less heavy than other grain free bread recipes, because you use it in place of fats such as butter or coconut oil. With almond flour or almond meal containing plenty of healthy fats on its own, you still get that lovely low carb long-term energy boost.
If you have difficulties sourcing it, you can replace the quark with Greek yoghurt. This will alter the taste slightly, but it would still work well.
Expert tips to make the perfect chia almond low carb bread:
You can use black or white chia, whichever you can get hold of. These awesome superfood seeds are not only packed with nutrients, they also act as a binder. That's why you only need 3 eggs for this bread. Other recipe use as many as six eggs. Less eggs = zero eggy taste!!!
Psyllium husk provides an extra dose of fibre, which we all need for a well-functioning digestion. It gives the bread more substance and that whole-wheat taste. Check what kind pf psyllium you have - if you want to use psyllium powder, use only 1 ½ tbsp as opposed to the 3 tbsp stated for the crushed husks.
Both almond flour and almond meal (or ground almonds) work in this recipe. The added coconut flour further improves the bread-like texture and taste.
Important!! I used a small loaf tin (18 x 9 cm / 7 x 3.5 inch) like this one (450ml volume) - it is about half the size of regular loaf tins. Low carb breads tend to be extremely filling as they are nutrient-dense, that's why this smaller size is just perfect. If you want to use a full-size loaf tin, you would need to double the recipe and increase the oven time by probably around 15 minutes or so.
If you do not have a small loaf tin and don't want to double the recipe, you can make Keto rolls instead of almond bread. Let the dough rest until the chia and psyllium have absorbed all moisture before you attempt to handle the dough!
Can you freeze this bread?
Absolutely! I like to pre-slice my loaves and pop each slice straight from the freezer in the toaster. This is meal planning the German way - we were brought up on bread and I just NEED to know I can have a sandwich when I feel like one!
The sunflower seeds are optional. Any other seeds would work just as well - sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, for example.
Next time I make this bread, I want to try to separate the eggs and whisk the egg whites, then fold them in last. This way you may get an even fluffier and lighter result.
Ready to try out some more keto bread?
I have plenty of coconut and almond flour bread recipes on the blog. Check out my rustic Paleo bread with seeds, this soft fluffy flaxseed bread with coconut flour or this lusciously chewy-crunchy low carb garlic bread.
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Everyday Low Carb Bread
from sugarfreelondoner.comNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 250 g / 1 cup quark (use Greek yoghurt as an alternative)
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup / 100g almond flour/meal or ground almonds
- 2 tbsp / 12g coconut flour
- 3 tbsp / 18g psyllium husks 1 ½ tbsp if using psyllium husk powder)
- 3 tbsp / 30g chia seeds
- ½ tbsp / 6g baking powder
- ½ tsp / large pinch salt
- 2 tbsp / 15g sunflower seeds optional
Instructions
- Line a small loaf tin (450ml capacity) with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix the eggs and quark with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add the almond flour/ground almonds, coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until fully combined.
- Last, add the chia seeds and psyllium husks. Add the sunflower seeds if you're using them.
- Fill the dough into the loaf tin and let it rest for 15 minutes so the psyllium and the chia can absorb the liquid. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the top.
- Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit.
- Bake for around 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Alison says
Looks great and I want to try it out but I am having trouble sourcing chia seeds in NZ due to supply chain issues - is there something an alternative I could use instead ?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would go with ground flaxseed.
Alison says
Thanks - would that still be 3tbsp ?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would use the same amount, and then judge the consistency of your dough.
Christopher P Sprott says
Can I use philidelphia full fat in place of Quark, I'm having problems finding full fat quark.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Greek yoghurt or even plain natural yoghurt (firm, not runny) is a better alternative.
Dave says
I use cream cheese and it works just fine.
Karri-Ann says
Fabulous recipe! Used crème fraîche instead of quark and was not disappointed! Thanks Chef!
Lizzy says
Hi Katrin. I just found your site today and tried this recipe. It came out perfect. I didn't have a small loaf pan so just molded a smaller version with some tinfoil inside my larger one. It cooled and I had a taste with some soft butter, yum!! It's a really great recipe!! I thought it might taste like coconut flour but it doesn't. I look forward to trying many of your other recipes beginning with the cracker recipe from Fat Head. I've put on some pandemic weight and I'm returning to a low carb, mostly grain free lifestyle.
Best wishes to you in the new year and thank you,
Lizzy
dawn roper says
is the baking process with or without fan force
Katrin Nürnberger says
It's electric, without fan. Lower the temperature by 20C for a fan forced oven.
Jennifer says
Hi, I've made this and also the "best ever almond flour" bread recipe, both taste great but I'm having problems with the bread being a bit soggy, it's not under baked I don't think, do you have any tips or insight into why I might be having this problem? I've made pancakes with almond flour and found that to be the same texture wise.... thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Sounds like you may not be using enough dry ingredients or too much of the wet ingredients. Measuring with scales over cups helps. If you're already doing that and the bakes are still too wet, it could be to do with your almond flour brand being coarser than the ones I use. Either reduce the liquid a little or use another couple of tablespoons of flour 🙂
MariaJudy Brunner says
Excited to bake this bread,
Katrin Nürnberger says
Good to hear! Let me know how you get on with it 🙂
Anna Gossett says
Anyone have ideas as to how to make this dairy free?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would try a coconut or almond based dairy free yoghurt. I remember a reader told me that soy yoghurt did not work well.
DawnJoey says
Really nice texture. Felt like bread. Very filling. Moist. Not caky more bready. I added a smear of butter. I baked about 8 minutes less, 37 minutes but my oven is very precise, you may have to experiment with oven times.