Low Carb Bread (Chia & Almond Flour)

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 about bread. The good news is, there are plenty of low carb bread recipes using grain free flours. These will not spike your insulin levels 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 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 low carb 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 1/2 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.

The sunflower seeds are optional. Any other seeds would work just as well – sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds, for example.

Ready to try out some more low carb bread?

I have plenty of coconut and almond flour bread recipes on the blog. Check out my rustic Paleo bread with seeds, this flaxseed bread with coconut flour or this lusciously chewy-crunchy low carb garlic bread.

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5 from 5 votes

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Chia Almond Low Carb Bread

This chia almond bread recipe has a texture just like whole-wheat bread and can be baked as an easy-to-slice loaf or as rolls. A perfect everyday low carb bread, this recipe is gluten free, Keto and delicious with sweet and savoury toppings. No eggy taste!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British, German

Keyword almond bread recipe, keto bread, low carb bread

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 107 kcal

Author Katrin

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 1/2 tbsp if using psyllium husk powder)
• 3 tbsp / 30g chia seeds
• 1/2 tbsp / 6g baking powder
• 1/2 tsp / large pinch salt
• 2 tbsp / 15g sunflower seeds optional

Instructions

1. Line a small loaf tin (450ml capacity) with parchment paper. 

2. In a bowl, mix the eggs and quark with an electric mixer until smooth.

3. Add the almond flour/ground almonds, coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until fully combined.  

4. Last, add the chia seeds and psyllium husks. Add the sunflower seeds if you're using them. 

5. 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. 

6. Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius / 340 Fahrenheit. 

7. Bake for around 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

Quark is a German cooking cheese. If you cannot source it, you can substitute with Greek yoghurt.

I used a small loaf tin (18 x 9 cm / 7 x 3.5 inch) like this one (450ml volume). It is half the size of a full size loaf tin/bread pan. I'm finding it really useful because low carb bread is filling and denser than wheat bread. Less is more 🙂

The sunflower seeds taste good in the bread, but are not necessary for the texture. You can leave them out or replace them with sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition is calculated per slice on the basis of 12 slices. A portion is 1 - 2 slices, depending on how hungry you are. 2 slices of this bread are VERY filling.

 

Nutrition Facts

Chia Almond Low Carb Bread

Amount Per Serving

Calories 107 Calories from Fat 57

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6.3g 10%

Total Carbohydrates 6.3g 2%

Dietary Fiber 3.9g 16%

Sugars 0.3g

Protein 7.6g 15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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