Simple Bread
We spent New Year’s in the mountains and partied a bit too hard with our friends Peter and Patrice. Though I did not drink a drop of alcohol, I somehow ended up with a contact hangover. Everyone around me was imbibing and I must have become intoxicated by association.
As part of my “post holiday” status, I will be baking and sharing recipes that are not dessert until the urge to bake sweets returns. Of late, several people have asked me for my gluten free bread recipe. I am satisfied with it though not thrilled. It seems though, that so many people are in need of a quick and easy gluten free bread that it is time to divulge mine. May be good for hangovers.
2½ cups blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and baking soda
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then add agave and vinegar
- Stir wet ingredients into dry
- Scoop batter into a small (approx. 6 x 3 inch) well greased loaf pan
- Bake at 300° for 45-55 minutes on bottom rack of oven; until a knife comes out clean
- Cool and serve
Makes 12 slices
This low carb, high protein, gluten free bread is a cinch to make. It is especially tasty toasted with a smear of almond butter, my favorite raspberry jelly and a sprinkle of salt.
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Subscribe by Email to elanaspantry.com:Posted on January 2, 2008 in breads by Elana
you might also like: Cranberry Walnut Bread
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49 comments for the post “Simple Bread”
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Before submitting your comment: If you are inquiring about recipe ingredients, products, substitutions or other related items on this website, please visit my FAQ page first, or visit the forums.
Thanks for this bread recipe. I will give it a try especially since I am avoiding yeast right now. I make a yeast free foccacia from the almond meal but a slice of bread appeals. And thanks for the print this addition in order to print the recipes easier.
January 17th, 2008 5:09 pm
Is the Honeywell brand of blanched almond flour better than the Bob’s Red Mill variety?
January 28th, 2008 8:41 pm
Hi M- I haven’t tried the Bob’s Red Mill brand; it retails for close to $15 per pound, whereas the Honeywell sells online for $6.29 per pound inclusive of shipping.
I really like Honeywell, though please let me know what you think of Bob’s Red Mill if that is what you are using.
Elana
January 28th, 2008 8:53 pm
My husband always complains about how many carbs are consumed when I make bread, so this really caught my attention. I’ll have to give it a try!!
February 27th, 2008 11:22 am
Is yeast gluten free?
Is ordinary bread made with yeast and say almond flour bad for gluten sensitivity?
This site looks wonderful, I am new today to it.
June 8th, 2008 7:11 pm
Hi Helen-
I don’t cook with yeast as I don’t have the patience for the rising time. I do know that there is GF yeast available as many GF bakers use it in their breads. I think if you could use a GF yeast with almond flour that would be ok. Though I’m not sure how it would taste as I haven’t tried this before.
I hope this helps to answer your questions.
Elana
June 11th, 2008 11:43 am
Hi Elana-I love the recipe for this beautiful bread,i cant wait to try it.I live in Australia and our oven degrees are different from yours-the highest our ovens go are 270 degrees-what would be your advice for the degree and time i should use,thank you.
I also want to thank you for your beautiful almond milk recipe-my little girl cant have any diary and it was so hard getting her off normal milk but with your almond milk its has been great-im going to try your cashew milk next…thanks Elana….from mell
June 14th, 2008 3:55 am
My mother-in-law has recently been baking “friendship bread”. For those who are not familiar with this bread, IT TAKES 10 DAYS TO MAKE :). She insist I take a starter, but I politely declined. The ingredients are lengthy and I do not care to indulge on the majority of the ingredients listed.
I decided to make SIMPLE Friendship BREAD. I took this recipe and incorporated 1/4 c. agave and 1 tsp. cinnamon. There was just as much love put into this recipe as its counterpart, and I enjoyed all 12 slices with no remorse.
June 16th, 2008 7:12 am
Courtney-
What can I say other than that you leave the greatest comments and they make me laugh out of sheer happiness for you (and of course your spunky writing style puts a huge smile on my face too).
You have become so confident and creative in the kitchen it is fantastic! I love this adaptation of the simple bread and will try it out myself.
Thanks,
Elana
June 16th, 2008 9:33 pm
Hi Elana, I love your site. I tried the bread and while it’s tasty, it doesn’t look like yours. Mine is brown in color, not golden. Did I do something wrong? I followed your recipe (it really is easy to make). I plan on making your Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip cookies this week-end. Thanks, Elana. Your site is awesome!!
June 18th, 2008 7:41 am
Mel- Per your question, I have added an “International” section to my FAQ’s which will provide you with a link that converts Celsius to Fahrenheit. I think this will help! Let me know how it goes.
Janie -As long as it wasn’t burned and it tasted good, then I think it’s ok. Maybe your oven is a little hotter and browned the outside of the bread. Some of the “golden” tones in the photo above are from the reflection of the silver background onto the bread. I hope this helps :-)
June 19th, 2008 4:38 pm
Hi Elana
Can either white or brown rice flour be used in the place of the almond flour for the bread?? I am allergic to wheat (gluten) and looking for all kinds of baking goodies to make. Thanks for your site its wonderful. Am from South Africa and some of the ingredients are not easily available here.
July 18th, 2008 10:11 pm
Christa,
This is indeed a frequently asked question; please see my FAQ’s for the answer.
Elana
July 21st, 2008 11:24 am
Hi Elana….I was wondering if you have any recipes for bread that has no dairy,gluten,eggs,rice,almonds or soya in it as iv just found out that my 3 year old daughter is allergic to these things and many more.
My life is so full on at the moment trying to find things for my little girl to eat,its very hard-on top of all that my daughter cant have her almond milk anymore(your recipe)and she loved it so much-i cant find any milk substitute for her.
I would be very grateful for any help,thank you from mell
July 23rd, 2008 9:30 pm
Mell,
This is the only bread recipe I have. It does have almond flour and eggs as these are essential ingredients in the majority of my baked goods.
You may want to post your question in the forums to see if any of my other readers have any suggestions or solutions for you.
You can also just try searching google as well.
Elana
July 24th, 2008 10:40 am
My granddaughter is unable to have almonds, what flour would you substitute?
July 27th, 2008 5:03 pm
Diane,
I only use almond flour and sometimes coconut flour in my recipes. I have only used almond flour for my bread recipe. So, I wouldn’t know what you could substitute.
I address substitutions on my FAQ page.
You can also post your question in the forums.
Elana
July 28th, 2008 3:13 pm
I am enjoying looking at all the recipes that you have put together. I have been instructed by my Dr. to avoid gluten… The problem that i am finding is that most recipes that are gluten free have nuts. Which i am highly allergic to. Any suggestions?
August 2nd, 2008 9:14 pm
Dawn,
You could try my recipes with coconut flour in them. Also, about 50% of my recipes are nut free.
Take a look at my salad, chicken and beverage recipes too. Or just browse around my site, I’m sure you’ll find something that can work for you.
Thanks,
Elana
August 4th, 2008 9:53 am
Thank you Elana for this recipe. I tried the Simple Bread recipe last week with fantastic results! Although I used a larger pan than the recipe calls for, and ended up with a slightly ’smaller’ loaf, I was quite pleased. The best part? It stayed much fresher, much longer than most bread recipes I’ve tried in the past. It sat on my kitchen counter wrapped in tin foil for about a week and was lovely until the last slice. I’m going to try doubling the recipe and baking one large loaf. I’ll post my results as soon as I do. Lovely site, Thanks again.
September 1st, 2008 4:18 am
Dear Lani,
Thanks for stopping by and for your wonderful feedback. I hope you will let us know how this turns out when you double the recipe.
Thanks,
Elana
September 4th, 2008 12:10 pm
Hi!
I’ve been reading all over the place and realized that gluten causes my horribly horrible eczema… so I’m attempting to cut it out of my diet… problem is, I loooove baking.
I went out and bought the whole, tapioca/rice/potato flour and mixed it all up with some guar gum in an attempt to make some muffins. It went.. well.. not horribly wrong, they’re edible… but not “right”
They’re “heavy” and quite chewy. Looking at your picture, the bread looks like it would be pretty light and similar to normal gluten filled breads.
Does using almond and coconut flour eliminate this “heavy” chewyness?
Thanks :)
September 6th, 2008 5:41 pm
Hi Amanda,
Since I haven’t eaten the type of gluten free food you mention above in over a decade, I’m probably not the one to answer your question. You could try my forums section where you might get a better answer. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Elana
September 8th, 2008 9:41 am
Elana,
My Mom made your carrot cake for my daughter and everyone enjoyed it. My daughter was so excited as she has not had cake in over a year! I would like to make your bread recipe for her, but she cannot have vinegar. I may try it with lemon juice to see how this will work. We have not been able to find any kind of bread she can have as everything we find in the store has something she cannot eat in the ingredients. If this works she will be very happy again.
Thank you for sharing your receipes.
Debbie Wulff
September 11th, 2008 7:18 am
Dear Debbie,
Thanks for your comment, so glad that your daughter enjoyed the carrot cake. Let me know how the experiment with the bread turns out (replacing vinegar with lemon juice). I don’t think that substitution will be a problem, though am not sure since I haven’t tried it myself.
Take Care,
Elana
September 11th, 2008 11:24 am
I tried this bread last night and I like it a lot! It was yummy straight out of the oven with a little butter and agave. I had a slice today with peanut butter and jam and it was still moist and yummy! I am thinking I want to make french toast with this bread and see how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe!
September 11th, 2008 11:38 am
Jenni,
Thanks for your comment, glad you liked the bread.
Elana
September 11th, 2008 12:44 pm
I tried Honeywell almond flour and it was great! It is like a night and day difference between Bob Mills and Honeywell. I had several failed recipes using Bob Mills because it is just too coarse. I made pancakes and pound cake with Honeywell and the pancakes looked and tasted like regular pancakes! The pound cake was a little different than a regular wheat flour one, maybe a little more dense and not quite as absorbent but, it was still very close. I was impressed. Thanks Elana for telling us about it and for recipes and…for everything!
Penny
September 11th, 2008 1:52 pm
It’s 10 days since I made this loaf for the first time and now I’ve doubled the recipe. I can safely say that it works beautifully as a ‘double size’ loaf. I’ve just pulled it out of the oven and sliced into the middle (after letting it cool, of course!) and it’s perfectly done. I did leave it in for 80 minutes, so I hope that is helpful for those trying to double this loaf. I’m sensing french toast for breakfast…
September 11th, 2008 2:20 pm
Lani,
Thanks for sharing! What size pan did you use for the double recipe? And did you bake it on the middle rack in your oven?
Thanks,
Penny
September 12th, 2008 8:36 am
Penny -I’m glad that the recipes are turning out for you; yes, they work well with a finely ground almond flour such as Honeyville.
Lani -Thanks for your report on doubling the size of this recipe!
September 15th, 2008 10:57 am
Hi:
I am looking for a gluten free way to make a substitute 3/4 white - 1/4 wheat dough that is organic and gluten free.
The dough is used to make fruit squares for my toddler. I have found all the gluten free flours; the ones that sound similar to what I need are not organic. The organic gluten free flours seem too light… I am looking for a firm dough base. Thanks.
September 20th, 2008 9:04 pm
Dear JoAnn,
As you can see, I use almond flour and coconut flour in my recipes; It sounds as though you are using a wide array of flours with which I am not familiar.
Further, I experiment 5 to 10 times to come up with each dish and do not have a simple substitution formula that would answer your question.
Your best bet would be to post your query in the forums –there are many experienced gluten free foodies there who might be able to help you. Sorry I cannot be of more assistance.
Best,
Elana
September 21st, 2008 11:57 am
Hi, and thanks for your reply.
I don’t use a wide array of flour… simply 1/2 organic white and 1/2 organic wheat.
I found a gluten free flour today at Whole Foods that seems to be a simply prepared mixture, unlike others which use a “wide array” of gluten free flours and other ingredients.
Thanks for attempting to help.
Jo Ann
September 21st, 2008 2:30 pm
Dear Elana,
Do you use this bread for bread crumbs in recipes? I come across recipes that sound good that require bread crumbs (ex. Parmesan Chicken) but I wanted to see if you have already tried this. I apologize if you have already answered my question somewhere else on your site. I just didn’t see anything in my search. Thank you!
Jenni
September 21st, 2008 8:09 pm
Dear Jenni,
Thanks for your comment. I haven’t used this bread for breadcrumbs and am not sure how it would work. If you do try it out, I hope you’ll stop back by and let us know your results.
Thanks Again,
Elana
September 23rd, 2008 11:29 am
Where did I go wrong? I used the brand of almond flour you suggest and followed your instructions but my bread did not rise a bit. It is the size of biscotti. It tastes good, a bit dry, but I smoothered honey on a piece and it’s good but it is so tiny. HELP……..thanks!!!!!!
September 23rd, 2008 1:14 pm
Dear Hannah,
Thanks for writing to me with your baking frustration. To get to the bottom of this type of matter takes a little detective work. Can you let me know the following regarding the bread:
Bread is fussy, substituting or leaving out even one ingredient could ruin your loaf.
Thanks,
Elana
September 24th, 2008 11:45 am
1) honeywell
2) sea salt
3) yes
4) yes, wholesome raw agave
5) yes, braggs
6) That I would need to check on.
Thanks for investigating for me.
September 24th, 2008 4:59 pm
This bread looks delicious, I’m gonna give it a try…I think it could also be interesting to experiment with different nut flours too.
I have 2 questions though:
1/Why the use of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice (I know a lot of GF baking recipes have these but I always wondered why)?
2/Do you think it’d work with coconut flour as well? I have some at home but don’t really know what to do with it and I’ve been looking for a coconut flour bread recipe that doesn’t use too many eggs.
Thanks ;).
October 6th, 2008 9:05 pm
Alchemille,
Here are the answers to your questions:
1) The acid (of vinegar or lemon juice) activates the properties in the baking soda; this is what makes the bread rise.
2) Almond flour and coconut flour are NOT interchangeable –at least according to my experiments; if you find they are let us know :-)
Elana
October 10th, 2008 10:38 am
I have made some interesting breads using other flours. I have gotten the recipes on the celiac.com site. One of the breads, flaxmeal skillet bread uses brown rice flour, potato starch xanthum gum, sea salt. The other recipe that I have made is a recipe for a bread machine, which I just got. It also uses brown rice flour, tapioca flour, corn flour(I use corn meal) and flaxseed flour (I use ground flaxseed). I like this bread because it has the texture that I used to find in multigrain breads. Though it calls for 1/2 cup of powdered skim milk powder, I am lactose intolerant and I omitted it and it still tasted good.
If you are unable to find this site, let me know and I can pull up the recipe and forward it to you.
October 12th, 2008 7:21 pm
judy d -Thanks for all of your great ideas.
October 13th, 2008 12:11 pm
Hi Elana,
I love your recipes! I just made cupcakes using your coconut flour chocolate cake recipe w/ vegan chocolate frosting and they turned out beautifully! My kids loved them too and this thrills me because I am the only one in my family who is wheat/gluten intolerant and I am tired of making separate desserts for me. ;o)
Have you ever made chocolate chip cookies with coconut flour? I made them with your almond flour recipe and loved them but I am curious about coconut flour too.
Thanks
Mari
October 21st, 2008 3:08 pm
Mari,
Thanks for your comment; yes, isn’t it easier when the entire family can all partake in one dish, instead of making separate things for the different dietary needs?
I haven’t made chocolate chip cookies with coconut flour. I’ll probably attempt to do so at some point. If you do try, let us know how they turn out.
Thanks,
Elana
October 22nd, 2008 9:58 am
I just tried this recipe using my own almond flour that I made from almond-milk leavings. (I dry it out in a dehydrator, then run through a food processor, then sift and toss what doesn’t go through the sifter after to iterations of this process.) The other ingredients were exactly as in the recipe. The bread came out in chunks.
questions:
1) Am I supposed to knead the bread into one chunk? The bread came out in about 3 chunks.
2) Has anyone else had this problem?
3) Do you think an extra egg might help? I’m guessing my almond flour is particularly dry as I’ve squeezed out a lot of the goodness into the almond-milk (your recipe).
Any thoughts??
Thanks
Ruth
November 7th, 2008 2:38 pm
Hi Ruth,
I think your best bet is to reformulate the entire recipe if you are going to change the main ingredient. I don’t think this recipe would work with almond-milk leavings and is probably why it came out in chunks.
Hope this helps and you may want to post a topic in the forums on cooking with almond milk leavings –some people may have recipes or good ideas for using this ingredient.
Elana
November 10th, 2008 10:46 am
I’ve ordered 10 pounds of your favorite brand of blanched almond flour, and I’ll make a batch with that for comparison. My homemade almond-milk-leaving flour *is* blanched almond flour. Once the Honeywell blanched almond flour arrives, I’ll be able to compare. The taste of the bread with my home-made flour was delicious, so I’m looking forward to it!!
Thanks
Ruth
November 11th, 2008 12:24 pm
Ruth,
Yes, blanched almonds are good; however, almond flour is made from a whole almond, whereas you are basically defatting and deflavoring the almond (in making the almond milk) and using the almond fiber.
Using almond fiber to replace almond flour is analogous to having a recipe that calls for a whole peeled orange, and instead of using the entire orange, juicing it and using the pulp for the recipe minus the juice. You get the idea :-)
Anyway, I still think it’s great to use the almond fiber after making the milk, I just think if you’re using it, you will need to significantly alter my recipes since you are using a very a different main ingredient than the recipe actually calls for.
Good Luck,
Elana
November 12th, 2008 10:22 am