Count on this gluten free and keto bread with yeast to be extra soft, fluffy and absolutely delicious with a killer crumb. Plus, with less than half the amount of eggs as your usual low carb bread recipe, this non-eggy sandwich bread will surely become a staple!
Note: this recipe was first published on April 9th 2018, but has since been updated to provide more deets ‘n tricks! And to my knowledge, it was also the first keto bread recipe with yeast on the internet! 😉
Gluten Free & Keto Bread With Yeast
Light, Fluffy & Not-Eggy (At All!!)!
Without a doubt the most requested recipe by you guys this year has been for a light and not-eggy keto bread loaf. And after quite a few takes, I finally nailed it. The resulting bread has awesome rise (nearly double it’s initial volume!!), killer crumb, and excellent taste.
And as previously mentioned, it’s not eggy, dense or crumbly. Think at least less than half the amount of eggs of your typical recipe, and a few other tips and tricks to ensure killer results. So while different from traditional wheat bread (because ahem, no wheat!), we’re still certain you’ll find this a keeper.
Plus, it keeps very well at room temp for 4 days and freezes beautifully. Oh, and you might also be surprised how good this bread is even without toasting.
The Deets
Making this paleo and keto bread is incredibly simple really. But, like with any yeasted bread, it does require you take care of a few details to ensure the best possible outcome.
And the one thing to keep in mind is that your bread will likely fall slightly post bake. Blame it on the lack of starch (keto flours are notoriously heavy and moist) and certain missing proteins (think gluten). Just keep in mind that I’m baking at ridiculously high altitude here, so if my loaf was still nearly double it’s volume after cooling- odds are yours will be even better!
Before rise
After rise
The Method
The yeast in this low carb and keto bread ensures a wonderful texture and taste. Now, how much your bread will rise (and fall!) post-bake depends quite a bit on your altitude. But note that you still won’t get that gummy and wet texture here of most low carb breads. Plus, as mentioned, I’m baking at over 7,000 feet (Mexico City here!!), so if I can make this keto sandwich bread work so can you.
On that note, I’ve since baked it in LA (you know, sea level!) and can indeed confirm that the rise is much better- but it does take a little bit longer (about 15-20 minutes more).
Weigh your ingredients. This will forever be a staple recommendation for any sort of gluten free baking here at gnom-gnom. As aside from leading to less dirty dishes, it will ensure consistent results time and time again. Remember that gluten free (and particularly keto) baking is notoriously finicky, and measuring by cups is anything but accurate. And if you don’t own a baking scale, measure with cups by dropping the ingredients onto them rather than scooping them out (which often leads to overpacking).
Ingredients at room temperature. Self explanatory really, but incredibly important (particularly for the eggs). If you add cold eggs to the mix your bread simply won’t rise much (if at all).
Proof the yeast. This involves mixing dry active yeast with water that’s just warm to touch (between 105-110°F to be precise) and inulin (which is fully keto) or an actual sugar (think maple syrup or honey) for 7 minutes until foamy. And before you scream sugar (!!) remember that the yeast will feed on such sugar to emit carbon dioxide, so it doesn’t affect the carb count. And yes, this is a scientific fact.
Avoid abrupt temperature changes and air drafts. Like with any yeast bread, you need to cuddle your dough. Make sure it’s able to rest undisturbed in a warm space.
Baking at high altitude? Yup, so am I (Paola here!!). I’ve tried quite a few combinations, and the one modification I will suggest is to increase your oven temperature by 25°F. You may also need to decrease the baking time by 5 minutes (I baked the bread for 45 mins), but that may change from oven to oven.
The Ingredients & Possible Subs
This bread does have quite a few ingredients, but you’ll find that most are staple paleo and keto pantry ingredients. In the list below you’ll find details on several ingredients and possible subs. But if possible, please do try and make this recipe without any subs. As out of the 18 permutations we tried, this one really was terrific and the absolute best.
Almond flour. You truly need a super finely ground almond flour here, as if you use meal your bread will turn out dense and oily. Super fine almond flour brands include Anthony’s (my personal favorite), WellBees and Bob’s.
Now if paleo, or in keto maintenance, you can lighten up the bread even more by substituting part of the almond flour (1/4-1/2 cup) with arrowroot flour.
Golden flaxseed meal. You’ll want to use golden flaxseed meal (we use Bob’s), and regrind the flakes in your (very dry!) bullet or blender until finely powdered. Great way to avoid slimy bread. You can technically substitute the flaxseed meal with psyllium husk powder, but we prefer the crumb much more with the flax. Just make sure its the golden variety and not the regular (VIP thing!!).
Psyllium husk powder. Same as with your flaxseed meal, you’ll always want to regrind your psyllium husk. We always favor NOW brand as it doesn’t turn bread purple. You can substitute it with more flax, but your bread may lose some elasticity and rise.
Whey protein isolate. This one is an absolute must, as it will ensure your bread doesn’t collapse post-bake. Keep in mind that this ingredient varies tremendously from brand to brand, and I’ve only tried (and are super happy!) with Isopure’s Zero Carb Unflavored. Update: I’ve since tried this grass-fed whey protein isolate and it also works the charm (a bit pricier, but undoubtedly higher quality)!
Now, the cream of tartar and powdered ginger help to condition the dough to get an even nicer rise. Though note that you can skip them without too much detriment to the final results.
Looking for more keto bread recipes with yeast?! Be sure to check out our famous cinnamon rolls, extra fluffy pizza crust and rosemary focaccia!
Gluten Free & Keto Bread With Yeast
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion. Though for best results we (highly!!) suggest you weight your ingredients here.
Ingredients
For the paleo & keto bread
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons inulin or maple sirup, honey, to feed the yeast*
- 120 ml water lukewarm between 105-110°F
- 168 g almond flour **
- 83 g golden flaxseed meal finely ground
- 15 g whey protein isolate
- 18 g psyllium husk finely ground
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum or 4 teaspoons ground flaxseed meal**
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 110 g egg whites about 3, at room temperature
- 56 g grass-fed unsalted butter or ghee, melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 58 g sour cream or coconut cream + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
For the paleo & keto bread
- See recipe video for guidance on keto yeast breads. And be sure to check out the post for full deets, tips and possible subs!
- Line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper (an absolute must!). Set aside.
- Add yeast and maple syrup (to feed the yeast, see notes) to a large bowl. Heat up water to 105-110°F, and if you don't have a thermometer it should only feel lightly warm to touch. Pour water over yeast mixture, cover bowl with a kitchen towel and allow to rest for 7 minutes. The mixture should be bubbly, if it isn't start again (too cold water won't activate the yeast and too hot will kill it).
- Mix your flours while the yeast is proofing. Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, whey protein powder, psyllium husk, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar and ginger to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Set aside.
- Once your yeast is proofed, add in the egg, egg whites, lightly cooled melted butter (you don't want to scramble the eggs or kill the yeast!) and vinegar. Mix with an electric mixer for a couple minutes until light and frothy. Add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and mixing until thoroughly incorporated. You want to mix thoroughly and quickly to activate the xanthan gum, though the dough will become thick as the flours absorb the moisture.
- Transfer bread dough to prepared loaf pan, using a wet spatula to even out the top. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm draft-free space for 50-60 minutes until the dough has risen just past the top of the loaf pan. How long it takes depends on your altitude, temperature and humidity- so keep an eye out for it every 15 minutes or so. And keep in mind that if you use a larger loaf pan it won't rise past the top.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C while the dough is proofing. And if you're baking at high altitude, you'll want to bake it at 375°F/190°C.
- Place the loaf pan over a baking tray and transfer gently into the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes until deep golden, covering with a lose foil dome at minute 10-15 (just as it begins to brown). Just be sure that the foil isn't resting directly on the bread.
- Allow the bread to rest in the loaf pan for 5 minutes and transfer it to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely for best texture- this is an absolute must, as your keto loaf will continue to cook while cooling! Also keep in mind that some slight deflating is normal, don't sweat it!
- Keep stored in an airtight container (or tightly wrapped in cling film) at room temperature for 4-5 days, giving it a light toast before serving. Though you'll find that this keto bread is surprisingly good even without toasting!
Hi Paola! I am a huge fan of yours! I tried this bread tonight and it tasted great! But it was a little too moist,kinda slimy. I did grind my flaxseed…Also, the dough turned out quite darker than yours. I am wondering if it could be the brand of flaxseed? I use Bob’s Mill. I also weighted all of the ingredients. I am just trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. I am trying it again tomorrow!
Hi Alline! That’s awesome to hear thank you! Regarding your bread, could it be that you’re using regular flax and not golden? That would explain the color and sliminess. Flax and psyllium can vary a lot from brand to brand, giving different hues (even different batches at times, particularly with psyllium). I hope this helped xo!
What is the best appliance to use to grind the flax meal and pysillium powder? Blender, food processer, Bullet? Do you do bulk grinding, or just when you are prepping to bake?
I use my bullet and just grind the entire bag when I open it! I Did notice last week that my psyllium husk powder from NOW came even finer, so I didn’t grind it anymore xo!
Thanks…. I bought the NOW brand from Sprouts, here in the US, and I thought that was pretty fine.
I made this today – and thumbs up from Hubby. It did not have the “airy” crumb texture as in your photos… but that could be my grind process for the flax meal. The taste was awesome… and I will certainly work on perfecting my ‘grinding” as we just received our Bullet this afternoon – but before I had started the bread making process.
Thank you for all the R&D –
Is this bread freezable? Either in the dough form or after baking.
Definitely! I freeze slices xo!
I just made this and the taste is excellent. The bread has great texture with no aftertaste. The bread didn’t rise as much as I hoped even though I proofed the yeast It was a bit humid so I assume that had some effect on things. I see people asking about using this recipie in a breadmaker; I will try my next loaf in mine.Its a older Breadmann tr444 and does not have a gluten setting. I will post the results once its done. Thanks for the great recipie.
Tried a loaf in the machine and used club soda instead of water . It taste ok and did rise a bit more but i may adjust the cook time as it is a bit over cooked, not burnt , The crust is harder then i care for. I used whole wheat setting and next time i will try a little more club soda, not proofing the yeast, and setting it to light white..Updates will be on the way.
Awesome thanks Vincent!
Hi! Any updates, Vincent? I’m trying it in my bread machine today and will post results.
This is my second time leaving a comment for this bread because it THE BEST KETO BREAD RECIPE EVER! I also wanted to share a little tip that I think might work for some to keep the bread from deflating while it cools after baking…turn it upside down!
My mother-in-law suggested it because she said when her mother used to bake traditional angel food cake, she would flip the pan upside down over a large bowl. I lined the pan with parchment paper, so the bottom and long ends of the bread wouldn’t stick. That leaves the short ends to stick just enough to hold the loaf from falling when it’s flipped upside down. The first time I made this bread it barely rose at all, but this second time it’s looking great. I’m still waiting for it to cool completely before I slice it, but I can hardly wait!
Paola, this bread recipe sounds like a dream. I live overseas and will be ordering the Isopure whey protein isolate if I can find it at any of the discount vitamin sources from the US that ship internationally.
Question: You say that the small amount of sugar ultimately does not affect the carb count, which is great, but do you know if there is any insulin response at all? i.e. I’ve read that even some of the completely sugar-free sweeteners do cause an insulin response, which would kick one out of ketosis. What is your understanding of that? Thank you kindly.
Hi Rachel! Check out iherb.com I live in Mexico and they ship with good prices and have a loyalty program.
Regarding your qs, keep in mind that it’s also a very small amount of sugar divided between an entire loaf (even if it wasn’t all eaten up). I don’t measure my insulin but my ketone levels (obviously correlated), and I haven’t noticed a change mys for with my yeast breads. But maybe do a trial yourself? Xo!
Well it’s summer and the tomatoes are getting ripe. I am craving Panzanella Salad. Do you think this bread will hold up if I toasted it first?
Oh nice! And def! You’ll find it toasts very well xo!
I…I have no words. How is this so fantastically good? I have been doing low carb for about a month now and at first was suffering through something marketed as “paleo bread” which should really be called “tastes like a kitchen sponge” bread then I learned about quick microwave bread which was MUCH better (and I Iove eggs so “eggy” bread isn’t a bad thing to me) then, somehow, because something was clearly going very right for me that day, I found this website. This bread is AMAZING. I have only done it once (but I’m gearing up for 2 more loaves today because everyone in my house (even the ones that aren’t keto) devoured the one I made last night by this morning) and I didn’t get as much of a rise as I would have liked but it was still more than adequate. What I was left with was a little on the dense side but like a banana bread is dense…still crumbly, still delicious — mot wet and nasty. Like a banana bread that tastes like grains and yeast if that makes sense — somehow almost more “bready” than actual bread. Here’s the true test….that paleo bread I mentioned? I basically had to grill it to within an inch of it’s life to even get it remotely palatable and still had to choke it down. You can actually eat (and enjoy) this bread without any kind of toasting. It’s that freaking good. It’s even better with a little light toasting or grilling (I made some amazing french toast this morning).
Thank you for putting in the work on this. As someone who’s only weakness in a keto diet is bread (never been a huge pasta fan) this makes my life WAY easier and arguably WAY better :).
I adore all your recipes!! The ravioli and tortillas are probably my absolute favourite, so I can’t wait to dry this. Do you think this would freeze well? Thank you for everything you do!! I missed the flash sale but I WILL be buying that cookbook soon
Hey have you ever tried this baking it in a bowl or a Dutch oven to have a round loaf instead of a traditional loaf pan?
I actually haven’t tried yet Amber, but def planning on it! The dough needs to be a bit thicker though, so maybe 2 egg whites rather than 3. xo and I’ll post as soon as I’m successful 😉
I am in the process of making the bread. i addrd all the flour salt together, but I forgot in the notes it suggests regrinding the flax meal. Do you think it will make a huge difference in the bread?
Hi Amber! It does make a difference, but I would just go ahead and make it anyways as it will still taste great (albeit texture might not be optimal). It’s happened to readers before, and they report back that the taste was still aI just ah
We made BLT sandwiches, but I really didn’t want to share the bread with my non-keto Son, but I did anyway. I kept hearing him making noises while eating, yum, yum this is really good! The only negative with the bread is the slices were too small, I ate four slices. Thank you Paola!
And mother of the year award goes to…. Linda Sue!! Lol! Sharing is definitely caring 😉
Would it work to substitute collagen protein instead of the whey protein?
Hi Anna! I haven’t tried it myself, but if you run a search on the page you’ll find that someone reported back with good results. Tbh though, it likely won’t work as great as whey (which is used in professional bakeries!) xo
Thank you so much for the recipe Paola! This was the absolutely best low carb bread I have made, and I have made quite a few! My oven has a bread proof setting, so I popped it in there for 50 minutes and it rose beautifully. Didn’t have sour cream, so I added the acv to heavy whipping cream, and it thickened up perfectly. Can’t wait to try the chocolate cake recipe!
Hi, yummy bread! Just having a bit of a hard time with getting it to rise high, any tips?
If you’re yeast proofed properly I would just say give it a bit more warmth and check for drafts xo!
Closest thing to bread that I’ve tasted in a long time! Mine didn’t come out quite as light as yours, but I left the yeast sitting longer than 7 minutes, and I think that was my problem. It still rose. It deserved the Kerrygold I spread on it 😀
I’m not sure why I’m only coming across your blog now but this is THE BEST KETO/LOWCARB/PALEO bread recipe in the entire internet! I would know, as I’ve tried them all! It’s amazing, tastes like bread, and actually rises.
This was the longest most challenging recipe I’ve ever done in life…(I did a black forest cake before so almost) But it was so WORTH the effort. I followed everything to a tee even measuring in grams, had no cream of tartar, and just enough almond flour and arrowroot to make this bread…and holy yes batman it is worth every minute! I got 22 slices of thin bread(I am a fan of thin sliced bread) that are absolutely perfect and taste great! Yes, it settled a bit after baking, but it will still suit my needs perfectly! Already made a PB and honey sandwich YUM!
Thank you love!
Oh lol! SO happy the effort was worth it Kay! And in all honesty, it gets MUCH easier as you get some practice with these doughs 😉 Thanks so much for your comment per usual!
And PB sandwiches?! You’re definitely team gnom-gnom! xo!
BLESS YOU!! This bread is stellar! As many others have said, this is easily the best keto/paleo/low carb bread I’ve tried in my 7 years in this woe! I’m also leaving a comment to say that I followed everything to the letter and had absolutely no problems with it rising. I read all the comments before making the recipe and saw a few people said theirs didn’t rise. I placed my loaf pan on top of my stove/oven and it rose beautifully in less than an hour. The pan itself was nice and warm, maybe that’s teh trick? THANK YOU! thank you thank you thank you!
Oh yay! That’s awesome to hear Janine! And yup on the rising, the top of my stove is also my sweet spot 🙂 xo!
I made this bread this weekend and, while delicious, I ended up with a very flat, dense loaf. I forgot to turn it on it’s side to cool so that probably accounts for some of the deflation, tho in an hour and a half it barely rose to the top of the pan. I used the correct size loaf pan, I live in the hot, humid south and I have baked regular flour yeast bread and rolls for years so I’m not an inexperienced bread baker, just new to low carb bread making. Would the addition of 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten help since it is low in carbs (3 grams net carbs per 1/4 cup)? And which of the “flours” should I use it in place of? I don’t know enough about the science for this type of bread to be able to make the proper adjustments so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
Hi Cat! I’m sorry this one didn’t’ work out, just keep in mind that grain free baking is SO different from traditional gluten breads that it can take a time to learn the behavior of the new dough. Search the comments for adding vital wheat, since I have Celiacs I cannot help you here. xo!
Hi Paola, thank you for the recipe. It is quit involved and my first try didn’t raise well, but it was good anyway!
I will be trying this again,(and again) because if I could gain weight on keto I would, because, sandwich.
Now I can have them, I have tried other bread recipes ( years and years!) but haven’t come across one that worked. This. Well. It seems silly that I never tried yeast in a recipe before, because it eats all the sugar. As the kids say, duh. (I don’t even deserve upper case duh).
And best of all, after taste, it does not fall apart. If I could underline that I would.
I have missed sandwiches so much! I like tomato sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches, meatloaf sandwiches and, well, yeah. I see many BLT’s in my future. thank you! thank you.
This is wonderful to hear Kathleen! And on the rise, just play a bit with different levels of warmth- this one needs a little extra cuddling than traditional wheat breads to rise more. xo and it’s my pleasure!
I am 50 + years old and have been baking all my life. We followed this recipe to a T. It rose beautifully and looked great, but it tasted like fishy cardboard. I thought it was just me, so I had hubs, grandkids, daughter and sil try it without telling them my thoughts. They all said basically the same thing. Thoughts? I so wanted this recipe to be the one that allowed me to eat a sandwich again…..
Hi Missy! I’m sorry it didn’t work out for your family, but I need more details to know what went wrong (you’re the first person in 300 comments to say it tasted bad! even if it didn’t rise properly for peeps, they all reported back on the solid taste). And please don’t take this the wrong way, as I respect your baking experience greatly, but keto baking is a whole other beast with completely different rules as there’s no gluten or sugar (i.e. two of the basic principles of regular baking). xo!
My experience with flax seed meal is that the more recently it was ground, the better it tastes. I’ve noticed a “fishy” taste in pre-ground, stale flax seed meal, and in stale flax seed oil.
Hello Paola
What should I say. I’m 9 years on a low carb Diät and this is the best bread what I made in this time . My 3 year old loves it. I’m really glad to find your blog.
One question I do my own almondmilk . Any ideas what to do with the pulp.
Thanks so much
So awesome to hear Conny! Regarding your almond milk question, I actually make my own too but just by blending almonds with water in my bullet. It blends everything so well that nothing goes to waste 😉
I seriously want to cry this is so good! The hardest part about the keto diet for me has been giving up bread. This tastes amazing! So happy it doesn’t taste eggy AT ALL! Thank you so much!
LOL! Super awesome to hear Amy! 😉
I don’t have don’t have whey protein isolate. Would basic unflavored whey protein work? What’s the difference?
I haven’t tried it myself, but a couple peeps have used it and seems to work. xo
Can you use a vegan protein powder? Like that made from pea protein? Or does it have to be whey protein powder?
Thanks! I love all your recipes!!!
Hi Christina! I tried pea protein and it didn’t work… but run a search on the comments for hemp protein, as a reader did sub with it. I haven’t tried myself, but maybe worth a shot?
Will this work in a bread machine? Is there a version that would work in a bread machine?
Probably not Tracy xo
First paleo or keto bread I’ve tried which actually doubles in size! I left it next to my oven while I was warming it up and it rose to the top in about 1 hour. Tastes and feels like actual bread!
Hi Janine! That’s wonderful to hear thank you for reporting back! 🙂
I made this yesterday and it didn’t rise much. I live in California. At sea level. I didn’t have whey protein isolate so I used wheat protein isolate. Would that make a difference? Also the water temp was just over 105. Maybe it should have been warmer?
Hi Carol! Most likely you just need to rest the bread in a warmer spot next time (as in you actually want the place to be warm, not just room temperature warm). This seems to solve the problem for most peeps xo!
I made this bread yesterday and it turned out really good even though i made some alterations because i was missing some ingredients. – I made a double batch using almond meal – but i only used 1/2 the amount of the butter so it would not be oily.I always bake with fresh yeast… so i used a 42,5 g. cube of fresh yeast. (Never have any luck with dry yeast). I used greek yoghurt instead of the sour cream. (We dont get american sour cream in Germany) and i used (even if it is not strict keto) soy protein isolat. My bread was moist but not oily. It rised really good. And the taste is a little sweet, but not too much and not eggy at all. – For the double batch i used 3 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. From the leftover egg yolks i made your keto coffee creamer recipe – wich i love very much too. So thx again for another great recipe 🙂
Hi Paola!
I was so excited to find a keto bread recipe that actually looked like bread. I am trying to move my family to a much healthier (sugar free) lifestyle. Anywho… I made your bread the other night but it didn’t rise, and according to previous messages I will assume that it was because my eggs were too cold.
The other thing was that I found it way too yeast-y, unbearably yeast-y! Could this be the kind of yeast I am using? or maybe letting it rise too long? Pretty sure I followed all instructions to a T.
I used maple syrup to feed the yeast and it was foamy but not overly foamy. I want to try this bread again tonight if you have some advice on fixing the overly yeast-y taste.
Thanks in advance!
Hi NatBe! What yeast are you using? This is the first comment on it being overly yeasty so I’m thinking maybe it could be brand/type related?
If it didn’t rise it could be because you used cold eggs, and also check that your maple syrup isn’t cold (I keep mine in the fridge!). You do want your mixture to be very foamy, so it could also be that your yeast isn’t very active anymore?
Otherwise make sure you rest your bread in a very warm place so it rises while proofing. xo!
Hi Paola,
I can’t imagine that it would be your recipe with all the raving reviews! I used Fleischmann Traditional Dry Active Yeast and yes… my maple syrup was cold… Straight out of the fridge.
Well, thanks for replying so quickly! I’m going to try again tonight!
Thanks
I’ve used Fleischmann’s so I don’t think that’s the issue. Let me know if a bit more warmth tonight solves it! xo!
This was a really good bread! We loved it. My only comment is that my hubby and I thought it was a tad gummy from the flax. I know flax can taste a little nutty and good, but this much flax made it seem a little much. I would prefer a slightly lighter taste. I wonder if I could use the Focaccia recipe (with the option to use no flax) and make it into a loaf? I really loved the focaccia recipe and used it for paninis (cut in half and baked). Fantastic!
Hi Jen! Are you guys using pre-ground golden flax? I’ve noticed that one doesn’t make it slimy like regular one? You can also try decreasing it and subbing with more almond flour, because in all honesty the flour mixture from the focaccia won’t give you optimal results here (it lacks structure and comes out wet if baked as a loaf). I hope this helps though! xo!