Almond Bread—Grain-free and Good-for-You
A Healthy-Bread Quest
I have been on a quest to discover a healthy bread that can be incorporated into my daily diet and leave no trace of toxic ingredients inside my body. So far, I have found a delicious, grain-free almond bread that I would like to share with you.
Growing up in Brasil, breakfast was always a cup of café-au-lait with fresh, warm French bread from the bakery lathered with butter. The thought of it still makes my mouth water. When the gluten-free craze hit the health realm, and it was discovered that wheat can be really bad for you, imagine my disappointment. “If you can’t eat bread, then what will you eat?” I questioned the wisdom of the experts.
The English expression ”bread and butter” refers to a person’s source of livelihood, which is very à propos in my thinking. If it ever became necessary, I could literally live off of bread and butter. There. I confessed it. Now you understand the reason for my bread quest.
Making-Bread Attempts
My first attempt was to make a “Banana Bread” with cashew flour, and although it was delicious, it was more of a cake than a bread.
The Almond Bread, on the other hand, resembles a real bread but it is still a little chunky and dry. It is definitely worth making it, though.
The recipe was originally published by a blogger in England under the name of Almond Loaf. I modified the recipe slightly and it turned out pretty good, especially if you add butter (vegan or regular), mayonnaise, or any other good things you like to put on your bread. Oh, and it is so easy to make!
More Bread to Come!
Don’t worry, if you are not satisfied with this recipe, I will keep trying until I can successfully create a grain-free, gluten-free, healthy bread that can be used daily. I will post the recipe here as well. Until then, please let me know if you like this particular recipe and what you would do differently. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Almond Bread
Ingredients
2 cups of raw almonds (organic, if you can find it)
3 eggs (organic, cage-free chickens)
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp Celtic salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp raw honey
Direction
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
Add the 3 eggs, the apple cider vinegar, the salt and the baking soda in the blender, and blend for about 30 seconds.
Using a coffee grinder—I have one by Krupps dedicated to making nut flour, and they cost $15—pour a 1/2 cup of almonds and grind them to powder. Pour the ground almonds into the blender, and blend for another 30 seconds. Repeat this process 3 more times, until you will have poured 4 x 1/2 cups (equivalent to 2 cups) of the almond flour into the blender. Blend the full mix for another 30 seconds. The dough will be thick and sticky, but if it is too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of filtered water.
Grease a bread pan using coconut oil. I have three kinds of bread pan: a non-stick metal (not the healthiest), a glass and a silicon one. For this almond bread, I used the silicon.
Using a spatula, pour the dough into the silicon bread pan and try to smooth the top as best as you can. If you don’t, the bread will harden with these little stalagmites of almond dough.
Place the bread pan in the oven and let it cook for 30 minutes.
Remove the pan, and with a knife, loosen the sides of the bread from the pan. If necessary, use a spatula under the bottom to remove the entire bread from the pan.
Place it on a flat surface to serve.
Store it in a glass container inside the refrigerator.
Necessary Equipment and Utensils
High-Speed Blender (I like Vitamix or Blendtec)
I hope you make and enjoy this delicious loaf of almond bread.
Just for your information, I am trying to make it easier for those who are starting in the kitchen and do not yet have all the gadgets, that’s why I put a link for products that I use or would like to have. All links go to Amazon.com.
