This bread recipe is low in available carbohydrates and full of protein, healthy fats, and dietary fibre.
You can use either raw or dry roasted almonds. The latter gives a richer and deeper toasty almond flavour. I prefer to start with whole almonds and make my almond butter because freshly ground nut butter has no equal for flavour. If you don’t have the time or the inclination, use ready-made nut butter.
A lovely variation is to substitute half of the almonds with peanuts, or another tree nut of your choice. You can also spice it up with cinnamon, nutmeg, or some savoury spices.
What you’ll need:
375 g almonds (or 100 per cent almond butter)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
15 g psyllium husks
1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate of soda)
250 g egg whites
20 g lemon juice, freshly squeezed
What you’ll do:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 21cm x 10cm loaf tin with non-stick baking paper. Set aside.
If using whole almonds, place into the bowl of a food processor with the sea salt and lemon zest, and process until it becomes smooth and creamy.
At this point you can transfer the almond butter to a mixing bowl. I usually just use the food processor to mix the dough and save myself some extra washing up.
Add the psyllium and bicarbonate of soda to the almond mixture and pulse to combine or use a spatula to mix well.
Add the egg whites to the almond mixture and process or mix until the batter is smooth.
Transfer the dough to the prepared tin and tap the tin on a bench to level the dough.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until risen and golden, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Always take care to not overbake protein breads or they will dry out too much.
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool on a wire rack.
This bread keeps well for up to one week, wrapped well, and airtight, in the refrigerator.
Recipe by Vivane Buzzi