This recipe for the Best Paleo Sandwich Bread slices well with great texture and flavor. Use it to make sandwiches or toast it for breakfast!
I know the title of this bread sounds a bit presumptuous, but I promise I don’t mean it that way.
I have to be honest…
I’ve made a whole lot of paleo sandwich “bread” recipes in search of the perfect one. (Side Note: I’m not completely paleo and/or grain-free, but I’ve noticed I feel my best when I limit my wheat intake. Mike doesn’t share my sentiments though.)
There were some recipes I tried that were decent enough and definitely passable as bread-like concoctions, but nothing was stellar. Or even good enough to warrant making a second time (IMHO). And there were also a few loaves that were actually pretty bad in different ways – either the flavor and/or the texture was just off – that ended up only being fit for the garbage (definitely a sad thing). But that’s how we learn, right?
After searching for the perfect paleo sandwich loaf and not coming up with something that I felt completely fit the bill, I got in the kitchen and started experimenting. Again, some loaves were ok, some were obnoxiously inedible.
It took a month or so, but I finally decided to start playing around with adding a few other paleo-friendly starches, like arrowroot and tapioca. That’s what it took for me to come up with what I consider to be the perfect loaf. I had been holding out on adding other starches because I wanted to keep my ingredient list minimal, but really, these additions make all the difference in the end result of this bread.
For starters, this loaf is perfect for slicing. Its texture strikes a great balance between light and dense, not to heavy, but sturdy enough to stand up to basically whatever you want to use it for. And thanks to the use of arrowroot and tapioca, it’s quite pliable too.
It also has great flavor; almonds are subtle and the flavors of the other flours blend in well. This bread has a certain richness coming from the eggs and ghee (or coconut oil), similar to brioche. In fact, although coconut oil will also work here, I much prefer the use of ghee for its buttery flavor.
I love this bread toasted with a smear of butter, but it is equally delicious made into a sandwich.
If you’re like me and have been hunting around for a great paleo sandwich bread, I can’t recommend this loaf highly enough. (And if a sweet paleo breakfast-type of bread is more your thing, I think you’ll love my Paleo Cranberry-Pecan Loaf!)
- 2 cups (225 g) almond flour
- 6 tablespoons (48 g) arrowroot starch
- 4 tablespoons (40 g) golden flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) tapioca starch
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly, plus more to grease the loaf pan
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup (120 ml) plain, unsweetened almond “milk”
- 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- Preheat oven to 350F; generously grease an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with ghee or coconut oil.
- Whisk together the almond meal, arrowroot starch, flaxseed meal, tapioca starch, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the slightly cooled butter or coconut oil, eggs, almond “milk”, and vinegar in a medium bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry all at once and stir until combined, being careful not to over-mix.
- Immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes in a glass pan.
- Cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving, and store any leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Cooking Time: I use a glass loaf pan to make this bread. If you use a metal loaf pan, you may need to adjust the cooking time because although glass takes a bit longer than metal to heat up, once it's hot, it retains heat better.
Troubleshooting Why Your Loaf Didn't Rise: Be sure to use the same size baking dish that the recipe specifies; make sure your oven is properly calibrated; preheat your oven before baking; use fresh baking soda; don't skip the vinegar.
Brands of Almond Flour I've Used: I've successfully made this recipe with the following brands of almond flour: Bob's Red Mill, Honeyville, and Anthony's.
Substitutions: I have tested the following substitutions with good results:
No Arrowroot Starch: Omit the arrowroot starch; add 1 large egg white and increase the tapioca starch to 4 tablespoons (30 g).
Golden Flaxseed Meal: Brown flaxseed meal will also work, but you'll have specks of brown in your loaf. You can make your own flaxseed meal by finely grinding flaxseeds, but do not use whole flaxseeds for this recipe.
Ghee or Coconut Oil: Unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly) will also work.
Plain, Unsweetened Almond "Milk": Cow's milk will also work (I tested this recipe with both whole milk and 2% milk with good results). Other types of milk may also work, but I haven't tested them (if you make this with another type of milk, please let us know how it goes in the comments!).
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The best bread ever
Thank you for changing my life ;)
If you want the bread to be less moist adding more almond and flaxseed works great… But I love it the original way also.
I feel so much and in tune with my body being paleo pescatarian at the moment, I’m killing off candida overgrowth and only after nearly 2 weeks of being paleo I’m starting to notice my body and skin healing more and more everyday.
Going to use this bread for a stuffing dish with chestnuts and onions and Celery etc…
Is there a replacement for flax seeds? I react badly to it and was wondering if I should just leave it out or need to replace it with something.
Thanks.
Amanda, I haven’t tried this recipe without the flaxseed meal, but you could either 1) using ground chia seeds instead (note that it will change the color), or 2) adding more egg and possibly reducing the amount of almond “milk”. If you decide to experiment with the recipe, please let me know how it goes!
Sticking to the recipe what is the break down of net carbs, fat, protein?
Marian, I’m not a nutritionist, so this is just a rough estimate, but here is the breakdown for 1 serving (based on 10 servings per loaf): 239.4kcals, 11.4g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 8g net carbs, 19.3g fat, 7.9g protein
Made this divine loaf for the very first time this morning, following the recipe exactly. It’s already half gone! I’ve tried multiple paleo sandwich bread recipes and none of them have turned out great…except this one. It’s simply delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It’s obvious that a lot of trial and error went into perfecting it. It’s so so good!
Any suggestions for replacing eggs? I’m vegan :)
Sanco, Unfortunately, this may not be the best recipe because eggs are integral in helping it rise. You could try playing around with it (maybe adding more flaxseed meal, liquid, and leavener), but I’m not sure how it would turn out. Please let me know how it goes if you experiment with the recipe!
Have you tried this with coconut flour? My husband is allergic to almonds but has really been wanting to find a good Paleo bread!
Nikki, I haven’t tried this recipe using coconut flour, but I’m actually working on developing a nut-free keto/paleo loaf and I’ll share it once I’m able to get the recipe exactly where I want it!
Could this bread be made in a bread machine?
Sara, I haven’t made this recipe in a bread machine, so I’m not sure. If your bread machine has a function that allows you to make quick bread, it might be worth a try! If you decide to try it, please let me know how it goes.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have experimented with various paleo bread recipes and this one is the best, yet! Best sandwich slices. Best toast. Best warm out of the oven take to the table bread. I wasn’t sure it would rise and when it did I did the happy dance around my kitchen. FYI, I didn’t have tapioca starch so I used Trader Joe’s gluten free flour (which includes tapioca starch) as a substitute. I also lined the glass pan with parchment after I greased it. Fluffy, flavorful, delicious! Not just good paleo sandwich bread. Good bread, period.