Since switching over to the grain-free way of life, I have occasionally indulged in bread here and there. Face it, sometimes it’s just nice to have something to schmear butter all over… or to dip in your gravy/sauce/salad dressing/soup. But usually I end up feeling a bit bloated when I eat bread (with the exception of real sourdough bread, which leaves me feeling fine, but maybe just a bit hungrier than usual afterward).
So when I saw this recipe for Coconut Flour Flax Bread on the Tropical Traditions recipe site, I decided to try it out. I doubled it and changed a couple things, based on the comments, and this is what I got:
It slices VERY nicely (and I got 22 slices out of the doubled recipe, but they’re pretty small/short slices. A smaller loaf pan would be beneficial.) and while it doesn’t taste as tasteless as regular bread (so not as much of a blank slate since it actually has flavor) it’s been really nice! We had bread last night with our beef short ribs, and I used it to sop up extra sauce. I’ve enjoyed a couple pieces with peanut butter and honey on top, a couple with just butter, some with jam… and the best part is knowing that it’s a high-protein, low-carb, wheat-free food that isn’t going to make my insides feel like a clown just inflated my intestines (TMI? sorry).
I asked my husband what his impression of this bread is, and he’s apparently feeling very talkative tonight, because he said, “Good,” gave a thumbs up and said, “I dunno. I like it.” He also thinks it would make awesome French toast.
So here’s the recipe, with my changes, so you can make it yourself. (I used a 10” loaf pan because that’s the only one I have, but I’d recommend a smaller one, like maybe 7” so you can get taller slices.)
Grain-Free Basic Bread (Coconut Flour Flax Bread) Recipe
- 1 cup coconut flour, sifted
- 1 cup flax seeds, ground and sifted (I discarded the hulls that wouldn’t sift through)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 10 eggs (yeah, here’s the high-protein part)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup plain full-fat yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix together flour, flax, salt, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut oil, yogurt, and vinegar.
Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition (I did about 3-4 “rounds” of adding dry ingredients).
Pour into a greased loaf pan, and bake 50 minutes. (Probably longer if you are using a smaller loaf pan so your bread is “deeper”.)
Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a cutting board. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
I think this bread recipe would be a great basis for making other types of bread, like a lemon poppyseed bread/cake, or a garlic cheese bread, or any number of different versions.
Hi! I'm Emily. I'm a Navy wife and stay at home mom of two beautiful children. I cook simple, delicious, grain-free recipes, do crafts, decorate my home on a budget, and keep a happy household. I tandem breastfeed, babywear, cloth diaper, practice elimination communication, homebirth, and co-sleep, but I'm not a hippie.
10 whole eggs!!!! Any thoughts on substituting some of the whole eggs for egg whites only? Thanks
Is there an alternative to using coconut oil?
[...] tried it. The one I bookmarked was from Michelle at Primal Journey, who got it from Emily at Joyful Abode, who says she adapted it from Tropical Traditions. (I love how this works; the constant evolution [...]
I am not sure if you mean 1 cup of flax seeds and then grind it up or measure out 1 cup of ground up flax seeds. Can you tell me which it is? Thanks!
I made this tonight and it turned out well. I used full fat Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt, omitted the salt and used lemon juice in place of the apple cider vinegar.
It was so nice to have something to slather my fig jam on. Thanks for the great recipe!
This looks wonderful! Just wondering if I can use Greek Yogurt instead of regular plain yogurt? Would it still turn out or is greek yogurt too thick? I’m also wondering if I can substitute something for the apple cider vinegar?
Thanks! I love your website
Maybe I unknowingly spaced and used the wrong measuring spoon but there was too much salt in this recipe for my taste. I’m going to try cutting it in half or getting rid of it altogether. Otherwise, I definitely like this bread! I don’t mind the “eggyness” at all, I actually like the texture.
so is that 1 cup of flax seeds and then grind that, or 1 cup after grinding?
[...] This bread is made from coconut flour and flax seeds: Grain-Free Basic Bread (Coconut Flour Flax Bread) | Joyful Abode As another poster mentioned a lot of these recipes that replace high carb items are usually quite [...]
Emily,
I have made a ton of gluten free breads and they always turn out sooo dense! I just have no idea what is going on. You eat one piece and feel like you have eaten three. Is it the flours that I use or am I doing something wrong?
Also, I made the grain free granola bars and they turned out soooo sticky! haha! They are sooo yummy, though! I did put prunes, apricots and cranberries for the fruit. Thinking the salt in the sauce made the prunes sweat?? not sure, but they are really really yummy.
Thank you so much for the amazing recipes!!
Emily, I can’t believe it! I made this bread and it turned out great! Can’t believe it because I’m not a great cook and an even worse baker. Plan to try more of your recipes, thanks for sharing them!
I just made this recipe exactly as is and it turned out great! I am eating a warm-out-of- the-oven slice as I write this and my finicky dog is begging for bites. I’ve been mourning the loss of bread from my life for years. How exciting is this to be able to add it back in. By the way, I was going to slather on butter, but it simply didn’t need it! Oh, and I made your chocolate chocolate chunk cookies and substitued one T of powdered stevia plus 1 extra T of butter for the 3 T of honey and everybody in my family ate them and thought they were great. I did not tell anyone that they were grain-free/sugar-free!
I just found you (from Twitter) and love these grain-free recipes. What a wonderful resource!
Hi, Emily! I discovered your website about 24 hours ago… what a wonderful post-holiday present for me! By the way, Anneliese is so adorable! My “baby” turned 30 on January 1st and she and her wonderful husband have been married for almost 7 years. They have blessed me with a lovely granddaughter who is a delightful 4-year-old (she loves to bake goodies with her Nana). Recently, it became clear that I could no longer digest grains well; so I’ve completely given them up. It’s just as well because I have type 2 diabetes. About a year and a half ago, I stumbled upon Mark Sisson’s website and have been enjoying a primal diet. I’ve whittled down from 210 pounds to 175 pounds so far and also managed to decrease my blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels (and I’ve been eating two eggs EVERY day for breakfast since learning about the primal diet). About two weeks ago I found Elana Amsterdam’s gluten-free website and was inspired to purchase almond and coconut flours to create occasional protein-rich treats that won’t spike my blood sugar. Now I’ve found you and I can hardly wait to delve into your recipes! I already know they are fabulously delicious! Thank you so much, Emily!
Blessings and Happy New Year,
Nettie Mitchell
hey Nettie! I hope you are still doing well. Thanks so much for your sweet comment. I’m glad you found my site and primal living.
[...] Grain-Free Basic Bread [...]
I love your site!! Thank you for the fab recipes!! Question about this one – can I omit the flax and double the coconut?
We have been looking for a good gluten free bread as Paleo as possible and WOW! for Lisa and I this fit the bill perfectly. We can now have an occasional real samich. I love this stuff just with grass fed organic butter for breakfast ! Happy campers here!! Thanks Steve and Lisa
Oh, yay, you found the recipe I submitted to freecoconutrecipes.com! I first posted it on my blog, then sent it to Tropical Traditions and have been really happy to see all the positive responses. So glad you had good results!
[...] start with, you’ll need about half of this grain-free bread recipe, or enough to make about 4 cups of croutons. Cut the bread into cubes about 1”, then put [...]
Yum Yum Yum….so going to try this one!!!
OMG… this is the exact type of recipe I’ve been searching for. Can’t wait to try it when my life slows down!
great! I hope you like it!
This bread looks great, however I cannot have flax seed. Do you have a suggestion for a substitution? Do you think almond flour would work?
I am really not sure what to sub for the flax… it is very different in recipes from almond flour so i know that wouldn’t work. I would try maybe increasing the coconut flour and leaving out the flax… but no promises! It will also taste a bit different but I think it will be good still.
Have you tried Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix? It’s made from beans! Makes great cookies and pancakes!
If you can have it I’d try chia seed instead of the flax.
Sometimes the idea of cooked food is nice. Loaf of this with a tub of almond butter and a jar of apple butter and I think you’d see me smile.
P.S. With that many eggs, you could add a little cinnamon and butter and call it French toast
my husband had the same thought about just toasting it and eating it with syrup, like french toast.
Syrup!!! You have that in your house! LOL – JK
Make up some apple butter with your crock pot. No sugar, just apple and pie spices. I did it last year with the piles of apples I picked back home. It tasted redic! Gave it all away when I went raw and moved to the desert.
Honey is a nice compromise to for the non-carb phobic paleo crowd. They were selling gallon pales of unfiltered raw honey on the side of the road the other day for $8!
That looks great. I’ll be trying it for sure!
I can’t believe it has 10 eggs! Wow. My hubby will like that.