I cannot think of enough nice things to say about this bread loaf! It is well-balanced in flavor, light, yet well-structured, texturally perfect and truly very tasty.
Basic Paleo Bread Loaf
Ingredients:
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup chestnut flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 7 eggs, divided, room temperature
- 1/3 cup milk or coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup, slightly warmed
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Grease the bottom and sides of an 8.5″ x 4.5″ bread loaf pan (or similar size) and line the bottom with parchment. Grease the parchment.
- Place almond meal, tapioca flour, chestnut flour, soda, and salt in a food processor and briefly pulse until consistent.
- Add the coconut oil, egg yolks and milk and process just until the mixture is smooth. Add honey and blend.
- In another bowl, beat the egg whites until firm but still wet.
- Blend about 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the almond mixture to lighten it somewhat (it will still be a rather thick paste).
- Now, fold the remainder of the egg whites and almond mixture into one another. Be careful to not over mix the batter!
- Transfer to the prepared pan. Gently smooth the top of the batter to even it out.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until set. Check the loaf about half way through the bake time. If your loaf is browning too quickly you can cover it with foil and continue baking.
- Cool on rack.
- Serve with Mixed Berry “Jam”
I’m guessing the different types of flours is what gives it it’s great taste and texture….but I just don’t have Chestnut flour. I haven’t been Paleo very long, but this is the first time I’ve seen it used in a recipe.
I wonder if I can get by without?
This looks delicious though! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jen,
You may be able to substitute more almond flour for the chestnut flour… but I can’t promise you. I like to use chestnut flour for exactly the reasons you say… great flavor and texture.
I usually purchase the Dowd & Rogers brand Italian Chestnut Flour from Amazon. If you do buy a bag of it you might really enjoy making crepes and crackers with it as well. Here are the links to those recipes:
http://www.17recipes.com/basic-chestnut-flour-crepes/
http://www.17recipes.com/chestnut-crackers-with-anise-and-sesame/
Best,
Allison
Hi! I don’t have any chestnut or tapioca flours. Would a mix of coconut and almond flours work?? In what amounts?? Thanks!
Hi Brigitte,
Unfortunately, I don’t have an immediate answer for you as to whether you can substitute coconut flour for the tapioca and chestnut flour because those are pretty significant changes to the recipe. I just did a quick Google search though and do see that other paleo bread recipes do use that combination of ingredients so you may want to check those out. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend that you add chestnut flour to your pantry as it has a really lovely flavor to add to your baked creations. Hope that helps!
Best,
Allison
I just beginner of Paleo, but everywhere is written that dairy is not allowed in Paleo diet. So I do no understand why in your recipes there is milk??
Hi Vaida,
Yes, you are correct that in the strict Paleo diet dairy is not allowed. I write this blog for folks who eat Paleo, Primal and gluten free. Many of those people choose to consume dairy which is why I often include both dairy ingredients as well as non-dairy alternatives as optional in my recipes.
Thanks for asking!
Allison
How long does the bread keep?
Hi Margie,
I only like to leave bread like this covered and at room temperature for 2 to 3 days at the most. Then, if I have not yet finished the loaf I will freeze what is left for later. I also live in a dry climate, so it may be different for you.
Best,
Allison
Can you use almond milk for lactose free?
Lisa, I would imagine that almond milk would work just fine as a substitute. Please give it a try and let us all know how it goes… Hope it works well!!
I just wanted to say thanks for putting up this recipe, it worked perfectly, tastes great and is really moist. I won’t be buying that awful gluten free ‘bread’ with all the nasty additives ever again!
So glad you enjoyed the bread!
Loved this bread and so easy to make; unfortunately, it didn’t rise as much as I thought it would! Any idea why? Also, couldn’t get Chestnut flour but managed to get Hazelnut meal-fantastic flavor and density! Thanks for the receipe
Glad you enjoyed the bread! The nut meals vary pretty significantly in their density and consistency so it may have been the replacement of the chestnut flour with hazelnut that caused the bread to not rise as much. The other possibility may be if you under or over beat the egg whites.
Best,
Allison
This bread was awesome. My first attempt at gluten free bread and it came out slightly sweet, flavorful and moist. Was great with honey and butter. Seems like it would make a good banana bread. . Thx so much!!
Wonderful recipe, I absolutely love chestnuts! Finally someone else who uses chestnut flour to! I thought I was the only one lolz.
I’d like to try this recipe today. I have chestnut flour but no tapioca. Can I use arrowroot instead of tapioca? Thanks bunches.
Hi Lisa,
I imagine that would work just fine. How did it go for you?
Thanks,
Allison
I just made this loaf today, fantastic! Having no chestnut flour I replaced it with Tiger nut flour (just as obscure lol).
If you use coconut flour to replace other flours use less, it soaks up moisture like a sponge.
I didn’t have any Chestnut flour, so used more almond meal and it turned out great. I am not a baker by any means and I managed to make this. It wasn’t hard to make. I don’t like recipes with too many ingredients and steps. I will definitely make this again. I would love to know the nutritional info for this recipe.
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for sharing! I haven’t done the nutritional breakdown on this recipe, but an easy way I’ve found to do it is enter all the ingredients into a calculator like this one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Best,
Allison
Made this bread and it was awesome even though I screwed up the egg whites and they did not whip up right. Just began eating primal a few weeks ago and the bread cravings were killing me, not any more. Thank you. Just one question, do you have any idea on the nutritional breakdown. I am tracking my macronutrients and am at a loss when I have the delicious bread. Thanks again!!
Hi Ric! I haven’t done the nutritional breakdown on this recipe, but an easy way I’ve found to do it is enter all the ingredients into a calculator like this one: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
The first month can be the most challenging, so stick with it and you’ll feel the difference!