Almond Buns / Bread / Base Recipe (low carb & actually easy!)

On a low carb diet, you don't get to enjoy bread like you may have once done.  I know I miss it.  I came across this recipe for Almond Buns and messed around with it some and I like what has happened.  The basic recipe has stayed the same, I've just added ingredients from time-to-time and baked it differently.   I've also begun making my own almond flour to try to save a little money.  I've read you can save a lot by doing it yourself but I can't seem to find really cheap almonds so I don't think it's saving me all that much...  it's just hard to find almond flour nearby (I have to order it online).  This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of Almond Flour and I've found that if I take 3/4 cup of whole almonds and grind it up in my Magic Bullet with the low-lying flatter blade, it usually comes out to about 3/4 cup almond flour (not packed!)
(note: supposedly it's easy to make almond butter if you grind too long but I haven't had a problem yet.  I have had to shake my Magic Bullet to get some of the almonds to actually get chopped up completely and even then, they don't always get totally ground.  It's recommended that you use a flour-sifter to get the chunkier bits of almonds out but I don't have one so I kind of just pick them out with a fork.)

Anyway, here is the bread recipe...

Almond Bun / Bread

3/4 cup Almond Flour 
2 Large Eggs (I've used whole eggs and All Whites / Egg Whites)
5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (softened works best, in my opinion)
1.5 tsp Splenda (optional)
1.5 tsp Baking Powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350* F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
Mix in the eggs
Add the softened butter to the mixture
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet
Use a spatula to pour out the batter / dough onto the parchment paper and then spread it evenly.  I try to place it near the center with a few inches of empty parchment paper on all four sides to ensure a more even bake.
Bake for 12-20 minutes (my oven requires about 20 minutes.  I bake it for ten minutes and then rotate the cookie sheet 180 degrees to try to get a more even bake, just to be safe).
Once the 'bread' is baked, take it out of the oven and within a minute or so (it cools fast), you can cut it into 6-8 'slices' (about the size of regular bread).  Like this...

After baking & before cutting

Almond Flour Bread after cutting to size

You can store the 'bread' for about 4-5 days (depending on humidity where you live) outside of the refrigerator (in a ziplock bag) but it does seem to mold much faster so watch for that to happen.  That's why it's best to do it in the small amounts called for in this recipe.

This is my "go-to" faux bread recipe because it's fast and easy!  It provides a nice base to mess around with too.  Instead of Splenda, I've added 3 tsp Parmesan Cheese for a more 'savory' flavor.  I've also added more Splenda, Vanilla Extract and Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) to make a chocolatey sweet snack.  Recently I made a Chai Cookie with this base recipe and they were really good.  I'll be sure to post the recipe for those soon.  Let me know if you do anything different.  It's fun to experiment with it!!  Enjoy!!

Coconut Flour Bread (low carb)

I found this recipe here and decided to try it, though I didn't follow the recipe completely because I get sidetracked and tend to do my own thing once I get the ingredients together.  The less ingredients, the more appealing it is for me to try a recipe for some reason.  I guess I think it's going to be 'easier' (not always the case!)  This was a fairly easy recipe though.  Here it is...

Coconut Flour Bread

In a frying pan, add 2 Tbsp unsalted butter (or coconut oil) on medium to melt.

In a bowl, mix thoroughly:

2 eggs... I used All Whites - Liquid Egg Whites (6 Tbsp. total)
2 Tbsp coconut flour
2 Tbsp Bob's Red Mills - Unflavored Whey Protein Powder (you can use any kind you want, that's just the only unflavored kind I have in my house)
dash of salt or other seasonings… I opted not to use any

After the ingredients were mixed thoroughly, I poured the batter out (in two separate parts) in the frying pan and 'fried' it like a pancake.  Flipping over in a few minutes.  It didn't take too long and the batter is thick.  (the 'fried' version is to the right in the photo below).  To turn it into a sandwich, I cut one of the 'pancake' style breads in half (horizontally) and put my lunch meat and cheese in the center.

Coconut Flour Bread (low carb)

I then decided to get somewhat creative and try baking it.  I preheated the oven to 350* F.  When it was at the desired temperature, I laid some parchment paper out on a cookie sheet and, after making a new batch of 'dough' (this time with the butter added into the recipe), I poured it out onto the parchment paper and spread it out as thin as I could without being able to see any of the parchment paper through the dough.  This 'bread' is pictured above on the left hand side.  I spread it out based on what I imagined would be enough (once cut) to make two sandwiches with a 'slice of bread' for both sides, if that makes sense.  That's why, in the picture, there are 4 'slices of bread'.  It's a little dry.  I think the whole eggs may make it a little more moist.

With the butter counted as an ingredient, the nutritional information for 1 serving (there are 2 servings with the recipe, according to how I did it, anyway) is as follows (based on information from MyFitnessPal and with using whole eggs rather than the egg whites)...

Coconut Flour Bread - Nutritional Information (1 serving)

235 calories, 5 carbs (2 net carbs), 19 fat, 12 protein, 3 fiber, 106 sodium