The World's Healthiest and Tastiest Bread

Gluten-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free | No added fats or oils | Air fryer option | Vegan

Makes 1 large loaf, 2 small loaves or 6 rolls

Why it's delicious

I know it's a big call to say that this is the healthiest and tastiest bread recipe in the world, but in my experience of baking and testing out so many healthy bread recipes that I’ve lost count, this is hands down and by far the best bread recipe I have ever created. 

For me, a healthy bread needs to smell right, look right and the taste and texture needs to be on par with bread that I grew up with and ate with gusto before I turned my attention and life towards eating well and being healthy. This bread ticks all those boxes. 

Helpful hints and tips

You can bake your bread in the oven or in an air fryer. I’ve given you the method for both below. 

The main watch point in this recipe is to do with the yeast. Ensure your yeast is fresh. If in doubt, throw it out and buy a new batch. I store my yeast in the freezer as it stays fresh and active for at least 6 months. 

When fermenting your yeast, make sure that the water is warm/tepid. You are looking for blood temperature so about 37-38C (98F) This way the yeast will ferment and bubble nicely which will give your bread a great rise and a wonderfully chewy internal texture whilst crunchy on the outside. 

I use my Sweet As Fibre Syrup as a refined sugar substitute in this recipe due to its natural sweetness. My fibre syrup is a low-calorie prebiotic fibre made from 100% pure chicory. Feel free to use your own fibre syrup, but read the labels. Many companies lace their syrups with malt extract and stevia to make them sweeter. If your fibre syrup isn't golden, it probably isn't 100% pure. Click here if you would like to purchase my Sweet As Fibre Syrup.   

Ingredients

• 300 ml (10 FL oz) warm/tepid water
• 2 heaped tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp Sweet As Fibre Syrup

• 100 g almond meal
• 120 g tapioca starch or arrowroot + extra for kneading
• 35 g coconut flour
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• ½ tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tbsp psyllium husks
• 4 tbsp non dairy milk like hemp, almond or coconut milk for glazing

Bread toppings, optional

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Or

• 3 tbsp poppy seeds 

Or 

• 3 tbsp sesame seeds 

Method

1. Pour the warm water into a jug and sprinkle over the instant yeast and drizzle in the Sweet As Fibre Syrup. Stir to combine with a fork and leave the yeast to ferment and bubble for 10 minutes in a warm spot in the kitchen.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the almond meal, tapioca starch, coconut flour, salt and xanthan gum. 
3. When the yeast mixture has a nice head on it , like a glass of freshly poured beer, sprinkle in the psyllium husks and stir with a fork to distribute. Allow the husks to sit in the liquid to thicken for 5 minutes. 
4. Add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients in the bowl and stir with a spoon to combine. Using clean hands, bring the mixture together till it forms a dough. If the dough is a little sticky, add more tapioca starch. 
5. Turn the dough out onto a bench dusted with a little tapioca starch and knead for 30 seconds. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave the bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen for 30-60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. 
6. ** My mother used to place bread next to the hot water cylinder in a cupboard in our kitchen. This speeds up the bread rise significantly. I place my bowl in the oven as my oven has a heating function that sits at 40C (104F) which is ideal for proofing bread. Only place your bowl in your oven if you can get the oven temperature  down to these very low temperatures. If the oven is too hot it will kill the yeast and the bread will be heavy and stodgy. 
7. If using your oven to cook your bread, preheat it on bake at 210C ( 425F) and if you have a pizza stone, heat this in the oven as well. A Pizza stone will help the bread's exterior to crisp as it cooks. If you don’t have a pizza stone, heat a heavy baking tray in the oven as the oven heats. 
8. Turn the proved dough out onto a bench dusted with a little tapioca starch and shape your dough into 1 large loaf, 2 small loaves or 6 rolls. 
9. If using an air fryer to bake the bread, preheat it to 200C (390F) .
10. Brush the tops of the loaves with the dairy free milk, and sprinkle with the bread toppings if Using. Take a sharp knife and slice the tops of the bread a few times which will help steam to release as the bread cooks. 
11. Place the bread into the oven on the hot stone or tray and bake for 30-35 minutes or place in the basket of the air fryer and bake for 18-20 minutes. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to cook the bread in batches. 
12. The bread is ready and fully cooked when the tops are a deep golden brown colour and when tapped on the base, the bread sounds hollow. Allow the bread to cool completely on wire racks before slicing and eating. 
13. The bread will stay fresh for a few days and is best stored in an airtight container in the fridge.