Daybreak. I pushed my blankets aside and walked over to the heavy balcony doors to catch a glimpse of the busy streets. Stores were opening, people were on their way to work, yet nothing could distract me from the beauty of the architecture here. I couldn’t believe I was in Paris.
I stepped out with my favorite winter jacket and breathed a sigh of happiness. Paris was beautiful, everything from the the large metro station – gothic or renaissance like in its design was so enamoring. The familiar smell of freshly baked bread caught my attention. I looked over to peer into the glass windows of the bakery filled with chocolate twists, butter croissants, lemon tarts, freshly baked baguettes. 
The familiar smell of warm bread brought back so much memories of Paris years ago. It had been too long since I had been back. That summer in Paris was one of the best experiences of my life. Every morning my dad would run down to grab fresh croissants for us from the local bakery below our airbnb. He would always come back with a brown paper bag, stained with grease from the buttery croissants, often his mouth chewing a biteful of it. All of us would eagerly wait by the door, anticipating his arrival. By the end of the week, my dad went so often that the baker recognized him. The baker would stuff a couple extras for us when he could. They were seriously the best croissants I had ever had.
Now fast forward 10 years I’m finally back in this magical city with my sister, her fiancee, my boyfriend and his brother. It was absolutely amazing to see Paris as I remembered it to be. The roads and stores leading up to the Arc de Triomphe were lined with French restaurants, bakeries, local stores and famous brands. We made sure to stop by a few stores to get all the incredible French goodies – some beautiful madeleines on our way to the Arc De Triomphe, a trip to the ice cream store for some gelato and macarons, before we walked up the stairs to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Then another stop for some crepes just as nightfall began to take over Paris.
Being in Paris makes me miss bread a lot. It was a shame I couldn’t enjoy most of the treats, because of my intolerances. I find that a lot of gluten free bread don’t always meet my standards (except for Chambelland bakery in Paris). Most of them are filled with starches and gums that often upset my stomach.
So if you are missing breads like we are in Paris here is a good one to satisfy your cravings.Today Zoe and I are introducing a recipe we have adapted and played with for a few months now. It is probably the best bread we’ve ever made. We wanted to create a recipe that had accessible ingredients, nutritious, oil-free, low sugar but also TASTE GOOD – one that we can make every week for my sister, my mom and myself. This recipe is extremely special to me, because of the time and effort we put into refining this. FYI we make this bread almost every week and we have gotten lots of thumbs up for this recipe! The time and effort I promise is worth it!
Each ingredient plays an important role and was carefully adjusted for flavor and texture purposes:
Oats: The bulk of it is oat flour because it is such a good source of soluble fibre, and many vitamins and minerals. For vegans, it is a great source of protein as well (11-17% of its weight). Best part is that it is one of the lowest calorie flours used in gf baking.
Coconut/Almond Flour: The coconut flour and almond flour not only add a bit of fat for texture but also imparts a subtle nutty and sweetness. This flavor combo results in the BEST tasting bread. Seriously it is so good on its own!
Psyllium Husk: Psyllium Husk is actually a concentrated source of dietary fiber. Commercially in the health industry it is known as Metamucil – fibre supplement to help alleviate constipation. Psyllium husk works the same way as Xathum Gum helping to bind the moisture, making it less crumbly.
Egg Whites: Egg whites are crucial in this. Adding in egg yolk gives this bread a nasty “eggy” flavor, which is more typical of paleo or gluten free baking. I like to buy cartoned egg whites because it ensures less wastage.
Yeast: In this recipe, the yeast is used for flavor. It gives it the classic “yeasted” bread flavor found in most regular bread.
Coconut Sugar: If you are worried about sugar levels, this recipe only has 2 tsp. Most of it is consumed by the yeast.
ALSO a few tips that we have found helpful make this bread successful:
- You must weigh the flours rather than using the cup measurements so that it is exact!
- Sifting the coconut flour makes the batter much lighter – THIS IS CRUCIAL!
- Eggs MUST BE AT ROOM temperature before mixing together!
- 1 + 1 tbsp cup Rolled Oats (121.5g)
- ¾ cup Almond Flour (84g)**
- ½ cup Coconut Flour (72g)
- 2 tbsp psyllium husk powder (we use the NOW FOODs Brand! Can find on AMAZON)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 sacket Instant Yeast
- 2 tsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 cup Egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- ½ cup Boiling Water
- Preparation: Take the egg whites out and let it reach room temperature (30 minutes).
- Mix the yeast, sugar and 2 tbsp of hot water. Set aside for 10 minutes till frothy.
- Oat Flour: Place the oats in the blender and Grind till fine.
- Transfer to a bowl and sift the coconut flour and baking powder in. Add in salt, almond flour and psyllium husk.
- When the egg whites are at room temp combine with the wet ingredients together: vinegar, applesauce, yeast mixture.
- Add the dry to the wet ingredient. Fold gently and slowly add the boiling water till desired consistency.
- Pour into lined loaf pan (9x5").
- Preheat oven to 350F. Let the loaf rest while oven preheats (about 15 mins).
- Bake for 1 hour.. Open the oven door and allow it to cool for 30 minutes before taking it out.
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