Video/Recipe: Coconut Flour Bread

The challenges of a gluten-free, grain-free, starch-free diet are many. One of the first considerations that people need in order to feel that they can actually “do” the diet is to have an acceptable bread replacement. Children and adults alike, crave bread. These are the people that most need to eliminate it from their diet.

Unfortunately, our culture is heavily grain/bread/starch based. And this is what gets some people in trouble in the first place. They eat too many carbohydrates that are difficult to digest.

Not only are more and more children having problems with a grain based diet, but more adults are as well. Adult onset celiac disease is on the rise and is expressed with many different and seemingly unrelated symptoms, not only digestive distress. Not only is celiac disease on the rise, but in even greater  numbers, the cases of gluten intolerance are finally being recognized by researchers.

We Have Not Evolved to Eat Grains

Grains have become a food staple only in the last 10,000 years. That may sound like a lot of time, but in evolutionary terms it is just a drop in the bucket. Our digestive tracts are actually geared for the “primal” diet of hunters and gatherers.

When agriculture of grains became more prevalent, these cultures developed a way of preparing them so that they were digestible to humans. Traditional methods of preparing grains require them to be soaked, fermented and/or sprouted before being ground into flour and then baked into bread.

Our modern commercial corporations have no interest in making their products more digestible. They are interested in making their products taste and look good without any concern as to whether or not they actually provide any available nutrition. Consequently, there are no grain based products on the conventional market today (with the rare exception of a few traditional bakers or farmers) that are properly prepared.

Commercial Breads are Not From Properly Prepared Grains

None are properly prepared by soaking, fermenting and/or sprouting and so they are difficult to digest. Anyone with a compromised digestive system may develop problems if their diet is high in these products. Is it any wonder that adult onset allergies, celiac disease and gluten intolerance are rapidly on the rise?

Here we have a recipe for a simple, delicious, wholesome and fully nutritious bread that will satisfy the need for a “carbohydrate” type food. This is an excellent and completely balanced food, as it has plenty of protein from the eggs, plenty of fat from the coconut flour and oil (or butter/ ghee) and plenty of fiber from the coconut flour. Who could ask for more?

Coconut Flour Bread

Ingredients

• 4 whole eggs (pastured if possible)
• 3 eggs separated
• 4 – 5 Tablespoons butter, ghee or coconut oil
• 1 Tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 2 Tablespoons applesauce (preferable organic and homemade)

Equipment

• Electric hand beater (where to buy)
• Food processor (where to buy a food processor)
• Bowls
• Glass loaf pan lined with parchment paper (5 x 7 Glass loaf pan) (where to buy parchment paper)
  

Instructions

1. Using a hand held electric beater, beat the whites until they are somewhat stiff.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the 4 whole eggs with the 3 egg yolks, honey, oil and applesauce and mix together.
3. Add the coconut flour,  salt and  baking soda and mix together. If you are following GAPS you may omit the baking soda (and the honey). After mixing, the batter should be somewhat stiff.
4. Pour the mix into a mixing bowl and fold in the egg whites. You do not necessarily have to separate the eggs, but I find that it is fluffier and lighter if you do separate them. If you are in a hurry you can simply leave the eggs whole. However it doesn’t take very long to beat up 3 egg whites and for me, the difference is worth it.   Try not to leave big clumps of whites, get them folded in well.
5. Now, pour the batter into a well oiled loaf pan. I also line the bottom with parchment paper that is oiled.
6. Bake at 350º F for 40 minutes. (Set a convection oven at 350 and it will run at 325. That is fine).
7. After 30 minutes check it. It will look very browned but will not be ready inside. Cover the pan with foil or a small piece of parchment paper for another 10 minutes. The parchment paper will help it cook inside without getting too brown on the outside. Just be aware that parchment paper can catch fire if it touches the heat source inside the stove, so be careful if you do this.
8. When finished, cool on a rack. Let cool completely before slicing, then wrap in wax paper and refrigerate.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

To save time, you can make two loaves at once and have one to freeze. It is perfectly fine to freeze baked goods with coconut flour.

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