Honestly, I don't really miss bread. I don't ever have a craving that makes me want bread like zombies want brains. Which in retrospect is weird, considering my favorite food on the planet is toast.
That's right. Toast.
Though it really never had anything to do with the bread part and everything having to do with the slightly crisp texture and it being the perfect vehicle for getting those fresh fruit preserves from the jar into my mouth. (In case you missed that earlier, I'm from the south. Southwest. Southwest-ish.) It is also very convenient for when you want your ham, tomato, lettuce and avocado all in the same bite.
My grandmother would go to the farmers market and buy literal BUSHELS of fresh fruit. They also had a blackberry bush in the back yard and my parents had a fig tree in the back yard as I was growing up. Fresh fruit preserves are an awesome way to enjoy those summer fruits all year long!
So here is a recipe for my Almond Flatbread. IT IS NOTHING SPECTACULAR (I hate to admit that more than you know). But it is great for making little sandwiches or to have a piece of toast with fresh apple butter to go with my eggs for breakfast.
I do not recommend a vertical toaster. I use a toaster oven for my "toasting".
Okay, so here's the deal. You can do this one of two ways. You can spread this very thin (1/3") and then cut your product so that you can take two slices and make a sandwich
OR
You can make slightly thicker bread (1/3"-1/2") and then use a sharp knife to carefully cut the slice in half horizontally.
I choose the second method because it requires fewer batches and is less work.
**NOTE** This is PALEO bread, not just a gluten-free bread. If I was using potato flour, tapioca starch, amaranth, flax meals, xanthan gum, ect. ect. ect. this would be in a whole other boat.
But because our main ingredient is almond meal, it is very heavy when you bite into it and can "feel" dry in the mouth. That is why we use thin slices (to avoid this feeling of heaviness) and that is where things like tomato slices or fresh fruit preserves lend to add moisture to what you are eating.
Really, all in all, this works pretty darn well.
If you just want to munch on bread by itself, this probably isn't the recipe for you. Actually, if you're strict Paleo and you want to munch on bread by itself, you have likely fallen off the bandwagon sometime this week.
Alright! Alright! You want the recipe already.
You will need:
A small oven safe pan, electric mixer (or it's going to be a loooong day), parchment paper, coconut oil (or something else to help the bread not stick), a spatula.
Preheat oven to 325.
Ingredients:
5 egg whites (if you get even a little bit of yolk in these, this will not work!)
2/3c almond flour
1 tsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest finely chopped
(If you want an herb-type bread, feel free to add in finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice!)
#1- Whip your egg whites to "stiff peaks". This means that the egg whites stand up by themselves and don't droop or fall over. While is is very difficult to over-beat your egg whites, it is still possible.
#2- Take all of your dry ingredients and lemon zest and FOLD these ingredients into your egg whites until they are fully incorporated. Yes, you will lose some volume. That's normal. DO NOT STIR your ingredients in! Just fold them.
#3- Line your small pan with parchment and brush lightly with the coconut oil using a pastry brush.
#4- Spread the mixture evenly in the pan using the back of a spatula.
#5- Bake at 325 for 10 minutes, rotate the pan (to allow for even cooking) and cook for another 10 minutes or until the edges have turned brown and the middle "springs" back if you touch it. It should not be sticky.
Remove from the pan to cool and cut into desired size! I personally prefer a smaller size because I grew up with "tea sandwiches" and they are easy to pack and eat on the go. Smaller sandwiches are also great if you can't make up your mind on what kind of sandwich you want!
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