Table of Contents

Introduction

For many embarking on the Keto or Paleo journey, giving up bread can be daunting. Bread, after all, is not just food; it’s a part of numerous cultural traditions, a staple in many diets, and for most, a comfort food. However, the high-carb content of traditional bread doesn’t align with the low-carb, high-fat principles of Keto and Paleo diets. This is where almond flour bread comes as a savior for your taste buds and diet plan.

Why Almond Flour?

Almond flour, made from ground almonds, is not just a low-carb alternative to traditional wheat flour; it’s a powerhouse of nutrition. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, it aligns perfectly with the principles of a ketogenic diet. Almonds are known for their heart-healthy fats, which can aid in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Plus, this gluten-free flour makes it a fantastic option for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.

The Nutritional Profile

A slice of almond flour bread contains significantly fewer carbs compared to its wheat-based counterpart. Here’s a quick nutritional breakdown for a typical slice:

• Calories: 160-200 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 3-5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2-3 g
• Protein: 6-8 g
• Fats: 14-18 g

These values can vary based on the recipe and additional ingredients used.

Recipe for Almond Flour Bread

Now, let’s dive into how you can bake this delightful, keto-friendly bread at home.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup of butter, melted (can be substituted with coconut oil for a dairy-free option)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• Optional: herbs like rosemary or thyme for added flavor

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add Wet Ingredients: Incorporate the eggs and melted butter into the dry mixture. Mix until you achieve a smooth batter.
4. Pour into a Loaf Pan: Grease a loaf pan and pour in your batter, smoothing the top with a spatula.
5. Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool and Serve: Let the bread cool before slicing. Enjoy it as is, or toast it for a crunchier texture.

Conclusion

Switching to a Keto or Paleo diet doesn’t mean you have to give up on bread. Almond flour bread is not just a great alternative; it’s a nutritious and delicious option that complements your dietary choice. Whether you’re enjoying it with a slab of butter or using it for your favorite sandwich, this bread will satisfy your cravings without compromising your dietary goals.

FAQ

A loooong while back, I posted a recipe for making your own sourdough starter. I had intended to post a bread recipe shortly after, but it took me this long to get one that I was completely happy with. Some recipes were too wet, some not enough flavour, and others too dense. I kept trying new ones, and new methods until I had one that I knew would work every time. And here it is!

This recipe started out as a San Fransisco sourdough recipe from my old school textbook, On Baking: A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals. It’s a great book that teaches the science and fundamentals of all manner of pastry and baking techniques, and includes recipes for almost anything you could think of! I often think that I need to really work through my recipe books, and this one is definitely high on the list. It’s got such a wide variety of recipes and explains them in full detail.

I tried making the sourdough recipe, as it’s described in the book, and it was okay, but not quite sour enough for my taste. That could be simply because of the unique wild yeast that lives in San Fransisco (L. Sanfranciscensis), or because this particular recipe was too ‘quick’ to develop a sour flavour. It actually used a small amount of commercial yeast in the dough, so that you could bake the loaf the same day you make it. Great if you’re strapped for time, but it leaves a bit to be desired in taste. However, it did explain one thing I had been wondering in the past – how to achieve what I consider a San Fransisco sourdough crust.

See, in Victoria, BC all sourdough that is labeled as “San Fransisco” has this soft glossy crust. It’s not the super tough stuff you associate with artisan bread, but something almost more akin to buns. While you can definitely make a San Fransisco sourdough with a traditional crust (like they do at Tartine in San Fran), for me, the key to making a San Fransisco sourdough bread (besides the yeast) is that soft crust. And you want to know the secret? Egg White! You simply brush the loaf with whisked egg whites all over before slashing and baking. It adds the glossiness from the egg proteins and softens the crust by preventing the chemical reaction that normally occurs.

Okay, but back to this bread recipe – I took the original one from the book, and started changing things, one at a time. First, I reduced the amount of flour in the recipe, to create a higher level of hydration. See, the higher the percentage of water in a recipe, the larger the holes and glossier the texture will be in the final bread. Really good sourdough bread has a slightly chewy texture, and large aeration holes – which can only occur with more water. Too much water and the dough will become very wet and difficult to work with – which I had at first. Of course, if you can master bread with a high level of hydration, it’ll produce an amazing loaf. However, for this recipe, I wanted something a bit easier to manipulate.

Second, I omitted the commercial yeast. I didn’t add anything to replace it, but simply went from a quick fermentation and proving, to a much longer one (overnight, in the fridge). Third, I added a series of folds instead of simply kneading the dough. This was partly due to the higher level of hydration (and how annoying it was to knead) but also because a longer bench time and folds produce a nicer crumb structure. And finally, I changed the oven times and temperature to the style of bread I was now making – and baked it in an ovenproof dish. Oh, and I omitted the egg wash, as I was now proving the bread in a floured banneton.

And that produced this recipe! Now, I will give a few tips to help you along with it.

1. If you don’t have a banneton, you can use a well-floured tea towel in a bowl. The bowl should be a small mixing bowl size, and you really want to work the flour into the towel. Start by just rubbing flour into the towel surface, then drape it in the bowl, and dust over even more flour. If you end up with too much on the bread, you can always dust it off with a pastry brush before scoring. I like to secure my towel with an elastic.
2. If you’re uncertain if your bread has proved enough, try gently pressing a floured fingertip in it. If the indentation remains, you are ready to bake. Just shy of doubled in size should be perfect, as it means the yeast still has a bit more energy left.
3. If you don’t have the time for all of the folds, simply knead the dough twice as long, until smooth. You’ll develop a nicer texture with the added time and folds, but you’ll still have a great loaf without.
4. Don’t fight the bread during folding – as the gluten develops it will not stretch as far. Just stretch it as much as it will let you, even if it means only 3 sides instead of 4.
5. You can turn the bread out directly into the baking dish, but I prefer to use parchment paper. It allows me to shift the bread in the dish to center it, and provides more room to score the bread. I traced the bottom of the dish onto parchment paper, cut it out, and scrunched it up many times to soften the paper. I reuse it each time I bake.
6. If you don’t have a lamé (scoring knife) use the sharpest paring knife you have or a serrated knife. You want to cut about 1cm or so deep – too deep and the bread will open up too much, and too shallow and the bread will tear elsewhere to allow steam to escape.
7. If you’ve never shaped bread into a boule or batard, watch some videos online. There are many great ones out there to show you how to do it (it’s hard to put into words). If the bread doesn’t hold its shape well after your initial shaping – you can let it rest for 20 minutes and then shape again.

That’s it! A great sourdough recipe, for days when you have lots of time (folds) and when you don’t (just kneading). Oh, and once you’ve got it down, why not experiment with adding in some flavour? My most recent bread had walnuts and figs worked into the dough (100g figs, 80g walnuts). I can’t wait to keep creating new flavours with seeds, herbs, and spices. Perhaps olive and rosemary next? Or beetroot from our own allotment?

Now I must get back to my next bread recipe development – a proper 6-day loaf. And one with a San Fransisco crust!

No-churn strawberries + cream ice cream | Hello Victoria

In my quest for more no-churn ice cream recipes, I came up with this delight. It’s strawberries and cream season over here, especially with Wimbledon just over, so why not ice cream? Enter my way to use up some of summer’s red + juicy bounty – strawberries and cream ice cream!

Now, just a word of warning, this stuff is rich! Basically, lots of no-churn recipes out there use only cream, with no milk. The increase in fat (and the ability to whip it up) makes it nice and soft sans ice cream maker. The only thing is that you’re eating a lot of cream. So this is the kind of ice cream to consume in small doses, just like gelato! (Man I love gelato…)

I’m working on another vanilla base that uses some milk to cut the fat, but it’s not ready yet. I’m hoping to use is to make honeycomb ice cream, just like the kind Richard loves from Nothern Ireland, but am debating adding a ripple of chocolate to it. Good idea, or keep it simple?

For this ice cream, you need to cook off most of the water from the strawberries. I tried a few recipes in the past that didn’t do that, and always found the strawberry ice cream to be a bit icy. So when I was coming up with this, I decided to cook the strawberries like jam (minus all the sugar and pectin) in order to make a really thick syrupy ribbon.

If you want to turn this into strawberry ice cream (as opposed to strawberries and cream), just mix half the strawberry mixture into the cream before ribboning in the rest. Is ribboning a word? Who cares…

Anyway, here’s the recipe, and I hope you enjoy it! Maybe the weather around here will come back around and I can enjoy this outside in the sun…

I figured that since I’m not going to buy any of these items anytime soon, perhaps I should share them with the world, and someone else might give them a good home.

First up we have Anthropologie – oh how I love thee! I can’t help but stop in their stores every chance I get. Great stuff and such inspiring window displays!

spoon rest // barside bowl // textured indira cushions

I haven’t been looking much at their clothing lately, but that wood spoon rest would be amazing. We still don’t have one in the kitchen yet, and I like the warmth that wood brings. The marble bowl could be used for food or organization, and those textured pillows would be so fun on our bed (along with some indigo accents)! However, I doubt Richard would be a fan of the tassel-y bits.

textured cement planters // alpaca planters // textured table runner

I’m trying to increase the number of plants in our home, which means I am constantly looking for pots. I love quirky-looking vintage ones, and stuff that looks handmade. (To that end, we’re even looking into doing a ceramic course here in Kent!) While those cement planters would be perfect, I kind of have a soft spot for alpacas… they’re just so fluffy!! As for the table runner, I think Richard would hate it – but I love all the texture.

Next up, ASOS – so glad I got their premier shipping for a year! Wouldn’t it be amazing if they started carrying home stuff?!

green button skirt // striped beach dress // gingham skirt

I’m really hoping to find some nice skirts and dresses for the spring/summer this year, and am love that gingham one!

tall mac // wrap coat // waterfall trench

I have always loved classic Mac trench coats, and feel like living in rainy London makes it even more likely that I would use it. Doesn’t that wrap coat look cozy? And on sale!

black wrap sandals // chambray beach tunic // bunny flats

Those bunny flats just make me smile (doubt I could keep them clean enough), but I love the other two for summer!

Rose and Grey was a shop I stumbled across, and then fell in love with so many things! A lot of their furniture is above my price point, but their accessories aren’t too much of a sticker shock to the system. I still haven’t explored their whole inventory, but am already in love with these items.

cut glass tumblers // blue ceramic mug // green vintage plant pot

Right now we only have some mugs from Richard’s work, and I would love something larger (I could drink so much tea and coffee…) as well as prettier. I am also super into cut glass highballs and tumblers these days – my parents had some crystal glasses that were rarely used when we were kids, and it’s made me want some fancy everyday glasses. As with our silver cutlery, we like the idea of using what would have only been for special occasions, every day!

Finally, we have Oliver Bonas. I stumbled upon this shop walking around the city one day with Richard and fell in love with all of their marble jewelry stands (as well as their dainty jewelry). I’m planning on getting one for the bedroom as I currently have nothing to store jewelry on. I also love that denim tunic that they just put online (would it fit a tall girl without being too short?).

brass + marble jewelry stand // denim tunic dress

Anyways, that’s just a snapshot of what I love these days. If you see something you think I’ll like, let me know!

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Living in London | Hello Victoria

… well technically, Sidcup, Kent – but hey! – given that it only takes about 30 minutes to get to London Bridge, it’s basically London.

I moved from Victoria, BC about 7 months ago, as my boyfriend Richard lives and works here. Most days I still feel a bit like a tourist, but I’m starting to get my bearings. Sure, I constantly find myself fascinated by buildings that are older than Canada itself, but I shall soon become a jaded Londoner, walking past Shakespearean architecture without a second glance. (At least, I hope I don’t…)

Early last year, I went back to school to become a pastry chef, and it’s taken me this long to find a job with a good work-life balance. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to hone those skills in my own kitchen, with one small problem. I had heard that kitchens in the UK were small, but had no idea just how small they could be! The size of the fridge we have here is the same as the little beer fridge in my parent’s house! Not ideal when you have grandiose aspirations to make amazing layered cakes or dinner parties.

The lovely old building we call home

Although it is small, this flat has some great character, which is why Richard bought it in the first place. In the quest to make this space the best it can be, it’ll be a challenge to add storage and functionality, while highlighting the character that the building already has. Oh, and did I mention that we have no money to do any of this?! Oh yes… in addition to the small kitchens, UK flats tend to be very expensive, leaving next to no money to update them.

Some of the lovely architectural details on the outside of the flat

I’m hoping that this blog will be the impetus for me to tackle the myriad of DIY projects that I have in my head, bake all the recipes I have saved on Pinterest (yeah – right), and get out more into London. Who doesn’t love feeling accountable to the anonymous masses of the interweb?

Oh yeah, and hopefully this blog will force me to get more comfortable taking and being in more photos because at the moment, most of my faces look like this ^^