I don’t really miss bread ever since I switched to a grain-free diet about 8 years ago. Eating regular bread has so many health implications for me that it is just not worth it — honestly, it’s probably not worth it for you either! Joel and I don’t even eat bread made with alternative flours very often, so an individual serving of a low-carb bread in a mug for those rare times is just what the (functional medicine) doctor ordered.
Sometimes I just want savory bread in a mug with cold-smoked salmon for breakfast instead of eggs. Other times I want a breakfast sandwich with bacon, fried egg, and sautéed greens piled high. For lunch, I may want turkey sandwiches to get through our turkey leftovers. This is when two slices of savory bread made in a mug hit the spot.
Seriously, it is so easy and quick to make in only 90 seconds of cooking time that there is no need to bake a whole loaf. Well, unless you’re serving a lot of people. If I ever feel like I want a sandwich or something different from my regular rotation, I can have an individual serving of fresh bread in less than 5 minutes!
As is with any baking that uses alternative flours and low-carb sweeteners, I’ve been refining this bread in a mug recipe for a while. I finally settled on a version that I like and want to share with you. It doesn’t use almond flour for those of you who can’t tolerate it. It can also be made dairy-free using coconut oil instead of butter, but I think it tastes better with butter 🙂
I initially started with a recipe that used coconut flour and blanched almond flour. Those two flours together produced a moist-enough consistency only if you used 2 tablespoons of fat or 1 tablespoon of fat and 1 tablespoon of water per serving. And then I read something online that changed my world. Funny how that happens!
Now, you might ask, “What’s wrong with almond flour and 2 tablespoons of fat or 1 tablespoon of fat and 1 tablespoon of water?” First, in my case, 2 tablespoons of cooking fat is simply too many calories in one meal. Joel can have that — no problem — he’s bigger!
Second, I did my gut microbiome test and found out that I should minimize almonds, at least in the initial phase of rebalancing my overall microbiome. In fact, many people out there don’t tolerate almonds very well and are looking for recipes that don’t use almond flour. Blanched almond flour is surely better than regular almond flour because it has almond skins removed, but still.
The breakthrough happened when I was reading comments about a low-carb bread recipe that was posted on DietDoctor.com. I love that site and their entire mission! Someone suggested using ground flaxseed because it makes the bread moist and gives it a nice texture. Well, flax seeds are on my “enjoy” list according to my gut microbiome test!
I modified my initial bread in a mug recipe to use ground flaxseed instead of blanched almond flour. It now requires only 1 tablespoon of cooking fat of your choice to be completely moist and delicious! Plus, all of the ingredients in the recipe are on my “enjoy” list. I can root for that!
The best part, of course, is that my hero Robb Wolf created a story on Instagram saying that my turkey sandwiches made with this savory bread in a mug looked amazing! Read my story to find out why Robb is my hero 🙂
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients
1 large egg, preferably pastured (I use pastured eggs from Vital Farms, which are available at most grocery stores in our area)
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder or granules
1 tablespoon grass-fed butter or coconut oil, melted
2 teaspoons dried chives (optional)
Directions
- Whisk the egg, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, sea salt, and onion powder in a microwave-safe mug with a wide bottom or a large ramekin until well combined.
- Pour melted butter or coconut oil into the mug or ramekin and mix well.
- Mix in dried chives (optional).
- Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
- Remove the mug or ramekin using oven mittens (it will be hot!)
- Let cool for a minute.
- Remove the bread from the mug or ramekin and cut into slices.
- Toast in a frying pan or a toaster (optional).
TIP:
I like to use a small whisk when mixing these ingredients, but a regular fork works just as well. Joel uses a fork all the time! I also use a butter knife to remove the bread from the mug.
VARIATIONS:
This is where you get to play around with your favorite flavors! Feel free to omit onion powder if you don’t like the taste or want it plain. Try experimenting with other herbs and spices — I’d like to try it with dried dill because it would go well with smoked salmon.
Check out my recipes for an easy roasted chicken or prime rib, which would be perfect for using leftovers to make sandwiches with the savory bread in a mug.
