While looking for a low carb bread I first came across a low carb raw onion bread at Mother’s Market in Huntington Beach, California. It was delicious and EXPENSIVE. So the quest began to find a way to make it.
I found many recipes for low carb bread with onions, and raw breads, however not all of them worked, and some that worked didn’t taste very good. In the end the recipe I came up with is lower carb than wheat bread, although since it has a lot of onions it’s not super low-carb, although it is gluten free and the best tasting gluten free bread I’ve ever had.
I started with a basic recipe that I found on the Internet which turned out crumbly and not super tasty, then tweaked and twittered with it until I ended up with this version which holds together well, is easy to make, and super tasty. I really like this bread best using my original recipe, but I’ve noticed that whenever I make up a platter with different varieties of it, that people like the other varieties just as much, sometimes better, than the original recipe.
I prefer golden flax seed as I think it has a lighter, nuttier flavor. I also like to purchase whole seeds and grind them myself. Ground flax seed gets rancid very quickly. It’s easy to do, just dump them in a coffee grinder or blender and buzz until finely ground. Tip: clean your coffee grinder by buzzing a couple chunks of bread.
If you want to add some supplements that are in your cupboard such as maca powder, hemp powder, mesquite or green powder you can substitute up to 1/4 cup of your supplement for 1/4 cup of the sunflower seeds or almond meal.
Dry toasting your sunflower or pumpkin seeds prior to grinding them adds an extra step but I think it significantly enhances the flavor of the bread. It does make it no longer completely raw though. Your choice.
You can use any type of oil but a really good oil such as extra-virgin olive oil will give you a much tastier bread. If you have a flavored oil you may want to give that a try. I’ve loved every type of oil l’ve used, rosemary oil, garlic oil, basil oil …
I’ve used every type of onion, including red onions and all have turned out well.
Don’t skimp on the oil. I’ve experimented a bit and anything less than 1/4 cup just doesn’t work with this bread.
This onion bread is one of my favorite things to pack when I’m eating while traveling or running errands. I love it as is, or topped with avocado slices, tomatoes, or cucumbers.
Ingredients
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup ground sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or almond meal
1/4 cup Braggs amino, coconut aminos, low sodium soy sauce, tamari sauce, or shau sauce
1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or melted coconut oil
Instructions
Stir together all ingredients except onions in a large bowl. Add onions and stir to combine. Don’t worry about how it looks at this point. After you let it rest for 30 minutes the onions will soften and it will look like a thick batter.
Spread the mixture about 1/4-inch thick onto Teflon sheets that fit your dehydrator trays. Dehydrate for 12 to 24 hours (until the bread is dry enough to turn), then flip over onto mesh sheets or straight onto your dehydrator trays and dehydrate for another 6 to 12 hours. The bread can be very moist or continue until it’s almost as crisp as a cracker. I usually pull one tray when the bread is still moist but holds together well, another tray when it’s a little dryer and the last tray when it’s pretty much a cracker.
Variations
Garlic Onion Bread: add 1/2 head roasted garlic or 2 cloves minced garlic to batter.
Italian Bread: 1 tablespoon salt-free Italian seasoning or other herb
Mushroom Bread: substitute 1/4 cup diced mushrooms for 1/4 cup sliced onion.
Olive Bread: substitute 1/4 cup diced olives for 1/4 of sliced onion.
Oven Instructions
When I do try it this will be my starting point – line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the batter on the sheet to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. Bake in an oven at the lowest temperature possible. Check after one hour to get an idea of how long it might take. If it’s completely wet after that hour then I would check back every hour until it’s dry enough to flip. Continue baking until bread is the desired texture.
Make Your Own Substitute for Nama Shoy or Soy Sauce
Ingredients
1 large portabello mushroom
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups water
Instructions
Place the mushroom and salt in the blender with 1/2 cup of the water. Blend on high speed for 10 seconds, slowly add the remaining water through the top while continuing to blend. You may wish to strain the liquid to remove any mushroom chunks.
I invite you to use the Comments to share any variations, whether they work or not. We learn from both our mistakes and our successes.