OPTIMAL PROTEIN BREAD RECIPES FOR RECREATIONAL ATHLETES & REAL ATHLETES

The problem: wheat bread vs. protein bread

Homemade protein bread recipes have been a trend for a long time. But what advantages does that have? protein-rich bread versus ordinary and how exactly is the term even defined?

Typically, the staple bread is baked from carbohydrate-containing flour; Wheat, spelled, barley, rye or original varieties serve as the basis. In the basic recipe, water and yeast are added, which allows the dough to ferment and rise. Originally, breads went through a longer fermentation process than is the case in mass production today. Sourdough breads are fermented with lactic acid bacteria and should go through the process for at least 15-18 hours. Bakeries that follow traditional methods ferment sourdough bread for up to 60 hours. This has a very positive effect on the quality and tolerability of the product.

The problem with the mass production of bread brings with it the following health problems:

1. The main ingredient is wheat flour, which is processed quickly and contains almost no fiber. This leads to the fact that when consuming this bread the blood sugar level increases quickly and sharply. This causes excess sugar that is not currently needed as energy to be converted by the liver and stored in fat cells. In addition, there is a kind of traffic jam in the energy engines of the cells - the mitochondria - which in turn can lead to energy lows. Many people are familiar with the midday coma after a plate of pasta or a mountain of wheat bread. The described blood sugar spike happens mainly because the fiber is missing in this bread. Such glucose peaks have many negative effects on health in the medium and long term if they occur regularly: type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stress hormone release, sleep disorders and headaches are just a few examples.

2. Gluten, also known as gluten, is a protein that can damage the intestinal lining and can cause damage if consumed frequently Leaky gut syndrome can contribute. To put it simply, this means that bread made from grains containing gluten damages the “filter” in the intestines, which ensures that only the substances that should enter the body enter the bloodstream. This can lead to inflammatory substances entering the body, which can also cause health problems and cause more body fat to be stored.
   Gluten also has a blocking effect on some digestive enzymes, which inhibits the absorption of micronutrients: B vitamins and iron are particularly affected.
   By the way: Not all gluten is the same, there are numerous forms of this protein and every grain contains a different form. Wheat gliadin in particular, a component of the gluten protein in wheat, causes the problems mentioned.
   Traditionally fermented sourdough bread makes gluten significantly less harmful and is therefore much easier for the intestines than cheap, mass-produced bread.

3. Additives, trans fats and raising agents: Cheap bread that is not traditionally baked by a baker but comes from industrial production often contains a very long list of unnatural ingredients. These ensure that the rolls and breads look and smell fresh and last significantly longer. Enzymes, artificial baking agents, emulsifiers, cheap processed vegetable oils and other chemical additives are used here. This no longer has anything to do with original bread made from the three ingredients flour, water and yeast. These unnatural industrial products are not optimal in terms of health and neurotransmitters. In addition, micronutrients and fiber are missing here.

4. Protein and fiber are missing: Today, a large part of the population lacks protein and fiber in their diet. Instead, "naked" carbohydrates such as wheat bread are consumed in excess, which contain neither one nor the other. Vegetables are only used sparingly and many omega-6 fatty acids are often used. This diet promotes inflammation, damages the intestines (because fiber is important food for the good intestinal bacteria) and triggers multiple blood sugar spikes every day. Dietary proteins that are important for the maintenance of the intestinal mucosa, the function of the liver, and the development and maintenance of muscles and soft tissue are not absorbed enough.

All of these reasons speak for it being popular Grain bread through protein bread made of high-quality protein, good fats and more fiber or to replace or at least supplement a mixed bread made from complex carbohydrates and protein. Baking protein bread can be very easy, flax seeds, chia seeds and low carb flours are good components for one Protein bread recipe . Some of these breads have to be in the oven a little longer because they can tolerate a little less heat, because the fats in many seeds, kernels and nuts oxidize at temperatures that are too high.

Bake your own protein bread – don’t let anything good burn

There are many now Ready-made baking mixes for protein bread , some of which are recommended, others not. This is what you should pay attention to when making your own recipes and baking mixes:

• Gluten free

• Without dairy products (more information below: “Protein bread recipe with quark”)

• Free from soy (soy contains antinutrients that irritate the intestines, it can negatively affect the hormonal system and often contains heavy metals)

• Without corn (Corn flour - especially if it is not organic - is highly processed, causes blood sugar levels to rise sharply and is not tolerated by everyone's intestines, and it is often combined with heavily processed products)

• Free of raising agents, sugar, fermentation aids and vegetable fats (non-virgin oils, mostly rich in Omega-6 fats , e.g. sunflower oil) and E numbers or ingredients whose names are difficult to pronounce.

Instead, good ingredients for your protein bread are:

• almond flour

• Flax seeds, sesame, poppy seeds, chia seeds

• Pure tartar baking powder

• Apple Cider Vinegar

• Whole grains, seeds and nuts

• Coconut oil, virgin

• Apricot kernel flour

• coconut flour

• Organic eggs or organic egg white powder

• Pea protein

• Hemp protein

• Tapioca starch

• Inulin

• Psyllium husks

• Acacia fiber

• Guar gum

• Flaxseed meal

• Grass-fed collagen powder

• Rice protein

• Salt (preferably rock salt)

• Possibly sheep's curd

• Carbohydrate flours - without gluten - would be oat flour (GF), buckwheat flour, rice flour, cassava flour, chestnut flour, tiger nut flour

Pumpkin seeds should only be used as a small addition to the recipe as they contain a lot of omega-6 fatty acids.
These promote inflammation and already outweigh their counterparts, the omega-3 fatty acids, in our current diet.

THE protein bread recipe with curd & oil

For many Protein bread recipes Low-fat quark is used because it contains a lot of protein, is low in fat and low-carb. However, the problem with cow's milk products is similar to that with gluten: they can irritate the intestinal mucosa and inhibit the absorption of micronutrients. It's from genetics, the individual Microbiome and epigenetics depends on how well the body copes with dairy products. Pure quark from organic production is at least more tolerable than other cow's milk products because the problematic protein A1-beta casein is made less harmful through the fermentation process with lactic acid bacteria. However, if you have too much body fat around your middle, you should not consume dairy products initially or at least use organic sheep, goat or buffalo milk products. These contain the more tolerable form A2-beta casein. Sheep's quark is available in common organic supermarkets and can be used wonderfully for this protein bread.

The well-known combination of quark/low-fat quark and linseed oil can actually be good for breakfast if your intestines are intact, as it has a good electrolyte composition and the linseed oil contains omega-3 fatty acids. For the Protein bread recipe However, linseed oil makes absolutely no sense as it is very sensitive to heat and therefore should not be baked.

Protein bread without carbohydrates? Is that possible?

Protein bread in low carb, that's no problem. Lots of nut flours that are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. This means that the bread keeps blood sugar stable and is a wonderful way to start the day full of energy. Combined with some smoked salmon, cucumber or goat cheese, the bread tastes wonderful.

This protein bread with sheep's quark, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and egg is high in protein, without carbohydrates and tastes fluffy and delicious:

Ingredients:

• 4 organic eggs

• 300 g sheep's curd

• 50 g ground almonds

• 15 g psyllium husks

• 15g coconut flour

• 20 g ground linseeds

• 20 g sunflower seeds

• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Then crack the eggs in another bowl, mix them with the sheep's curd and then add the flour mix.

3. Mix everything into a dough using a hand mixer, by hand or with a food processor. If it becomes too solid, you can add a little more water.

4. Form a loaf of bread, place it on a tray or press the whole thing into a loaf tin. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven at 170⁰C for 50-60 minutes.

These are the protein bread nutritional values

A whole loaf can be divided into 6 portions (3-4 slices per portion).
Nutritional values ​​per serving:
Kcal: 204, fat: 14 g, carbohydrate: 4.2 g, protein: 13.3 g

Bake low-calorie protein bread yourself - here's how to do it

If you want to make your protein bread even lower in calories, you can use more fiber flour and bake fewer nuts and fats. Then sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and the like should be left out. A little more carbohydrates such as buckwheat flour or oat flour can be used for this. Protein flours such as hemp flour or protein powders such as collagen are then well suited for baking.

Protein roll recipe – small but nice

This recipe is vegan and high in fiber, the rolls go in the oven a little faster than a whole loaf.

Ingredients:

• 50 g almond flour

• 25 g psyllium husks

• 25 g hemp flour

• 25 g buckwheat flour

• 2 tsp pure tartar baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 15g chia seeds

• 50ml apple cider vinegar

• 300ml hot water

• Some poppy seeds or sesame seeds for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Mix all dry ingredients except poppy seeds/sesame seeds in a bowl.

2. Mix apple cider vinegar and hot water, then add to the dry ingredients, stir well and let sit for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If necessary, add a little more water to get the desired dough consistency.

3. Form 6 small rolls from the dough, sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds and flatten the rolls a little (so that they don't become balls when they rise) and bake in the middle of the oven in a preheated oven at 175⁰C for 35-45 minutes.

These are the protein roll nutritional values

Nutritional values ​​per roll:
Kcal: 78, fat: 2.3 g, carbohydrate: 3.7 g, protein: 6.4 g

Protein bread from the Thermomix – this is how it works

There are many Protein bread recipes on Pinterest , whose instructions explain everything. Thermomix itself also has some recipes, but the points from the first part of the text about the ingredients should definitely be taken into account: No gluten, soy etc. Oatmeal can be included, ideally gluten-free. Or oatmeal flour. The Thermomix can then bake the bread automatically.

Protein bread – calories, energy value & nutritional values

The calories and nutritional values ​​of protein bread can vary greatly. Especially breads made from lots of seeds, grains and fats can have a very high calorie density. That's why it always makes sense to add lots of fiber flours such as psyllium husk or acacia fiber. Protein flours made from nuts are de-oiled, which is why almond flour contains half the calories of ground almonds. Everything has been taken into account in the above recipes, which means that the bread recipes are rich in protein and rather low in carbohydrates - in contrast to ordinary grain bread, where the whole thing is the other way round.

Baking your own bread is always a good idea because you really know what's in it.

Is protein bread healthy? A conclusion...

Protein bread is a healthy and sensible alternative to conventional bread as it consists of natural ingredients that do not contain food allergens such as gluten, cow's milk or soy. Organic low-fat quark or better sheep's quark can be used as an ingredient if your intestines are healthy, but there are also many great other options that contain a lot of protein.

The advantage of protein bread is that it is low in carbohydrates and high in fiber and protein. This promotes muscle building and health - regardless of whether you are a professional athlete or not.