Perfect protein bread recipes for real athletes

The issue: wheat bread vs. protein bread

Protein bread recipes for self-baking have been a trend for quite some time. But what are the advantages of protein bread over ordinary bread, and how exactly is the term defined?

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

The problem with mass production of bread is bringing 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 rises 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 congestion 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. Mainly because the fiber in this bread is missing, this described blood sugar spike happens. Such glucose spikes have many negative effects on health in the medium and long term if they occur regularly: Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress hormone release, sleep disturbances and headaches are just a few examples of these.

2. Gluten, also known as gluten, is a protein that can damage the intestinal lining and contribute to leaky gut syndrome when consumed frequently. Simply explained, this means that bread made from gluten-containing grains damages the "filter" in the intestines that ensures that only the substances that are supposed to enter the body make it into the bloodstream. This can lead to pro-inflammatory substances entering the body, which also bring problems for health and cause more body fat deposits.

   In addition, gluten has a blocking effect on some digestive enzymes, inhibiting 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 in every cereal there is a different form. Especially Wheat-Gliadin, a component of the gluten protein in wheat, causes the issues mentioned above.
   Traditionally fermented sourdough bread makes gluten much less harmful and is therefore much more tolerable for the intestine than cheap bread from mass production.

3. Additives, trans fats and raising agents: Cheap bread that is not baked traditionally by the 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 have a much longer shelf life. Enzymes, artificial baking agents, emulsifiers, cheap processed vegetable oils and other chemical additives are used here. This has nothing to do with original bread made from the three ingredients flour, water, and yeast. Health wise and also on neurotransmitter level, these unnatural industrial products are not optimal. In addition, micronutrients and dietary fiber are missing here.

4. Protein and fiber are missing: Today, much of the population's diet lacks protein and fiber. Instead, "naked" carbohydrates such as wheat bread are consumed in excess, containing neither. Vegetables are used sparingly, and a lot of omega-6 fatty acids are typically used. This diet promotes inflammation, damages the intestines (because fiber is important food for the good intestinal bacteria), and triggers multiple blood sugar spikes daily. Dietary proteins, which are essential for the maintenance of the intestinal mucosa, the function of the liver, and the building and maintenance of muscles and soft tissues, are not consumed enough.

All these reasons argue for replacing the popular cereal bread with protein bread made from high-quality protein, good fats and more fiber, or replacing or at least supplementing mixed bread made from complex carbohydrates and protein. Baking protein bread can be effortless, flax seeds, chia seeds and low-carb flours are good components for a protein bread recipe. Some of these breads need to be in the oven a little longer because they can tolerate a little less heat, as the fats in many seeds, seeds, and nuts oxidize at too high a temperature.

Bake protein bread yourself

There are now many ready-made baking mixes for protein bread, some of which are recommended, others are not. You should pay attention to this in your own recipes and baking mixes:

• Gluten-free
• Without dairy products (more info on this below: "Protein bread recipe with quark")
• Free of soy (soy contains anti-nutrients that irritate the intestines, it can negatively affect the hormonal system and often contains heavy metals)
• Free of corn (corn flour - especially if it is not organic - is highly processed, causes blood sugar levels to rise sharply, and is also not tolerated by everyone's intestines, plus it often occurs in combination with highly processed products)
• Free of leavening agents, sugar, fermentation aids, vegetable fats (non-native oils, usually rich in omega-6 fats, e.g., sunflower oil) and E-numbers or ingredients whose names are hard to pronounce.

Instead, good ingredients for your protein bread are:

• Almond flour
• Flax seeds, sesame seeds, 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 husk
• Acacia fiber
• Guar gum
• Flaxseed meal
• Collagen powder from pasture
• Rice protein
• Salt (preferably rock salt)
• Possibly sheep curd
• Carbohydrate flours - without gluten - would be oat flour (GF), buckwheat flour, rice flour, cassava flour, chestnut flour, tiger nut flour.

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

THE protein bread recipe with quark & oil

Many protein bread recipes use low-fat quark because it is high in protein, low in fat and low carb. However, the problem with cow's milk products is a similar one to gluten: they can irritate the intestinal lining and inhibit the absorption of micronutrients. It depends on genetics, the individual microbiome and epigenetics how well the body copes with dairy products. Pure organic curd is at least more tolerable than other cow's milk products because the problematic protein A1 beta casein is rendered harmless by the fermentation process with lactic acid bacteria. However, if you have too much body fat around your midsection, you should initially not consume any dairy products or at least turn to organically produced sheep's, goat's or buffalo's milk products. These contain the more compatible form A2 beta casein. Sheep curd is available in common organic supermarkets and can be used wonderfully for this protein bread.

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

Protein bread without carbohydrates? Is that possible?

Protein bread in low-carb, it's no problem. Plenty of nut flours, which are high in protein, low in carbohydrates. Thus, the bread keeps blood sugar stable and is wonderful as a start to the day full of energy. Combined with some smoked salmon, cucumber or goat cheese, the bread tastes stunning.

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

Ingredients:

• 4 organic eggs
• 300 g sheep curd
• 50 g ground almonds
• 15 g psyllium husks
• 15 g coconut flour
• 20 g ground flax seeds
• 20 g sunflower seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Then in another bowl beat the eggs, mix with the sheep curd and then add the flour mixture.
3. Mix everything together with a hand mixer, by hand or with a food processor to form a dough. If the dough becomes too firm, you can add a little more water.
4. Shape into a loaf and place on a baking sheet or press into a loaf pan. Bake in the preheated oven in the middle of the oven at 170⁰C for 50 to 60 minutes.

These are the protein bread nutritional values:

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

Bake your own low-calorie protein bread - this is how you do it

If you want to make your protein bread even lower in calories, you can rely even more on fiber flours and bake less nuts and fats with. Then sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and Co should be omitted. Instead, a little more carbohydrates such as buckwheat flour or oat flour can be used. Protein flours such as hemp flour or protein powders such as collagen are then well suited for baking.

Protein buns / bread rolls recipe - small but nice

This recipe is vegan and high in fiber, the rolls go a little faster in the oven than an entire 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
• 15 g 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/sesame seeds in a bowl.
2. Mix apple cider vinegar and hot water, then add to dry ingredients, stir well and let swell for 15 minutes, stirring repeatedly. Add a little more water if necessary 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 slightly (so that they do not become a ball when rising) and bake in the middle of the oven in a preheated oven at 175⁰C convection oven for 35 to 45 minutes.

These are the protein roll nutritional values:

Nutritional values per roll:
Kcal: 78, Fat: 2.3 g, KH: 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 it is essential to follow the points from the first part of the text about the ingredients: No gluten, soy, and Co. Oat flakes may be there, in the best-case gluten-free. Or flour from oat flakes. The Thermomix can then bake the bread automatically.

Protein bread - calories, calorific value & nutritional values

The calories and nutritional values of a protein bread can vary greatly. Especially breads made with many seeds, grains, and fats can have a very high calorie density. That's why it's always a good idea to add lots of fiber flours like psyllium husks or acacia fiber. Protein flours from nuts are de-oiled, which is why almond flour contains half the calories as ground almonds. In the above recipes, everything has been considered, which makes the bread recipes rich in protein and rather low in carbohydrates - unlike ordinary grain bread, where the whole thing is reversed.

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

Is protein bread healthy? A conclusion

Protein bread is a healthy and useful alternative to conventional bread, insofar 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 milk quark can be used as an ingredient if you have a healthy gut, but there are also many great other options that contain lots of protein.

The advantage of protein bread is that you can simply, low in carbohydrates and high in fiber and protein. This promotes muscle growth and health - whether you're a professional athlete or not.