No flour? No sugar? No problem!
This bread is kind of absurd. How can something with four ingredients, none of which are flours or sugars, yield something that is so fluffy and bready? Damned if I know. Any Chem majors wanna clue me in?
I found the recipe using almond butter, but I already had two jars of natural peanut butter in the pantry, thanks to a 2 for $4 deal at Ralphs. And I didn't have the called-for lemon juice, so I used apple cider vinegar. Despite these tweaks, the bread came out perfect, with a mild peanutty taste and a moist crumb. Topped with a bit of 100% fruit-sweetened jam right out of the oven...umf! So tasty.
If you're worried about fat, don't be! Nuts may be high in fat, but they have tons of proven health benefits, from improving cardiovascular health to preventing type-2 diabetes. But in all things, portion control is everything. A big slice of this bread (about 1/12 of a loaf) has around 200-220 calories -- about the same as a wheat-based quick bread, and is way more filling. Here are the nutrition facts for the bread made with different nut butters:
Still not convinced? Here's what a review of nut and peanut intake from the journal Nutrients had to say:
I found the recipe using almond butter, but I already had two jars of natural peanut butter in the pantry, thanks to a 2 for $4 deal at Ralphs. And I didn't have the called-for lemon juice, so I used apple cider vinegar. Despite these tweaks, the bread came out perfect, with a mild peanutty taste and a moist crumb. Topped with a bit of 100% fruit-sweetened jam right out of the oven...umf! So tasty.
If you're worried about fat, don't be! Nuts may be high in fat, but they have tons of proven health benefits, from improving cardiovascular health to preventing type-2 diabetes. But in all things, portion control is everything. A big slice of this bread (about 1/12 of a loaf) has around 200-220 calories -- about the same as a wheat-based quick bread, and is way more filling. Here are the nutrition facts for the bread made with different nut butters:
Still not convinced? Here's what a review of nut and peanut intake from the journal Nutrients had to say:
"Nuts (tree nuts and peanuts) are nutrient dense foods with complex matrices rich in unsaturated fatty and other bioactive compounds: high-quality vegetable protein, fiber, minerals, tocopherols, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds. By virtue of their unique composition, nuts are likely to beneficially impact health outcomes. Epidemiologic studies have associated nut consumption with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease and gallstones in both genders and diabetes in women. Limited evidence also suggests beneficial effects on hypertension, cancer, and inflammation. Interventional studies consistently show that nut intake has a cholesterol-lowering effect, even in the context of healthy diets, and there is emerging evidence of beneficial effects on oxidative stress, inflammation, and vascular reactivity. Blood pressure, visceral adiposity and the metabolic syndrome also appear to be positively influenced by nut consumption. Thus it is clear that nuts have a beneficial impact on many cardiovascular risk factors. Contrary to expectations, epidemiologic studies and clinical trials suggest that regular nut consumption is unlikely to contribute to obesity and may even help in weight loss. Safety concerns are limited to the infrequent occurrence of nut allergy in children. In conclusion, nuts are nutrient rich foods with wide-ranging cardiovascular and metabolic benefits, which can be readily incorporated into healthy diets."
Thanks, science! Don't mind if I do.
Nut Butter Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Jeff Nimoy's Almond Butter Bread
1½ cups nut butter (peanut, almond, walnut, etc.)*
5 large eggs
1½ tablespoons acid (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, etc.)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
*Note: Whatever nut** butter you choose, double-triple-quadruple check to make sure there are no more than two ingredients: nuts and salt. You'd be surprised how many expensive, organic, "healthy" brands come chock-full of gross fillers like palm oil and sugar. If all else fails, you can make your own nut butter.
**Note: Yes, I am well aware peanuts are legumes.
Makes 1 loaf
Adapted from Jeff Nimoy's Almond Butter Bread
1½ cups nut butter (peanut, almond, walnut, etc.)*
5 large eggs
1½ tablespoons acid (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, etc.)
¾ teaspoon baking soda
- Preheat oven to 350° and lightly coat a small loaf pan with cooking spray.
- Measure nut butter of choice into a medium bowl. Beat eggs separately and add to the nut butter. Stir until well combined, then add the acid. Mix until smooth.
- Add the baking soda, sifting to remove lumps, and mix thoroughly.
- Pour into your prepped pan, smooth the top, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.
- Cool and slice.
*Note: Whatever nut** butter you choose, double-triple-quadruple check to make sure there are no more than two ingredients: nuts and salt. You'd be surprised how many expensive, organic, "healthy" brands come chock-full of gross fillers like palm oil and sugar. If all else fails, you can make your own nut butter.
**Note: Yes, I am well aware peanuts are legumes.