[Are you looking for help with candida? The Candida Kick-Start is a proven 5-Step program that supports you at every step of the way. This candida diet bread recipe was by far one of the favorites among the testers, and then readers, of Living Candida-Free. And no wonder–it’s vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, and low glycemic. Suitable for all stages on an anti-candida diet.]
[photo: Nicole Axworthy]
I have to credit (blame?) my mom for the reason I’m not much of a bread fan.
Although she was an accomplished baker, my mom never did master the arena of bread baking.
Sure, she could throw together a quick bread like nobody’s business: a banana bread, say, or a moist and alluring carrot-pineapple quick loaf were easy for her. But she never quite managed the light, fluffy sandwich loaf; a tender, golden dinner roll; or anything close to the puffed and airy cinnamon buns her sister (a former professional caterer) used to whip up almost weekly for our family every time we went to visit.
The HH thought I was downright weird when he first noticed that I didn’t enjoy buttered toast with breakfast, or that I didn’t regularly tote sandwiches for lunch to the office and on the road. (Even before I went gluten-free, and even before I switched to an anti-candida diet, that was the case. Just check this blog’s recipe index: only one real sandwich recipe, and that one appeared less than a month ago!).
In fact, I can honestly say that I’ve baked fewer than a handful of yeast-based breads in my entire life. (Perhaps a sign that I’d be dealing with candida down the road?).
When I started developing recipes for Living Candida Free a couple years ago, I was surprised to discover that almost everyone I asked yearned for a good candida diet bread recipe. In addition, given the veto on yeast on the anti-candida diet, the task was actually made easier for this conventional bread-challenged gal–I knew what I needed to do!
Until now, this recipe has been a fairly coveted secret that my publisher was loath to reveal publicly. But since it’s also one of the most-requested recipes from the book, I kept imploring and eventually the publisher relented and allowed me to reprint it here. (I can be really persistent when I’m motivated).
The recipe requires a bit of preparation, as do most anti-candida baked goods, to reproduce the taste and texture that’s pleasingly familiar. But once it’s ready, you can slice, freeze and wrap it so you’ll never be without a slice of bread again–even in the early stages of the diet.
Finally–a bread that I love (though don’t expect any new sandwich recipes on the blog any time soon!).
[photo: Nicole Axworthy]
Grain-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Yeast-Free, Sugar-Free Sandwich Loaf from Living Candida-Free
Reprinted with permission from Da Capo Lifelong, © 2015.
Coconut oil, for greasing the pan (optional)
2/3 cup (160 ml) spaghetti squash purée (see tip)
1-1/2 Tbsp (22.5 ml) raw apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup (180 ml) vegetable broth or stock
1/2 cup (120 ml) smooth natural almond butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter (see note)
5 drops plain pure liquid stevia (optional; it brings out the flavors)
3 Tbsp (45 ml) finely ground flaxseeds
3 Tbsp (45 ml) whole psyllium husks (not powder)
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp (150 g) raw pumpkin seeds
2-1/2 tsp (12.5 ml) baking powder
1-1/4 tsp (6 ml) baking soda
1/4 to 1/2 tsp (1 to 2.5 ml) fine sea salt
2/3 cup (65 g) chickpea flour
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Line an 8-inch (20 cm) loaf pan with parchment, or grease with coconut oil.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the squash, vinegar, broth, almond butter, and stevia. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, blend the flax, psyllium, pumpkin seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chickpea flour until the mixture resembles a powder. There should be no pieces of pumpkin seed larger than a bread crumb.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients in the processor and blend just to combine; do not overmix. The mixture may begin to fizz and expand a bit.
Immediately transfer to the prepared loaf pan and very gently smooth the top. Allow to sit indisturbed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, bake the loaf for 70 to 80 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through, until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top is very well browned. Let cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing. Makes one loaf. May be frozen.
Note: This recipe will work with sunflower seed butter, but the final loaf may turn green because compounds in the seeds react with heat. It doesn’t affect the taste or nutritional value but may be a slight deterrent visually (unless you’re a six-year-old, that is).
Tip: To bake spaghetti squash, place the whole squash on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for about an hour, until the skin just begins to brown and a knife can be inserted easily. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds. Scoop the flesh from the skin and then puree the baked flesh in a food processor or blender until perfectly smooth. Any leftover squash puree can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.
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Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
Hello Ricki!
I have your book and love it! I wanted to ask you what do you recommend when we cannot find spaghetti squash? Can I use homemade pumpkin purée?
Thank you!!
Regards,
Isabel
Hi Isabel,
I’d say the better alternative is pureed zucchini–it has a similar texture to the spaghetti squash. 🙂 And glad you like the book! 😀
Hello Ricki!!
Great! Thank you very much for your reply!
I made this and it is delicious!! Love it! <3 (I used homemade pumpkin purée because I didn't see your comment before, and the result was very good!). Next one I will make it with pureed zucchini!
I just want to thank you for all your help, you are an inspiration! I have Candida, PCOS and IBS so It has not been easy for me 🙁 I needed to adapt most of your recipes for the IBS, but I have one month now following your ACD and feeling better. Thanks again!
Regards,
Isabel
So glad to know that, Isabel! I think you’ll find the zucchini makes a slightly lighter bread. 🙂 And wonderful to know that the diet has helped you! 🙂
Ricki, I made this bread today and I love it! I had pretty much given up on gain free, egg free, yeast free sandwich bread…but no more! Great taste and texture!
Looking at the ingredient list, this recipe must have required a lot of experimenting…thank you for all your hard work!
June
Aw, thank you so much, June–and thrilled that you like it! Yes, it was one of the more-tested recipes in the book (I think I did around 25 trials), but so happy with how it came out. And thank YOU for coming by to comment and let me know! 😀
I’m paleo and on a candida diet. Do you have a suggestion for swapping out the chickpea flour? I don’t eat legumes.
Chandra, unfortunately, the chickpea flour is essential to this recipe. But if you’re Paleo in general, the internet offers loads of grain-free bread recipes made with eggs. . . I’m sure you could have one of those. 🙂
My kids love this bread from your book and even use it with Daiya to make grilled “cheese” sandwiches. Go figure, the crust of it is their favourite part! Thank you muchly for this recipe – it’s saved my butt many times when it comes to feeding them!
Yay!! So happy to know that, Tabitha! And thrilled that even the kids love it. 😀
Wow this bread is amazing. Have made it three times now with the courgette instead of the squash (hard to get hold of in the uk). Am
Going to try with butternut squash next! It really is delicious Ricki and has been such a great help when taking food out. I even took some to my sisters wedding on Sunday to have with the pate. Thanks so much for coming up with it. It’s so great to eat bread again 🙂
Yippee! It’s funny because I was never a bread fan myself, but I know that so many people eat it as a daily staple. I’m delighted that you can enjoy bread again! 😀
Ricki, I am so happy to find your website! I am on a very strict diet — candida along with various allergies (dairy, eggs, etc.) and have been told not to have chickpeas or any beans. Is there any other flour that will work with this recipe?
Thank you!
Miriam
Glad you found it, too, Miriam! I’m afraid I haven’t tried other flours, and my guess is that they wouldn’t work very well. The chickpea is high protein, which helps the bread to bind. You could try almond flour or coconut flour and see how that works. If you give it a try, come back and let us know how it turned out! And best of luck on the diet (it does get easier over time). 🙂
thank you Ricki! I will try coconut flour. I am supposed to avoid almond flour as I am moderately allergic. But may use it from time to time. Will let you know how it works out!
Thank you for this useful tips! Legumes are an absolute “no-no” option for me too, and I was wondering if maybe almon flour could do the job instead: now that I know this’d be a “Ricky-approved” substitution I’ll give it a try 🙂
Roberta, honestly, I’m not sure it would work. The chickpea flour has a certain amount of starch that acts as a binder. You could try maybe increasing the starch and see if that works. . . or see if there’s another grain-free bread recipe online that works better with your dietary restrictions? I’m always working on new recipes, so that’s one for me to add to my list. 🙂
Thank you Ricki, I’ll try and I’ll let to know if it works! I prefedtly understand your advice unfrtunately for me every kind of starch is forbidden 🙁 So I’m used to experiment, not always with success, but I ‘m hard to discouraged, adn try again. More over, I’m not a fan of bread and pastries (my biggest luck, or form of habit acquired during 20 years of dietary restriction, anyway before I fel like garbage so no problem for me to renounce, but sometime I’d appreciate to be able to prepare something for my beloved and share it with them eating too, not only serving and watching…the ‘d be happy to see me doing so).
Your recipe are a great resource even just to get inspired if someone can’t tolerate something in them, because often it’s enough to try a substitution, and anyway I see that you’re always very kind and answer if someone ask for advices and have concerns abut some point: thank you for this support!
My pleasure, Roberta! Do let me know how it turns out if you give it a try with substitutions. 🙂
This bread is amazing! I am a nursing mom to a very food sensitive 6 month old. I’ve always loved bread. I’ve tried several variations on your recipe based on what I’ve had on hand. One loaf with sunflower seed butter, another subbing in coconut butter, and the last loaf used tahini and butternut squash and a little white bean flour to top off the 2.3 cup chickpea flour since I ran out! All were amazing. I even made rolls for our turkey burgers last weekend with your recipe. Thank you for your hard work in creating this recipe!!
Deanna, so glad! I’ve yet to try coconut butter, but now that one is next on my list. 🙂 And buns–whoo hoo!!
We can’t ingest apple cider vinegar. Any alternatives?
You could use any type of vinegar, or use fresh lemon juice instead. 🙂
question. If I don’t have whole psyllium husks on hand, can anything else be used? Or can I leave it out?
thanks
Hugs
JUne
June, you could try an equal amount of ground flax. It won’t hold together as well and flax has a more gummy texture, but it’s better than leaving it out. 🙂
BREAD, GLORIOUS BREAD!!! Thank you so much!!!
Ha ha! So glad it made such an impression, Tricia! 😛 Hope you love it. 🙂
Thank you for such a great recipe. I’ve made it several times with Sun Butter and love it. It would have been very disconcerting if you hadn’t mentioned the green color.
Glad it worked out, Deedee! And yes, that green color can be a bit off putting for some people. . . apparently adding more baking soda and lemon juice can help. 🙂
Is 1/2 cup of tahini paste too much for this recipe since it’s such a strong flavor? planning on making it today but wanted to make sure first! 🙂 thx in advance!
Hi Aslin, I didn’t find it too powerful, but if you really don’t like the taste of tahini, you might try using something else, like sunflower seed butter or pumpkin seed butter if you can’t have nuts. Sunflower seed butter has a great flavor, but it does tend to turn the bread slightly green within a day or two (nothing to do with spoilage–just a chemical reaction!).
This bread is awesome! As I’m not a fan of stevia, I used a tablespoonful of cooking grade maple syrup, and the result was outstanding! Thanks for this recipe!
Great to hear–and glad the maple syrup worked (though of course it would be a “no-no” for anyone with candida overgrowth). 🙂
This recipes looks fabulous, thank you! May I please have the nutritional information for your bread recipe?
Hi Janette, Unfortunately, I don’t have the information for this recipe. I don’t offer nutritional data on this site at this time. However, you could find out the nutrient values by using a site like nutritiondata.com or My Fitness Pal. Hope that helps!
Yay! I’ll have to try it when i don’t want the dairy and egg heavy keto versions of bread! I love chickpea flour! Have you tried Socca?
Yay, glad to hear it! And yes, here’s what I decided to do with socca. 🙂
Hi, Ricki. I know you specifically state that whole psyllium husk should be used, but I only have powdered husks. Is it viable to substitute?
Hi Chely, from what I’ve read, you’d need less of the powder than the whole husks, but I’m not sure the texture would still come out the same. If you’re willing to experiment, I’d try half to 2/3 of the original amount when using the powder. Then again, if it doesn’t work out, that’s a lot of ingredients to waste!
Ricki, What a great idea! Love this. I’m sure this is incredibly delicious!
Thanks, Olga, glad you like it. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Ricki, this looks amazing! Thank you, I will try this right away)
Glad you like it, Anna! Let me know how it goes. 🙂