Remember these 29 calorie brownies I was raving about last time? The creator herself (@lowcalrecipes89 on Instagram) sure did because she messaged me a few days ago and gave it her stamp of approval! Isn’t that crazy or what?

Boo also recommended that I make her Magic Protein Bread, a fan-favourite recipe among many of her famous anabolic creations. It’s funny because the protein bread recipe had actually been sitting in my Instagram “Saved” section for months now, but the use of psyllium husk kept me at bay. Partly because psyllium isn’t a common (or cheap!) ingredient here in Beijing, but mostly because it was a foreign ingredient that in all honesty, intimidated me! Cooking is an art, and baking, a science. Throw in low carb and high protein into the mix? More like an extreme sport! No eyeballing in this territory folks! At least not for me yet 😂

Nonetheless, with two bags of coconut flour on the brink of expiration, Boo’s words of encouragement and a growing curiosity towards low-carb baking, I took the plunge and bought some psyllium…which brings us here today! I mean, if not now, then when?

But first, pictures!

Starting off with a simple grilled cheese situation...

100% recommend crisping it up in the toaster/air fryer!

Don’t be deceived by its fluffy appearance – the texture of this protein bread is way more similar to “real bread” than its sorry excuse of a cousin (i.e. cloud bread). Just stating the truth here🤷‍♀️

(Proud to declare that none of these photos was edited :))

And a shoutout to these beautiful loaves (not mine welp!):

Quick recap: Low-calorie protein bread that requires only four ingredients. Sets you back by less than an hour! Need I say more?

Actually, I do have more to say! Hear me out ~

Here’s why you need to MUST try Boo’s Magic Protein Bread…

#1 Nutrient Content

• Calories aren’t everything, but energy imbalances add up. For reference, Subway’s 6″ Italian (white) Bread sets you back by around 200 calories, approximately 33 calories per inch. On the other hand, Magic Protein Bread contains under 27 calories per inch – i.e. for my friends on CICO, pack on the spreads and toppings!
• However, as someone trying to move away from tracking calories, I mainly focus on prioritising my protein intake. Personally, bumping up my protein has kept me satiated throughout the day, in terms of both physical and mental hunger! And now I get to hit my protein goals by eating bread hehehe. We’re talking 44.1g of protein if you’re using whey protein powder and 25.6g if you substitute for flour. How epic is that!
• Okay, moving on to the sugar content in homemade VS store bought foods. I didn’t go over this over in the 29 calorie Ridiculous Brownies post because duh, brownies are high in sugar but regular sandwich bread!? This is going to blow your mind… in 2020, “… scientists… analysed the sugar content of Subway’s rolls and found it to be five times the qualifying level for bread, which means it’s not a staple food.” (The Guardian, 2020). Making homemade bread is also a great way to cut down on your consumption of preservatives and additives, and much cheaper than storebought “healthy breads” too 🙂

#2 Allergen-friendly & Inclusive of Dietary Restrictions

• This protein bread is gluten-free, nut-free, oil free and sugar free. It can be made dairy free and paleo/keto as well. Scroll down for recommended substitutes! 🙂
• If you check out Boo’s Instagram posts and story highlights, you’ll find many successful (and unsuccessful) ingredient substitutes that her followers have kindly shared. For convenience’s sake, I’ve included many tried-and-tested alternatives in the “Ingredients and Recommended Substitutes” section below. Make sure to check out Boo’s Instagram @lowcalrecipes98 for more!

#3 Multipurpose

• Can be used as a pizza base, baked as burger buns, customised into dessert bread and used to make french toast as well – what’s not to love 🤪
• From one of Boo’s Instagram followers: “Couple of ways to mix it up…put some sugar free lemon jello mix in to make a sweet lemon bread. Today I mixed up and put some [S]werve brown sugar, instant sugar free butterscotch pudding mix and some Walden Farms pancake mix in the bottom of my pan to make [c]aramel bread!” 

#4 Quick and Easy Alternative to Regular-Ass Bread

• Low level of baking experience required + room for screwing up: I was having a rough day and got impatient with gently folding in the dry ingredients… decided to mix everything in with my hand-mixer. Did it deflate the egg whites? Yes, but the final results were impressive nonetheless!
• Sandwich bread for a fraction of the hassle and time – the egginess is barely discernible, and texture is spot-on 🙂

shameless plug: an insanely easy 2 hour New York Bagel recipe if you’re just getting into baking with yeast! 100% recommend 🙂

Literally to DIE for. (Maybe not too literally.)

Okay, before I keep rambling on, let’s talk ingredients. The base recipe for Boo’s Magic Protein Bread only calls for 4 ingredients, but there are many alternatives that work great too – check ’em out!

Ingredients and Recommended Substitutes

As mentioned, baking is a science. You might be able to get away with eyeballing when baking cakes and cookies, but just like making yeasted bread, it is ideal to measure ingredients by scale weight when baking protein bread. For example – the egg whites from 6 eggs where I’m from yielded 218g of egg whites, whereas Boo needed 7 eggs to hit 210g. Moral of this paragraph: invest in that kitchen scale! (Less dishwashing and greater accuracy y’all!)

#1 Egg Whites (210g, from approx. 6 to 7 whole eggs) – for protein and structure

#2 Cream of tartar (1-2g) – as a protein stabiliser

cream of tartar serves as an acidic component in recipes that helps stabilise whipped egg whites. in simple terms, cream of tartar increases the warmth tolerance and volume of egg whites (prevents deflation by maintaining bubbles of air).

• squeeze of: lime/lemon juice, white vinegar
  • why it works: is acidic
• baking powder (1/2 tsp scant)
  • why it works: is a blend of cream of tartar and baking soda. as an acidic ingredient, cream of tartar also activates baking soda, generating a leavening effect

#3 Unflavored Whey Protein Powder (30g) – gives structure

• Boo uses Myprotein’s Unflavored Whey
• Whey/Casein blend: I recommend Select Protein Cake Pop by PEScience (click for $10 off your first order!) if you have a sweet tooth like me!
• Wheat Flour (white, whole wheat, self-rising, cake flour, bread flour)
• Gluten-Free: Oat Flour, Spelt Flour in equal amounts

A Note of Caution: Redditors have observed that using protein powder gives a better rise (less deflation) but poorer texture and flavour compared to regular flour.

psssst… here’s a great protein pancake recipe for my anabolic bakers!

(and if you’re dairy-free, and don’t have a stove, here’s one made just for you!)

#4 Psyllium Husk (12g) + Xanthan Gum*

As per Boo, psyllium is “super important” in the recipe as it is what lends this bread its… well, “bready” texture! However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any substitutes 🙂

• equal parts glucomannan (aka konjac) + pinch of xanthan gum
• oat fibre (17g)+ pinch of xanthan gum
• flax seeds (7g) + hemp seeds (13g) + xanthan gum (8g)
• Boo’s original Magic Protein Bread recipe calls for whole psyllium husk, but many home-bakers, myself included, were successful using 12 grams of psyllium husk powder instead.

*optional, but recommended – I didn’t have this on hand but if you do please do! It gives better structure and rise/height.

#5 Customise to your liking! Optional ingredients that will elevate your Magic Protein Bread:

• to the base recipe: pinch of salt, sweetener, and xanthan gum; I’ve also heard great things about bread flavored extract!
• for “italian” bread:
  • herbs e.g. oregano, rosemary, sage, basil, thyme…
  • garlic powder, onion powder…
  • sprinkle grated cheese on top for crunch and a more complex flavor profile
• for sweet bread: flavored protein powder + pudding/jello mix of choice, sweetener, cinnamon…
• for pizza/tortilla: spread thinly on a circular cake pan and bake; “protein batter” should be pre-baked before sauces/toppings e.g. tomato sauce, cheese are added and baked again
• for burger buns: spread batter into small circular mounds, you will need to reduce baking time

A Note of Caution: Avoid heavy and dense mix-ins like nuts and dried fruit that might deflate your protein bread.

Pin this before you forget!

*Full macros and nutrient info beneath directions!*

Okay, now onto the recipe!

See you soon!
Heather