Quick and easy individual coconut flour cauliflower bread, made in a muffin tin! The bread is naturally vegan, grain-free, nut-free, gluten-free, and keto, plus, only 52 calories each!
Cauliflower is having a heyday, shifting shape to become a grain stand-in for rice, couscous, and pizza crusts, as well as a fine ready substitute for potatoes in salads, mashes and hashes. It’s been a favorite vegetable of mine for a long time (go-to preparation: roasted!), so it’s exciting to consider all of the new options for this winter white wonder.
Since I’ve been exploring grain-free, vegan breads these past few days, I decided to try combining cauliflower with coconut flour.
The results? A yummy, and easy-to-make mini bread: Coconut Flour Cauliflower Bread
Ingredients for Making Coconut Flour Cauliflower Bread
The ingredients are minimal:
6 ounces frozen cauliflower (1/2 of a 12-oz package)
Coconut flour can be tricky. For example. you only use a small amount compared to grain flours and it is extremely thirsty (i.e., lots of liquid required). To make matters even more complicated, and it’s performance can vary from brand to brand. Most often, it needs to be combined with another flour, such as almond flour,, and most baking recipes for coconut flour often require multiple eggs.
Without protein and volume from eggs, coconut flour baked goods can be flat with gooey centers. The usual egg substitutes–flax, chia, applesauce–can result in epic failures when you try to substitute them 1:1 for eggs.
But hope is not lost; it springs eternal. This is as an exciting challenge to try new combinations and invent new recipes altogether! This breads are delicious proof.
Nutritional Highlights of these Humble Breads
You don’t need to be on a special diet to love these little breads. A desire for tasty savory snacks or bread options, easy ways to add more vegetables into your day, and easy new foods that are delicious, filing, satisfying and convenient is all that is needed to give them a try.
Still, it is worth noting their virtues:
Vegan
Keto
Paleo
Grain-Free
Gluten-Free
Low Carb
Low Sugar
High Fiber
52 calories each
As a bonus, they also happen to be high in fiber, low in carbs, virtually sugar-free, and tally up to a mere 52 calories apiece.
But let’s get to the heart of it: the taste. These taste like a cross between a bread, soufflé, and a quiche, despite the absence of eggs. While they are great as bread, I’ve also been eating them for breakfast and lunch. It’s been a fiber-rich week :).
Tips from the Cook
Baking Time: The baking time may sound long, but it is correct. You are baking out some of the moisture so that these will not be too moist.
Cauliflower: I used frozen cauliflower because it has been hard to get my hands on fresh on a regular basis (it is popular, as I mentioned at the start). You can certainly steam some fresh cauliflower. The frozen is pretty handy for whipping these together quickly.
Use Muffin Liners: Because of their texture, these breads can be tricky to remove from the pan if you simply grease or spray the cups. Use muffin liners; you’ll thank me later :).
Coconut Flour: It’s temperamental, varying somewhat across brands. I recommend starting with 1/4 cup and adding up to 1/3 cup (about 4 teaspoons more). The batter should be about this thickness (thick and moist, but not too stiff):
Happy baking and eating everyone, and here’s to bread in all forms
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8 cups of a standard muffin tin with muffin liners.
Steam the cauliflower according to the package; drain and cool slightly. Process the cauliflower together with the milk, flaxseed meal, and olive oil in a food processor until blended and smooth
In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, baking powder, salt and pepper; add the cauliflower mixture, stirring until blended. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown at edges and centers feel set when lightly touched. Transfer tin to cooling rack an cool completely in tin. Serve room temperature or chilled.
Coconut Flour: The absorbency of coconut flour can vary from brand to brand. Start by adding 1/4 cup and add more to achieve a thick but not stiff batter.
Fresh Caulifower: I used frozen cauliflower for convenience, but you can use 6 ounces of fresh chopped cauliflower in its place. You will need to steam it until it is fork-tender.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; these do not freeze well. These will keep at room temperature for up to 3 hours.
Would this work with cauliflower flour? or just cauliflower florets?
Thanks
Indhu
Camilla
Friday 7th of August 2020
Hi Indhu,
Gosh, I have never heard of cauliflower flour--imagining it is dried ground cauliflower? I am sure you could play around with it to make it work in this recipe. I am wondering if the package has a conversion chart (e.g., how much cauliflower flour combined with how much water equals fresh cauliflower? That could help guide you)
Allison Cole
Tuesday 7th of January 2020
Can I use almond flour instead of the coconut flour?
Camilla
Wednesday 8th of January 2020
Hi Allison,
You could, but the two flours are very different. Coconut flour absorbs a tremendous amount of liquid and has no fat (it is used in much smaller quantities in baked recipes than other flours). If you use almond flour, I would at least double the amount of almond flour. It could be really delicious, but it will likely be moister and a bit heavier.
Hope
Monday 19th of August 2019
Could I bake this in a loaf tin?
Camilla
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
Hi Hope,
I am not sure that this would work in a loaf pan; eggless coconut flour breads tend to collapse when they are too high. For a bigger loaf, I would recommend making in a square pan (e.g., 8-inch).
I’m Camilla, food writer, author, runner, and spin instructor. PowerHungry® is where I share my easy, minimalist, plant-based recipes, designed for living a healthy, delicious, empowered life.
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Indhu
Thursday 6th of August 2020
Hi there,
Would this work with cauliflower flour? or just cauliflower florets? Thanks Indhu
Camilla
Friday 7th of August 2020
Hi Indhu, Gosh, I have never heard of cauliflower flour--imagining it is dried ground cauliflower? I am sure you could play around with it to make it work in this recipe. I am wondering if the package has a conversion chart (e.g., how much cauliflower flour combined with how much water equals fresh cauliflower? That could help guide you)
Allison Cole
Tuesday 7th of January 2020
Can I use almond flour instead of the coconut flour?
Camilla
Wednesday 8th of January 2020
Hi Allison,
You could, but the two flours are very different. Coconut flour absorbs a tremendous amount of liquid and has no fat (it is used in much smaller quantities in baked recipes than other flours). If you use almond flour, I would at least double the amount of almond flour. It could be really delicious, but it will likely be moister and a bit heavier.
Hope
Monday 19th of August 2019
Could I bake this in a loaf tin?
Camilla
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
Hi Hope,
I am not sure that this would work in a loaf pan; eggless coconut flour breads tend to collapse when they are too high. For a bigger loaf, I would recommend making in a square pan (e.g., 8-inch).