So I searched and searched online for recipes making "bready" low carb bread using almond flour specifically, and everything I found said that almond flour is only good for "cake" breads like banana bread. Undeterred, I decided to do some experimentation with Vital Wheat Gluten and Almond Flour.

First I tried using a "no knead" recipe with about a quarter VWG and 3/4 almond flour, half the normal amount of sugar and a little extra yeast. It did not work and I ended up with something mealy, crumbly, and gross. However, I noticed that the "dough" was starting to exhibit some elasticity, so I thought maybe a kneaded dough would work.

Today I made a single dinner roll as an experiment with amazing success. The bread had a different taste than I'm typically used to, but it was stretchy and chewy like a good dinner roll. I'll post some pictures up later. I'm going to try a whole loaf using similar ratios, but for now, here's what I did, with measurements and ratios:

1/4 cup almond flour (4 parts)
1/16th cup VWG (1 part)
1/8 tsp sugar
1/8 cup water (2 parts)
1/8 tsp yeast
a bit (dunno, maybe a tsp) of butter

I let the yeast bloom with the sugar water, then just poured it into a little well in the almond flour and VWG. Then I proceeded to knead it with my fingers. At first it was kind of "gluey" but as I continued to work it it slowly came together and felt very much like real bread dough, albeit with some grittier bits from the almond flour. At one point I did add another pinch of almond flour to make it a little less sticky, but not much. I continued to knead the tiny little ball of dough for about 10 minutes. When I was done it was probably a bit bigger than a ping-pong ball and the stretchy feel of real bread dough, although it was a bit more oily. I put it in a little silicon cupcake cup and let it rise for a couple of hours. When I got back it was closer to golf-ball size. I flattened it out, kneaded it a little more, and let it get a second rise for another hour. Then I baked it for about 20-25 minutes at 350. It grew a bit more during baking, and the texture was amazing. Stretchy, chewy, with a crisp crust, just like a roll made with AP flour. It may have been a little dense, but definitely not what I'm used to with LC breads. The taste was different, as it was made with almonds and I didn't use any salt. Depending on whether or not the sugar counts (I've seen recipes that say the yeast "eats" the sugar) it had about 5 carbs.

Anyway, updates to come with pictures and a full-scale loaf of bread trial.

The pictures are unfortunately a bit out of focus:

Risen Dough


Finished Roll


Cracked open and buttered


EDIT: Updated the title for clarity