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Have you heard of cloud bread? It’s an easy-to-make, grain-free bread recipe that uses only 3-4 ingredients. Cloud bread is high in protein, high in fat and low in carbs. But usually this Keto bread is not Paleo or GAPS Diet-friendly; and usually it uses lower quality cheeses. This recipe takes into account digestion and quality ingredients!, and it improves on an older idea. One of the things that makes this recipe GAPS Diet-friendly/Primal is that it uses high-quality, aged cheese, so it’s lactose-free; OR I provide a dairy-free GAPS/Paleo variation that works great! You will love the sandwiches you can make with this bread — savory and sweet, big and small!
Gelatin in Cloud Bread
Cloud bread is made with separated eggs, because the whites get whipped and folded into the other ingredients, thus leavening the bread. Part of what stiffens the egg whites in most cloud bread recipes is cream of tartar, which is also not allowed on the GAPS Diet. I use a healthier alternative for even Keto dieters; and that’s gelatin. Gelatin often plays a supporting, but heroic, role in my baked goods! (Find the best one here.)
One pitfall that occurs with most cloud bread recipes is that the bread does not last; it gets soggy when stored. This recipe does not get soggy when stored! The gelatin that stabilizes the egg whites also functions to make this a lasting bread, one that tastes great after being in the fridge overnight, or even for several days.
Cheeses for Cloud Bread
Most cloud bread recipes use cream cheese. Unfortunately, most cream cheeses in our country don’t come from great, grass-fed cows; and if they are grass-fed, they still aren’t A2. Because I’m particularly sensitive and can only flourish with the best dairy, I ONLY buy grass-fed AND A2 cheeses. This is the reason I buy most of my cheeses from France. France has excellent husbandry standards, and their commercially-made cheeses are the best in the world. I have never found a French cheese that wasn’t reliable by these criteria. SO, my recipe is COOL because it uses one of two soft cheeses made in France that are both easy to find in most good markets, and both cheeses are aged, thus lactose-free and safe for GAPS Diet folks, or for those who are sensitive to milk sugars.
Cheese #1 is brie. The best place to buy brie is Trader Joe’s, (if you happen to have one in your town). They have several great ones from France, all reasonably-priced. You can even buy brie at Costco. The key is to try and find brie from France. If you can’t, look for Port Salut instead.
Cheese #2 is Port Salut. Port Salut is hard not to like. It’s super soft, a bit rich and mild in flavor, a bit like jack cheese, but richer. It DOES contain annatto on the rind; so if you’re sensitive to ingredients, definitely trim this off.
Yes, you can buy any old brie, if you can’t find French brie, and if you’re body isn’t sensitive. But do find the best if you can. French brie is not more expensive.
One more superior option, of course, is to source from local, small farms like the one from which we buy our milk. They produce raw, grass-fed, A2 milk. If your local raw milk farmers make soft cheese, or if you make cheese, that will work too. The main thing is to drain any farmer’s cheese or wet cheese. Put it in cheesecloth over a bowl for two hours, to allow the whey to drain off. This “yogurt cheese” can be used in the recipe. Let me know if you have any questions about the cheese you’d like to use. See the dairy-free cheese instructions below in Recipe Notes for how to use homemade soft cheese.
Dairy-free Cloud Bread
Lastly, there’s the dairy-free cheese option. I give instructions below in Recipe Notes for how to make an easy dairy-free cheese from dairy-free yogurt. I have made this recipe for my dairy-free daughter, and it turns out great! This is a great option for those Keto, Paleo or GAPS folks who can’t have dairy at all, but would like to enjoy cloud bread and all it offers!
What’s Cloud Bread like?
Cloud Bread all by itself isn’t that special, honestly. It’s how we USE cloud bread that makes it amazing! It’s a vehicle: You gotta fill it, top it, pile stuff in it or on it!
What’s so nice is that it’s light, so your toppings or fillings will take center stage. (It’s also airy, tender and not unsubstantial.) I like best to make sandwiches with it! Usually two pieces of bread on a sandwich are too much for me. I get all filled up by the bread. But with cloud bread, you can pile up lots of meats, tapenade, roasted veggies, optional cheese, healthy greens, whatever you like on a sandwich, and you can (possibly) eat the whole thing!
The bread is also good and super yummy with peanut butter or nut butter, berries, chocolate spread, jam, whatever sweet sandwich stuff you like, for sure!
And, reminder, NO CARBS: you’re pretty much just eating eggs and cheese (or dairy-free cheese) when you eat cloud bread. Tons of protein and good fats. So it digests really lightly, too, really well. Cloud bread won’t sit heavy in your belly.
How to shape Cloud Bread
You have options! Prior to this recipe I’d only seen folks make rolls with cloud bread. But I have limited space in our tiny house oven, so I accidentally figured out how great the batter is made into large flatbreads, that can then be made into huge, gorgeous sandwiches to feed your loved ones or even a crowd.
You can make big 8-10″ rounds. Or you can make a big square or rectangle and cut big squares for sandwiches. And you can make big buns, of course, too.
The batter gets scooped or poured and spread onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, so you have total freedom to make whatever shape suits your imagination and the sandwiches you have in mind.
KETO, Paleo & GAPS Diet *Cloud Bread* {High Protein, Low-Carb, Lactose-free!}
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 6 whole eggs separated
- ¼ pound brie or other soft, aged cheese like Port Salut (see Recipe Notes for dairy-free version)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon gelatin see discount code in Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet, or two smaller baking sheets, with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cut very end rind off brie, thinly; (do not remove top or bottom rind). Cut brie into smaller sections, about 1" cubes. (See photos.) Place in food processor.
- Add egg yolks to brie. Puree brie and egg yolks on high speed until they are well mixed and any rind pieces are very tiny. Set aside briefly.
- Place water in very small saucepan or metal measuring cup. Sprinkle gelatin over its surface. Allow to bloom briefly, then stir.
- Heat gelatin water over medium heat, stirring the whole time, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until gelatin is dissolved and water is foamy. Set aside to cool briefly.
- Place egg whites in large metal bowl (or bowl of electric stand mixer). Whisk on high until soft peaks form.
- Continue beating, adding gelatin water in drizzle as you beat. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Add brie and egg yolk puree to egg whites. Use a spatula to gently but completely fold egg whites into puree.
- If you're making rolls, use large cookie scoop to portion out batter onto prepared cookie sheet. If making large flatbreads, scoop batter into one or two piles; then spread into desired shapes: 2 large rounds, 1 large rectangle etc.
- Bake in center of oven until puffed and cooked through, and golden on the top. Large shapes will take twice as long as small rolls: about 12-15 minutes for small rolls and 25-30 minutes for large breads.
Notes
DAIRY-FREE Version
Use drained non-dairy yogurt, such as this cashew yogurt recipe. To drain, simply place yogurt in cheesecloth or nut milk bag, over bowl or glass (to catch the whey). Allow to drain 2 hours minimum. Use ⅔ cup "yogurt cheese" in place of the dairy cheese in the recipe. Note: If the recipe is extra thick and not watery at all, you do not need to drain; the above cashew yogurt recipe can be made thick, so it may not need to drain. However, most non-dairy yogurts will need to drain first.Find the best, sustainable gelatin HERE. Enter code BEAUTIFUL10 at checkout for 10% off entire order.
Nutrition
Step-by-step photos are below, to help you see the process! 🙂
Selma says
Hi Megan,
I hope this question makes sense….. you don’t slice this bread horizontally to make a sandwich; do you? You use two separate breads to make a sandwich, or no?
Also, do you put two pans in the center of the oven if you make 12 rolls, with six on each pan, or do you wait until one is done before you put the other one in the center of the oven?
Thank you soooo much,
Selma
Megan Stevens says
Hi Selma, your question totally makes sense! 🙂 You are correct; you do not slice the breads; you use two separate ones to make a sandwich. Regarding the pans, whatever works best with your oven: If you put both pans in the oven at the same time and one is browning faster than the other, you just switch their locations half way through the baking time. That’s what I do personally. You’re welcome! Best!
Meredith says
Fantastic information on French cheese… thank you! Now I will take the time to look for a French brie when cheese shopping. Also, I have been meaning to try cloud bread and will definitely be pinning this recipe to try very soon!
Megan Stevens says
I’m so glad the French cheese info was helpful. It has made a HUGE difference for me personally. Otherwise, I couldn’t eat cheese. Enjoy the cloud bread! 🙂
Tatiana Shifruk says
Never heard of it before but really intrigued right now. Great informative artlicle too!
Katie Stanley says
It looks so beautiful! I’ve heard of cloud bread but never tried it before.
Christina Nesbitt Shoemaker says
I’ve never tried cloud bread but I’ve always wanted to. Yours looks so soft! I loved learning about your reasons for purchasing cheese from France! That was an education for me!
Molly Kumar says
These are so cute and your pic-collage is so helpful. I’ve been hearing about these cloud bread a lot and I’ll try your recipe soon 🙂
Stacey Crawford says
I love cloud bread & I like that you put Brie in it. I have not tried it with Brie before. 🙂
Tessa@ Tessa the Domestic Diva says
you always have the best recipes!! This bread looks wonderful, and a dairy free option to boot!!
Raia Torn says
Brie…. I miss you. Haha. This bread looks gorgeous!
Joni Jessica says
These DO look like edible clouds! Can’t wait to taste it!
Jean says
Thanks so much for giving a dairy free alternative. I can’t do dairy but really wanna try this out. Looks so fluffy and good!
Canadiangirl says
Thank you for creating this special recipe, and for the cheese tips. Isn’t a great quality cheese a beautiful thing!
Megan Stevens says
Yes, I love what you said, SO true! Beautifully made and grown food is so special! (You’re welcome!)
Lindsey Dietz says
I cannot wait to try this! I was just at TJ’s over the weekend and ALMOST bought brie. Argh!
Megan Stevens says
Aw man, I’m sorry. If you like the bread, it can be a new fridge staple to buy brie. It is for us (and lots of Kerrygold butter, ha!). I hope you love the bread, Lindsey! 🙂
linda spiker says
This is such a great idea! And it does look soft and billowy. I believe my daughter tried a cloud bread for her son and he loved it!
Kristine says
What about a muffin top pan? My son is on GAPS for autism and has been asking for peanut butter and jelly sandwich. But he’s allergic to coconut. And every bread recipe seems to be made with it. This looks like a winner of a recipe for a once a week lunch
Megan says
Hi Kristine, that’s a great idea! I don’t think you’ll need the pan though. If you just put the dough in slightly smoothed mounds on a lined cookie sheet, they’ll end up in the same shape/size, and then you can make more at a time. I hope it’s a great fit for him and your family!
Emily Arreola says
Hi! I usually slice and freeze gluten free bread for my family, can I do the same with these? Do they toast nicely from the freezer?
Megan says
Hi Emily, I’m sorry that I haven’t tried that yet to let you know. Please come back to share if you try it.
Sherrie Perry says
Wondered if I could use regular gelatin (like the old stand-by–Knox)?
Sherrie Perry says
Also, Can I freeze these?
Megan says
Hi Sherrie, yes, they freeze great. Just like another bread: Remove any extra air from the ziploc or similar bag, and seal well. 🙂
Megan says
Yes, you can.
andrea says
tengo problemas con la caseina, hay alguna forma de poder lograr el pan sin yogurt?
andrea aquino says
I have a problem with casein, can i do without yogurt?
Megan says
Hi Andrea, there is no yogurt in the recipe, unless you’re referring to the non-dairy version with cashew yogurt? In which case, it is indeed casein-free. I hope that helps.
Quan Huynh says
by chance do you have a video to pair? i can’t seem to get the recipe just right, im fumbling on the gelatin and my batch keeps becoming runny. also is a hand mixer able to do instead of a stand one?
Megan says
Hi Quan, I don’t have a video for this recipe, so that’s why I included SO many process photos. 😉 Yes, a hand mixer can do this. I’m sorry yours is too runny! Note to myself to add video soon. I can see how that would be helpful.
Robin says
I was just reading your description for cloud bread and was surprised to read that cream of tartar is not allowed on GAPS. I occasionally bake for friends who are on either the SCD or GAPS diet, and when I started doing this a few years ago, I read that Frontier Coop cream of tartar was the only one approved for the SCD diet so I’ve been using it to make baking powder replacement for both diets. It said this one is derived from grapes and was not a starch and I knew grapes were legal for both diets. So before I stop using it I thought I would check with you just to be sure there wasn’t a chance this item could also be GAPS legal for this reason. Thanks!
Megan says
Hi Robin, it may be that your GAPS friends won’t mind at all if you use it. Typically, it’s the baking soda that is not allowed on GAPS because Dr. Natasha doesn’t want it affecting the stomach’s pH and thus digestion. But sometimes for healthy treats, it can be squeezed in, especially if some other digestive support (like ACV or lemon juice in water) is added to the meal. 🙂
Robin says
Oh my, I thought pure bicarbonate of soda was allowed on GAPS, and I thought that was same as baking soda.
Megan says
I do see one website that says it’s okay, but the official GAPS website, (and the GAPS book I went off of at that time), says to Avoid, “Baking powder and raising agents of all kind (baking soda can be used for specific medical issues, view the “FAQs” section)”.