Low Carb Rosemary Focaccia Bread: perfectly keto and tastes almost like the real thing.
I’ve said this before. Prior to my keto switch, I was a true carbo-holic and totally addicted to bread, breadsticks and basically anything made with a dough.
In the early days of keto, I honestly thought that if I didn’t manage to stick to the new low carb lifestyle, it would be because I missed my bread too much.
Quite to my surprise, it actually wasn’t that hard. I remember reading that if you eat a lot of carbs, as I used to, you crave more carbs. Reduce the carbs drastically and you don’t crave them so much anymore. Well, I didn’t think it was logical at the time, but it really is true.
Bread and the ketogenic diet.
If you are in ketosis and satisfied with your meal routine, fine. But I like variety, always have done. I used to cook such a variety of gourmet meals that I find it impossible to be content with monotony or blandness. My dinners are usually substantial enough to make bread or breadsticks totally superfluous. My lunches on the other hand, tend to be quite light and quick, so being able to have some bread to hand is always a bonus.
I’ve seen lots of keto ‘alternatives’ for bread on the internet, mainly eggy concoctions… and vegetables camouflaged as bread. Lots of nice ideas, but a sandwich made with lettuce leaves instead of bread slices is not my bag. And you can’t toast lettuce to make cheese on toast, either!
As much as I would love to take the credit for this low carb rosemary focaccia bread recipe, I can’t. I found the recipe in the Kindle e-book Low Carb Breads Crackers and More, by Laura and Veronica Childs (2014 edition). I did make some changes to the book recipe, because, for my first 2 attempts at making this, the consistency of the dough was way too thick to spread.
Baking disasters always happen to me when I try to follow Imperial Volume recipes: Volume is an extremely inaccurate way of measuring weight. Perhaps that was the reason for the wrong consistency of the dough, or maybe my coconut flour was just extra absorbent, or my large eggs were just not large enough. Who knows!!!??? Anyway, my recipe version shows weight in grams, so you will be able to follow it pretty accurately and it should turn out fine.
I have tried and tested 2 versions: one with coconut flour and one with lupin flour which delivers even less carbs. If you have an allergy to peanuts, be aware that lupin flour may (rarely) cause an allergic reaction.
Lupin flour can be difficult to source, so I’ve added links within the recipe below.
The most time consuming job about this recipe is chopping the rosemary. Do make sure it is very finely chopped as in the picture below.
Whatever version of the recipe you decide to go for, I am sure you’ll find this low carb focaccia bread utterly delicious and versatile, whether you use it to make cheese on toast or as an accompaniment for dips and pâtés.
Enjoy!
- Yield: 40
- Serving: 1
- Calories: 23
- Fat: 1.6g
- Net Carbs: 0.35g
- Protein: 1.5g
- 40g coconut flour (U.S. option HERE) or 60g lupin flour (U.S. option HERE or world-wide option HERE - use code QUEENKETO5 for discount at checkout)
- 1 tbsp (11g) fine psyllium husk powder (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 tbsp (8g) ground flaxseeds (U.S. option HERE)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp fine Himalayan pink salt (U.S. option HERE)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) (U.S. option HERE)
- 6 tbsp cold water
- 4 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan (I use Parmigiano Reggiano - it has a more pronounced flavour)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- pick out the needles of a few rosemary sprigs and chop them very finely.
- grate Parmesan.
- pre-heat oven to 175°C fan (200°C static).
- butter a baking tray.
- mix dry ingredients, half the Parmesan and half the rosemary.
- in a separate large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy and doubled in volume then whisk in water and EVOO.
- add dry ingredients to the wet ones.
- stir quickly and pour onto baking tray.
- use a wet spatula or back of a spoon to spread and level the mixture so it is very thin and uniform (you should be able to fill an area 20cm x 35cm circa).
- sprinkle remaining Parmesan and rosemary all over the top and bake for about 15-18 mins until brown around the edges.
- let it cool slightly, then lift up from tray (slide a spatula under the focaccia if a bit stuck).
- cut into squares or rectangles and serve.
Your focaccia will keep in an airtight container for a few days. To revive it, just put it under a medium-high grill or in a halogen oven at 200°C for 2-3 mins.
Metric kitchen scales are an inexpensive yet invaluable gadget to enable accurate measurement of ingredients. Store them upright in a cupboard or over your worktop and they'll only take up a tiny bit of space. Click HERE for the ones I use (UK Link). For U.S. option click HERE.
So great to see you encourage us all to use scales rather than cups. I have a problem with Tablespoon measures. Here inAustralia our tablespoons hold 20 mls, but USA tablespoons hold 15 mls and I believe English tablespoons hold an even different amount. How many mls are the tablespoons in your recipes?
Hi Lizbet, my tablespoon (from a set of unknown origin) says 15ml. But, as you’ve discovered, I’m not a fan of volume measurements, as they are only ever approximate.
This looks wonderful, I can’t wait to try it. A question please – Could I replace the flaxseeds with something else, or leave them out entirely? Thanks!
Hi! You can leave out the flaxseed. Just reduce or omit the water – you’ll have to judge the consistency. It shouldn’t be too wet. You could always add a bit of psyllium powder to get it right.
Thank you! I made this without any water and flaxseeds and although it was delicious, I think I will add 2-3 tablespoons of water the next time as it was ever so slightly dry. A wonderful recipe, though, I’ve only just started experimenting with lupin flour and it works so well in savoury bakes. I’m excited to try all of your other lupin flour recipes, thanks again 🙂
Thank you so much for your quick response 🙂 I made this without the flaxseed and did not add any water at all, and although it was extremely delicious, it was slightly on the dry side (nothing a dollop of butter on top can’t fix!), so next time I’ll try adding 2-3 tablespoons of water. This is a fantastic recipe, so easy and so much fun, and I am really loving experimenting with lupin flour! I’m excited to try the rest of your lupin flour recipes, thanks again!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I hope you’ll try my other bread-type recipes (I highly recommend the Amazing Protein Bread Loaf – it is the most visited, tried and tested of them all), as well as the lupin ones. 🙂
Hi Antya, I ordered some Lupin flour from a company called Santi-Shop is that the company you use? If not would you be so kind to provide me with the details of the one you use, I place my order two and a half weeks ago and I am still waiting for said order.
Regards Evangeline
Hi Evangeline, yes it’s the one I use. Delivery is a bit slow unless you opt for the more expensive service, but it will arrive. It’s coming from Belgium, so it does take a while. The low price is worth the wait. 🙂
Hi Antya, thank you for your reply, will use almond and let you know the results.
I am in the process of purchasing Lupin flour on amazon and it comes from Italy, is that where you get your flour from?
Regards
Evangeline
Hello, my lupin flour comes from Luxembourg and it’s grown in France. Italy is the largest lupin producer in Europe, but
the flour is made elsewhere.
Hi Antya, can I use almond flour instead of coconut?
Hello Evangeline. Yes you can. You’ll need to increase the quantity (2-4 times as much) because almond flour is a lot less absorbent.
Hi – just made this for lunch and it is gorgeous. My favourite low carb bread so far, and the first time I’ve tried lupin flour. I shall be working my way through every recipe on your site now I know how good it is! Thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe – it will be a regular with me from now on.
Hello Kate! Glad you liked it. I’m very grateful that you found the time to leave feedback. Thank you ?
Hello!
Made focaccia yesterday (lupin version), added black olives. The whole family (including two kids) enjoyed it a lot. I admire your recipes, they are fast, cheap and amazing, nothing like “add 3 cups of almonds and 10 eggs” ? Many thanks you for your ideas!
Hi Pavla, you made my day, thank you!!!
You should go on Youtube and share your amazing recipes there!
Very kind of you Melissa, thank you very much for your comment. You Tube will be my next venture after the recipe book…
Hi! This looks amazing!
Any idea on nutritional info?
I just made a delicious low carb bread and ended up having to manually calculate its nutritional value – it was over 1700 cals for two tiny pieces (about the size of a regular bread piece)
Hello! And thank you for your comment. I have now added nutritional values to the recipe. You’ll see them once you refresh the page. For an easier bread recipe, I recommend my Amazing Protein Bread. Absolutely everyone has commented on how easy and fail-proof it is and how it tastes just like ordinary sliced bread. Just stick Protein Bread in the search box and you’re there.
WOW! Gonna make these tonight with extra cheese 😉
Excellent! Remember to butter the tray very well, the mix tends to stick once baked. If it does, just prise it away by sliding a spatula underneath from all sides and it won’t break up. Let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂
Hi! Is it possible to use baking soda instead of the baking powder and not use the cheese? I’m Italian.. I ate tons of focaccia bread in my life now I can’t ? so I’m looking for an alternative.. I can’t eat a lot of things ??
Hi Sabrina. Yes you can use baking soda + cream of tartar instead of baking powder. And yes you can leave out the cheese. 🙂