With the holidays approaching, this is an easy, delicious gluten-free bread to bake and share. There is something very satisfying about baking your own bread, gluten-free or not!

Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Many people are required to remove gluten from their diets for health reasons and others just choose to eliminate it. Many commercially made gluten-free breads are filled with too many ingredients, including added sugar and refined carbohydrates. Wheat flour and yeast are the key ingredients in making gluten based breads. When flour is mixed with liquid it creates gluten which provides structure and texture to the bread.

This gluten-free bread has no wheat flour, no yeast, and uses whipped egg whites and  baking soda to create air and structure. With the addition of a bowl of water placed in the oven while baking, steam is created to help the bread rise. A slice of this bread, lightly toasted is a slice of heaven.

• Coconut oil for greasing the loaf pan
• 4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 1 cup of smooth unsweetened nut butter (I used macadamia nut butter- consider using smooth cashew butter or smooth almond butter)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees. Place a small heat-safe bowl filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven. Lightly grease a long sheet of parchment paper with coconut oil. Line a standard loaf (8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″) pan with the greased parchment paper, letting the parchment hang over the sides.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks using a hand mixer or standing mixer with a whip attachment. In a separate bowl combine the egg yolks and nut butter and mix well to combine. Stir in the honey, vinegar and almond milk, and mix until smooth batter forms.

Sift the coconut flour, baking soda and kosher salt over the nut butter mixture. Mix well until combined. Add half the whipped egg whites to the nut butter mixture and using a rubber spatula stir to combine. Be careful not to overmix and deflate the egg whites. Add the second half of the egg whites to the nut butter mixture and mix just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and place in the oven.

Bake the bread for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and a wooden skewer is inserted into the center and comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Using the parchment paper, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a rack for another 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Makes 1 loaf.