Cottage cheese is having a surge in popularity, with folks turning it into ice cream, dips and more. But cottage cheese bread? You bet! It ups the protein, lowers the carbs and makes for a delicious slice you can use for toast, sandwiches and more. Keep reading to learn the benefits of baking with cottage cheese, get two simple cottage cheese bread recipes and see our favorite ways to enjoy it.
The ingredients in cottage cheese bread
Many recipes for this bread combine cottage cheese with other ingredients like almond flour and eggs to form a batter. You can also simply mix cottage cheese with powdered egg whites for a super-quick version. The cottage cheese acts as a binding agent to help everything come together in dough form. Afterward, the mixture is baked in a loaf pan until it’s golden brown on top and the center is tender.
How cottage cheese bread differs from other breads
Cottage cheese isn’t the first bread-baking ingredient that comes to mind. But it’s a great binding agent that holds the dough together similar to butter and even all-purpose flour. The end result is cheese-based bread with a soft and springy texture and slightly tangy flavor compared to commercial white breads.
Along with its unique taste, cottage cheese bread has a nutritional advantage over other kinds. The average slice of cottage cheese bread contains 135 calories, one gram of saturated fat, 23 grams of carbs and six grams of protein. This is significantly better than the 157 calories, 27 grams of carbs, three grams of saturated fat and four grams of protein found in a slice of homemade white bread.
How does this happen? Well, Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, LDN, CPT, registered dietitian and author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, shares three ways that cottage cheese creates a healthier and tastier loaf of bread.
1. It reduces the bread’s saturated fat content.
Palinski-Wade notes that cottage cheese tames the bread’s saturated fat and calorie content. In fact, a ½-cup serving of this superfood contains approximately 110 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat. “For those looking to cut carbs to improve blood sugar, this can be very beneficial, as diets high in saturated fat are linked with increased insulin resistance,” she says.
2. It lowers the carb content.
Although refined flour gives bread an easy-to-chew texture, it spikes its carbohydrate content. Luckily, Palinski-Wade says you swap these flours for cottage cheese to whip up light and fluffy bread without guilt. “Using cottage cheese to make bread is an easy way to cut out refined flours to reduce the overall carbohydrate content of the bread,” she notes.
3. It boosts the protein content.
According to Palinski-Wade, adding cottage cheese to the dough “boosts the protein content, allowing the bread to have less impact on blood sugar while promoting fullness.” Keep in mind that not all cottage cheese brands are created equal. That’s why she suggests using Daisy 4% Cottage Cheese as it only contains three ingredients and provides a whopping 13 grams of protein per ½ cup.
How to make cottage cheese bread
For cottage bread that only needs a couple of ingredients, try this viral recipe from nutrition blogger Bethany Cameron. It simply involves folding fluffy egg whites and whipped cottage cheese together before baking it in a loaf pan. The end result is a bread that’s light and airy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Yum!
2-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Bread
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Active: 10 mins
- Total time: 40 mins + cooling time
- Yield: 1 loaf (around 12 slices)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Using hand or electric stand mixer, whip egg white powder with 1 cup water until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Place cottage cheese in blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth, around 1 minute. Gently fold blended cottage cheese into egg white fluff.
- Transfer to parchment-lined lined bread loaf and bake about 30 minutes. Bread should be puffed up and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool in pan about 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to finish cooling. Slice and enjoy.
- Note: Cameron uses powdered egg whites instead of liquid whites as you don’t need to separate them from the yolks. However, if you don’t have it on hand, separate around 8 large eggs or enough to equal 1 cup. Omit the water, whip as normal and proceed with the recipe.
Standard Cottage Cheese Bread
Unlike traditional bread recipes, preparing cottage cheese bread doesn’t require any kneading or lengthy rise times. Just follow this recipe shared by Carol-Ann Robert, RD, registered dietitian at TeamNutrition, to make a homemade loaf in under two hours.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups almond flour, like King Arthur Almond Flour
- ½ cup cottage cheese, like Daisy 4%
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
Directions:
- Active: 10 mins
- Total time: 1 hr, 45 mins
- Yield: 1 loaf (at least 12 slices)
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In bowl, mix almond flour, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, beat eggs, then add cottage cheese and melted coconut oil. Mix until smooth.
- Incorporate dry mixture into wet ingredients and mix well until the batter is smooth.
- Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth top.
- Bake until the bread is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
- Once baked, remove bread from oven and let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Slice and enjoy!
- Note: Homemade bread is best when eaten within 2 to 3 days. So be sure to click through for our story on how to store bread to ensure it doesn’t go stale.
