Bread is an essential food and staple of the American diet. While it is often found in most stores, these types of bread have very little nutritional value. You’re actually better off baking your own bread in the comfort of your own home.

Baking homemade bread gives you the absolute freedom to do what you want, allowing you to create bread that is both nutritious and delicious. You can even alter it depending on your own tastes, influencing things like gluten content and sugar levels.

Gone are the days of pre-sliced, heavily processed bread found in supermarkets. Now, you enter the world of homemade and healthy homemade goods. Below you can find three easy-to-bake bread recipes that don’t shirk on healthiness.

Low glycemic index banana bread – It’s also nut-free and diabetic-friendly, and perfect for people with a sweet tooth.

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup sugar substitute
• ½ cup natural applesauce
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

While preheating the oven to 350 F, mash bananas and mix with sugar substitute in a mixer. Combine the rest of ingredients, then pour into a greased bread pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Basic white bread – This bread is free of nuts and can be eaten by people with diabetes.

• 4 teaspoons bread machine yeast
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 ¼ cups of water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar substitute
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
• ¼ cup oat flour
• ¾ cup almond flour
• ¼ cup flax seed
• ¼ wheat bran

First, put the water, oil, and sugar in a bread maker. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except the yeast and baking powder, and mix them well. Take out about ¼ cup of the mixture and mix it with the yeast and baking powder; pour it into the bread machine pan. Pour the rest of the dry ingredients into the pan, and bake for three hours in the bread machine. After 55 minutes, carefully lift the dough out and remove the paddle, then place the dough back into the machine to avoid a big hole in the final product.

Wheat-free “wheat” bread – Nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and diabetic-friendly, this is a perfect alternative for people with wheat allergies.

• 2 cups almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• ¼ cup flax meal
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Mix the dry ingredients, then add the remaining ingredient and mix well. Put the batter in a greased loaf pan, then bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

By baking your own bread, you get to choose all the ingredients that will go into your bread — from the highest quality flours, leavening agents, to even eggs and dairy. You can also choose ingredients that are more nutritious, allergen-free, and suitable for your needs and wants. Furthermore, you can avoid the risk of consuming preservatives and artificial ingredients to prolong their shelf life and enhance flavor, which is more likely to be present in store-bought bread.

Sources:

Survivopedia.com

LiveStrong.com