How To Make Cloud Bread With The Simpliest Recipes

How to make cloud bread

By far the biggest TikTok food trend of 2021, cloud bread is an insanely fluffy (and optionally colorful) baked good. The recipe, which was popularized by TikTok user abimhn, gets its signature bounce from whipped egg whites. To make vegan cloud bread, some food bloggers have experimented with swapping in aquafaba.

Bread without carbs. If dreams define generations, this may be the defining desire of the 21st century. A carb-free bread would be the ultimate way to have your cake, eat it too, and ingest none of the fraught calories, or glutens, or sugars. Maybe this is why something called "cloud bread" yields thousands of results on Pinterest and Google. It offers the impossible: a guilt-free bread in the age of the Paleo Diet.

But what is cloud bread? And is it actually worth eating?

What Is Cloud Bread?

Photo: I Am A Food Blog

Cloud bread claims to be a high-protein bread alternative. It’s made by whipping egg whites and cream of tartar to achieve the soft, fluffy texture of a meringue. This mixture gets folded into the egg yolks, along with some sort of full-fat dairy product—like cottage cheese, cream cheese, or yogurt—and often a little bit of sweetener. Then the batter is spooned or piped into round disks on a rimmed baking sheet and baked. When the disks first come out of the oven, they have a crisp, melt-in-your-mouth quality, not unlike meringue. But allowing them to fully cool yields a chewier, slightly breadier texture.

What Are Cloud Bread's Health Claims?

Photo: Vegetarian Times

Cloud bread contains half the calories of a regular slice of bread, and, depending on the recipe, has little to no carbohydrates. (Many recipes contain about one gram of carbohydrate per round of cloud bread.) It’s gluten free, as well. So, this bread works for those who are on Paleo, gluten free, or ketogenic diets, or stuck in 1997 and still rocking the OG Atkins diet.

While cloud bread may seem extremely high protein—being made of essentially only protein containing ingredients—it actually contains about the same amount of protein as a regular slice of bread, just without all the carbs to go along with it.

On the internet, people use cloud bread for a myriad of purposes: as buns for their burgers, as a vehicle for pizza toppings, to roll around hot dogs, to make eclairs, and as bread for sandwiches. It can be baked in big batches ahead of time and stashed in the freezer. A quick pop in the toaster revives the "bread," and it can be topped with turkey, peanut butter, or your preferred sandwich filling, and popped in a plastic bag for school or work.

Ingredients for cloud bread

Photo: Cookist

Egg whites. Egg whites are what give your cloud bread fluffiness and loft. If you’re going to separate egg whites yourself, be sure to not get ANY yolks into the whites or they won’t whip up. It’s better to separate your eggs while they’re cold, but they will whip up better if they’re at room temp. You can also just buy egg whites in a carton at the store.

Sugar. Just use regular white sugar. Sugar is what is going to stabilize your egg whites and let them fluff up even more. The sugar is also going to make your cloud bread just a little bit sweet.

Cornstarch. You just need a tiny bit of cornstarch in your cloud bread, to help soak up any extra liquid in your meringue. Cornstarch also helps make your meringue shiny.

Food coloring. This is optional, if you want to make your clouds colorful.

How to make cloud bread

1. Whip the egg whites. Add your egg whites to a very clean, grease free bowl. Start to whip your egg whites on medium-low, until frothy and pale.

Photo: Seaofblush

2. Stir in sugar. Add the sugar, a little bit at a time on high, until the sugar dissolves and the egg whites start to foam up.

Photo: Seaofblush

3. Add the cornstarch. I like to sift the cornstarch in so that there are no lumps. Continue to whip on high until the egg whites become a glossy thick meringue that holds a peak. The egg whites are done when you lift the beater from the bowl and they hold a peak and look smooth and creamy like shaving cream If you tilt the bowl, the whites should not slide. Be careful not to over whip!

Photo: Seaofblush

4. Shape the cloud. Use a rubber spatula to scoop out the meringue and shape into a cloud on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Photo: Seaofblush

5. Bake. Bake in a low oven until golden and cooked through.

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure your egg white whipping equipment is completely clean and free from fat or oil or your egg whites won’t whip up.
• Similarly, make sure there are ZERO egg yolks in your egg whites.
• Separate your eggs while they’re cold, but beat them up with they’re at room temp.
• Don’t add all the sugar at once. Your meringue will be fluffier if you add it in gradually, 1 tablespoon at at a time.
• Don’t over beat! If you meringue starts to look grainy or really wet, it means your egg whites have been over-beaten and your cloud bread won’t be fluffy.

Cloud bread is made from 3 ingredients: egg whites, sugar, and cornstarch. The egg whites are make up the majority of the recipe so it’s only natural that cloud bread will taste like eggs. If you want a sweeter cloud bread to help it taste less like eggs, add a 1/4 cup of sugar. Warning: if you do this, your cloud will not be as fluffy.

If you don’t have cornstarch, which is also known as cornflour, you can use regular all purpose flour. The amount of flour is very small so it won’t make a difference.

Sugar works best if you’re making meringue but you can also use sweetener if you’re avoiding sugar. The meringue won’t fluff up as much but it will be sugar free. Try things like: stevia, splenda, or monkfruit sweetner.

How to made cloud bread into a rainbow of different colours

Cloud bread in different colours

What you'll need

Bowls (how many you'll need depends on how many colours you'd like)

Baking tray

Whisk

Spoon

Baking parchment

Ingredients

3 egg whites

30g sugar

10g cornflour

Food colouring of choice

Toppings/ sprinkles of choice (optional)

Flavouring, such as candy floss (optional)

How to make

Separate 3 egg whites into a bowl and whip them up until frothy

Gradually add in 30g of sugar, whisk continuously

Add in cornflour until thick and stiff peaks form

If you are just using one colour, add in the food colouring now (the more you use, the more intense the colour). Add flavouring if using.

For multiple colours, separate the mixture into different bowls and add the different food colourings

Add spoonfuls of each mixture onto parchment-lined baking tray in a round shape, then cook at 150C for 25 mins

Does cloud bread taste good?

This cloud bread is more looks than taste. Maybe just like TikTok? It’s beautifully fluffy and full of tiny air bubbles and very squishy and satisfying but it’s not the most delicious. It’s light and airy and reminiscent of a marshmallow. It kinda tastes like angel food cake texture wise, but not taste wise.

Cloud bread also points to a certain ingenuity of the Pinterest community. A group of people all suffering through the same health restrictions, coming up with clever workarounds for something that can serve the same function and offer the same convenience as bread—even if it’s not as good. Deliciousness may not exactly be the point here.

Other Bread Recipes

Ice-cream bread

What do you get when you combine ice cream and bread? A magical loaf that sounds impossible but is bound to impress. All you need to make ice-cream bread is your favourite ice cream flavour and self-raising flour. Make sure the ice cream is melted before use so you get a caky loaf with a crunchy crust.

Mayonnaise bread

Want to know the secret to moist and soft bread? The answer is mayonnaise. Although mayo seems like an odd ingredient to include in baked goods, the result is anything but.

All that's required to make mayonnaise bread is self-raising flour, baking powder, milk and mayo. The mayonnaise works as an egg replacement to create a moist and tender bread and is an ingredient that can be found in most household pantries.

Add extra flavour by stirring in grated cheese, chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes or chopped olives. You can also sprinkle it with your favourite seeds. It may sound peculiar, but I promise you, it's delicious.

Japanese milk bread

This next irresistible bread recipe is perfect for using up that carton of milk in the fridge that's about to expire. Hokkaidō milk bread or shokupan is a Japanese loaf known for its feathery centre and golden crust. It's made using the tangzhong method, which produces an Asian roux and helps make the bread tender.

The loaves are lightly sweetened and have a rich, milky flavour that pairs perfectly with butter or a drizzle of condensed milk. It's the ultimate two-for-one breakfast treat.

Cheesy bread rolls

Cheese and bread are arguably the greatest combos of all time. Rescue your cheeseboard leftovers by transforming them into Brazilian cheese bread or mini rolls stuffed with cottage cheese and feta.

Both rolls are surprisingly easy to make for a perfect afternoon snack or juggling act fresh out of the oven. You can use any variety of cheeses you have on hand or pair it with Vegemite or spinach. Cheese and thank you!

Garlic-herb bread

Nothing compares to the aroma of fresh, homemade bread wafting out of the oven. Just imagine how much richer that fragrance would be with herbs added to the dough.

Put your wilted herbs to good use by turning them into some show-stopping garlic and herb bread. You can customise this recipe using whatever herbs you have on hand, such as rosemary, basil, or thyme. The flavours will only become more pleasing and complex with each additional herb or ingredient. You'll never waste herbs again after trying this recipe.

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