10 Healthy Bread Recipes to Keep Your Baking Going Past Quarantine

In the ’90s, having a bread maker was definitely a Thing my mom and her friends were into. (Before the Instant Pot, bread makers were all the rage.) I remember coming home from school to the smell of sourdough filling the entire house. What’s more comforting than a thick slice of flaky bread slathered with butter?

This being 2020, I don’t know anyone with a bread maker, but homemade bread has definitely enjoyed a resurgence over the past couple months. It makes sense when you think about it. The world isn’t exactly pleasant right now; collectively, we’re all seeking more comfort.

Just like most foods, bread can absolutely be healthy, depending on how you make it. While store-bought white bread doesn’t have much nutritional value, when you make your own bread at home, you get to decide what ingredients go in it. And there’s certainly no shortage of healthy bread recipes out there. Rounded up here are 10 healthy bread recipes that are as nutrient-rich as they are delicious.

10 healthy bread recipes

1. Paleo bread

Being Paleo or gluten-free can make homemade bread baking a bit tough. Thankfully chefs Mia Rigden and Jenny Dorsey, stars of Well+Good’s Alt-Baking Bootcamp series, came up with this delicious Paleo loaf. It uses a combination of coconut flour, almond flour, and ground flaxseeds to mimic the taste and texture of flour.

2. No knead sourdough bread

Let’s be honest here: There’s no better bread for French toast or grilled cheese. This simplified recipe will make mastering sourdough (in case you haven’t done that already) a bit easier for beginner bakers.

3. Multigrain bread

The reason why multigrain bread is healthier than plain old white bread is because it contains a mix of different types of grains, which means you’re getting a wider range of nutrients. This recipe uses whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, rolled oats, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds. You’ll get a good serving of fiber before even topping it with anything.

4. Whole grain seeded bread

Whole grain bread contains all three parts of the grain: the inner endosperm (which contains carbohydrates and a small amount of nutrients), the outer germ (which contains healthy fats), and the outer bran (which is loaded with fiber, antioxidants and B vitamins). Bake this bread and you’ll get all those nutrients in every slice.

5. Zucchini bread

Besides the starring squash, this healthy loaf made with eggs, walnuts (pecans work too), olive oil, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and honey. The warming spices give the savory squash a sweeter taste, striking just the right balance. Bonus: It’s gluten-free, if that’s your thing.

6. Pumpkin bread

Pumpkin bread gets a lot of attention in the fall when pumpkins are in-season, but canned pumpkin is available year-round and works just as well to make this vitamin-C rich bread. In this recipe, it’s mixed with whole wheat flour, eggs, and an array of warming spices including nutmeg, ground cloves, and cinnamon.

7. Sweet potato bread

Sweet potatoes are loaded with potassium (even more than in a banana) and other nutrients including vitamin A and fiber—and you can get all those nutrients when you bake ’em right into a bread. The wildcard ingredient in this recipe is cranberries, which adds an unexpected tartness.

8. Blueberry oatmeal bread

If your go-to breakfast is a big bowl of warm oatmeal topped with bluebs, a slice of this bread fresh from the oven will hit all the same pleasure points. While the oats themselves give the loaf great fiber, you can up it even more by using flax seed meal.

9. Whole wheat fig and walnut bread

Figs are a Mediterranean staple, but besides eating them as-is, it can  be tricky to know what to do with them. One delicious way is to incorporate them into homemade bread, as done in this recipe. A bonus to this recipe: it’s completely vegan.

10. Healthy banana bread

You’re not going to get a bread recipe roundup without banana bread. If you’ve somehow escaped the banana bread craze of COVID-19, what are you waiting for? This recipe is free of gluten and refined sugar—and it’s 100 percent vegan. The secret is using a mix of coconut flour and almond flour.

Did you make one of these healthy bread recipes? Share how it turned out in Well+Good’s Cook With Us Facebook group.