Low Histamine Broccoli Bread Recipe

The word superfood is thrown around fairly easily nowadays. Sometimes, it's an accurate description of highly nutritious foods that carry potent health-boosting properties. Other times it's a clever marketing ploy, used to promote the sale of a health food, which may or may not contain ingredients that are especially good for one's overall health.

Broccoli (and the whole Brassica family, really) is about as close to a super food as it gets. This is because broccoli contain a variety of glucosinolates, which are metabolized into compounds called isothiocyanates. These compounds carry the ability to inhibit liver enzymes that are involved in activating cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens) and toxins, and therefore help us to keep our bodies clean, healthy, and toxin-free.

Because of these fantastic detoxification properties, isothiocyanates have been studied in relation to their cancer fighting properties (1). Specifically, broccoli grown in the South of Italy has shown to be especially high in these cancer-fighting agents. So really, do we even need to go to Italy for pasta and wine anymore? I can assure you that I'll be going for the broccoli.

OK, ok. So, you don't need to go to Italy to reap the benefits of broccoli. Home-grown varieties are just as great. Now, you may protest at having to eat broccoli; some people find the vegetable quite off-putting! Fortunately, there's no need to eat bucket loads of broccoli in order to make the most of it's health benefits.

Today I’m going to introduce you to my low histamine broccoli bread, which provides just as diverse an array of nutrients you'd expect from eating broccoli on its own. Along with a substitute for the refined grains of bread as well as a handful of other healthy ingredients, this recipe will surely become your go-to recipe for a tasty slice or two of bread (minus the unhealthy, refined carbs that can become all too common in our general diet and contribute to histamine intolerance).

What's more is this recipe also provides a fantastic alternative for anyone doing a candida or dysbiosis diet. This bread is low carb, high protein, gluten-free and sugar-free, and you can make it dairy-free if you choose... but it's definitely not fun-free! It has a great texture and taste that’s so rich I’ve still yet to wrap my head around the fact that it’s good for you.

So… let me explain how to make the recipe so you're not waiting around much longer before you get to binge on a loaf of broccoli.

 

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Low Histamine Broccoli Bread Recipe

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 large head of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup spring onion, roughly chopped
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup organic all-purpose OR gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup grass-fed organic butter (can be swapped for olive oil or dairy-free butter of your choice)
• 2 eggs
• Salt to taste

Some of these ingredients may have you questioning whether this truly is a low histamine recipe. I can assure you that it is.

Garlic, when cooked, is generally well tolerated as part of a low histamine diet in small amounts, however, if you feel that it still bothers you, decrease the amount, or you could additionally saute the garlic, lightly cooking it even before you add it to the other ingredients. Garlic has been shown to have anti-allergic properties (2), which is why I've included it in this recipe.

Eggs are another ingredient I often get questions on as part of a low histamine diet. Typically, it's uncooked egg whites that are bothersome for those with histamine intolerance. If you don't tolerate cooked eggs, consider separating out the egg whites and add a third egg yolk.

Lastly, I often recommend avoiding dairy when starting a low histamine diet as gut inflammation (3) usually coincides with a dairy intolerance, but grass-fed, organic butter is significantly lower in the proteins that are usually bothersome, which makes it a great low-histamine, low-inflammatory ingredient. Of course, you're welcome to leave the butter out of this recipe completely; simply use the same quantity of olive oil or another non-dairy butter substitute of your choice. 

Putting Your Nutritious Low Histamine Broccoli Bread Together

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place chopped broccoli, spring onion, and garlic into the food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes very fine and almost paste-like.
3. Remove the broccoli mixture from the food processor and transfer to a mixing bowl.
4. Add coconut flour, butter, eggs, salt and the all-purpose/gluten-free flour.
5. Use a fork to mix together until the texture forms a moist and thick batter with the consistency of pudding. If the batter is too runny, add a little extra flour of your choice. If the batter is too thick, add a little extra butter or oil.
6. Line a bread pan with parchment paper and pour in the batter.
7. Place in the middle rack  of the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
8. After 45 minutes, raise the temperature of the oven to 425°F for 10-15 minutes or until the crust becomes lightly browned.
9. Test your bread for doneness. You should be able to insert a stake into the middle of the load, and it should come out clean. Alternatively, you can gently push the top of the loaf and it should feel solid and bouncy.
10. Once done, it may be tempting to cut into the load right away, but it's important to allow it to cool.
11. When it is cool to touch, slice the loaf and enjoy with some grass-fed butter, low histamine hummus, or any other topping you like.

If you're not going to eat the loaf that day, slice and freeze in portions of 2-4. Defrost the slices in the fridge and toast or heat in the oven before eating. Enjoy!

 

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References:

1. Nandini DB, Rao RS, Deepak BS, Reddy PB. Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020;24(2):405. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19
2. Kyo E, Uda N, Kakimoto M, et al. Anti-allergic effects of aged garlic extract. Phytomedicine. 1997;4(4):335-340. doi:10.1016/S0944-7113(97)80043-8
3. Schnedl WJ, Enko D. Histamine Intolerance Originates in the Gut. Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1262. Published 2021 Apr 12. doi:10.3390/nu13041262