Vanilla & Honey Tahini Bread
This incredible sesame bread is made with tahini instead of flour and is lovely and soft, with a light, fluffy texture that slices like real bread. What’s the secret? It’s a little vanilla and honey help to balance the slight bitterness of the sesame. It is delicious spread with butter and jam… or hummus… or try your other favourite toast toppings!
Each slice is filling, so a small loaf goes a long way. Even better, you can make and bake this loaf in around an hour, with none of the faff of kneading or waiting for dough to rise. Just allow it to cool properly before slicing, so it slices like a dream.
I have been wheat-free for over thirty years, and this is still the closest thing to real bread I have ever made. If you are looking for a tummy-friendly gluten-free and grain-free bread, staple weekly bake, then this is it!
Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, which are a good source of healthy fats and provide good levels of protein and dietary fibre. Sesame seeds also contain important minerals, including calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc for healthy bones, muscles and your nervous system.
This flourless bread is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, soya-free, yeast-free and nut-free, making it a useful option for families managing several dietary restrictions.
Vanilla & Honey Tahini Bread
Ingredients
- 7 g Psyllium (Husks or powders – see notes)
- 100 ml Water (warm)
- 4 Eggs (yolks and whites separated)
- 300 g Tahini (light tahini paste, well stirred)
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Salt (sea or Himalayan)
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C conventional). Line a 1lb loaf tin with baking parchment paper, leaving a little overhang to help lift the loaf out once baked.
- Whisk the psyllium husk into the warm water and leave to stand for 5 minutes until it thickens into a loose gel.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl using an electric whisk until they form soft peaks. Set aside.
- Stir the tahini thoroughly to combine the oil and the sesame paste, then transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg yolks, psyllium gel, honey, vanilla and salt to the tahini. Stir until well combined.
- Stir in the baking powder, then gently fold in the whisked egg whites, one third at a time. The first third will loosen the mixture, making it easier to fold in the remaining egg whites without losing too much air.
- Spoon the bread mixture into the prepared loaf tin and gently level the top. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds to decorate.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes until the top of the loaf is golden and the dough inside is cooked through. Check the loaf after 40 minutes and loosely cover it with foil if the top is browning too quickly. The honey can cause the crust to darken before the middle is fully baked.
- Leave the bread to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then carefully lift it out and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing, ideally for around 2 hours, to help the loaf hold together.
Notes
Nutrition
Per serving. Nutrition content in food is never consistent, so take these estimates with a pinch of salt! Also, our recipes tend to use low-GI carbs and sugars, so these values are not directly comparable with shop-bought UPFs.
Get more recipes like this
Lucinda's cookbooks
The Good Stuff
Over 100 easy recipes for toddlers to teens, with clever swaps for the main allergens.
Brain Brilliance
60 nourishing recipes and a nutrition toolkit for dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism and all neurodivergent kids.
I Can't Believe It's Baby Food
Cook once with more than 120 weaning recipes from six months that the whole family can share.
Three bestselling family nutrition cookbooks from NatureDoc founder Lucinda Miller, packed with recipes that feed growing brains, gut and immunity.
Question: 180 degree oven? That’s not very hot. Is that Fahrenheit? or Celsius?
Yes this is 180 celsius, which is about 350 degrees fahrenheit. Many thanks Lucinda
Hi, can the bicarbonate soda be replaced with baking powder?
And – could you translate the 300 gr. Tahini into table spoons?
We have here Tahini only in 500gr. cans.
Thanks.
Hi Nina. No problem, it about 16 tablespoons or 2 cups of tahini. Hope this helps. Lucinda
Thank you so much.
Regarding the bicarbonate soda – can I replace it with baking powder?
Thanks.
I have not used baking powder but I assume it will be fine as it is still a raising agent.
Hello. Is there an option without eggs?
How much flour do you use?
Hi Rose. This does not contain flour, just tahini and eggs make the base! Many thanks L
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Hi what could be the alternate to using eggs? Thank you
Hi Nina, There are two options – either use Orgran Egg Replacement Powder or combine 4 tblsp of ground flax seeds with 10 tblsp of water. Lucinda x
This is delicious! I made it exactly as written, but sprinkled sunflower seeds rather than pumpkin. The loaf rose beautifully and is the perfect texture. I might just reduce the salt the next time for a more neutral taste (even though I like my salt a lot!), And maybe even add some coarsely ground sunflower seeds to the batter for a bit of crunch/texture, but this really is a great recipe, thank you so much! I was able to slice this into 13 slices, each of which is very rich and filling so I suspect it’ll be great as a full loaf of 20+ slices as well. Oh and I should mention that you can taste the tahini somewhat but I don’t mind that at all as I love the stuff 🙂
Dear Lucinda
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I make this great bread for my son and he absolutely loves it! I am so happy as I know all the ingredients are safe and healthy. Not only my son, we all enjoy this bread now. Thank you again!
Thrilled you are enjoying it so much!
This sounds delicious! Is it ok to feed to my 11 month old baby?
Thanks, Tasha
You can as long as it does not contain any salt. There is an improved recipe with honey for 12 months plus in my book The Good Stuff.
Hi is there a way to reflace the eags for vegans
Hi Liat – the updated improved recipe with vegan option is in my book The Good Stuff.
Could this be eaten on a keto diet? Do you know how many carbs are in it please?
Yes, it should be suitable for this diet! Here is the nutritional breakdown according to the Very Well Nutrition Calculator for 1 slice (assuming you get 8 slices in one loaf):
Calories 261
Total Fat 22.9g 29%
Total Carbohydrate 8.4g 3%
Dietary Fiber 3.5g 13%
Total Sugars 0.4g
Protein 9.4g
Vitamin D 8mcg 39%
Calcium 172mg 13%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 196mg 4%
Is it necessary to add the apple vinegar?
I made it this morning without it and added more honey to it but somehow it didnt turn out as expected.
Quite bitter and i don’t think it was cooked through enough.
Any tipps?
Thanks
Sonja
I have only ever baked it using the apple cider vinegar and this may be why? Every oven bakes in a slightly different way and I would always check to see if it was cooked through with a cocktail stick and if not add 5 minutes to the cooking time. I hope this helps! Lucinda
Looks amazing! Love Tahini.
How long does this read last? And how to store?
Thanks again for this amazing idea
Hi Tal – this bread lasts in a sealed container for 4 days or store sliced in a bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. I hope that you enjoy it!
Hello, is tahini ok for my histamine issues? Xox
Yes! Absolutely.
I had some that a friend made, without the vinegar with added date Honey, but only 6 tablespoons of tahini and a whole packet of baking soda. It was fabulous.
Could there be so much leeway on the amount of tahini?
Hi Jack – glad it turned out well for you – too much bicarbonate of soda can cause belching and hiccuping for some people and indigestion for others – so I am always cautious on how much I use in my recipes.
What about the amount of tahini? Is it 6 tablespoons or 16?
I have not made it with that quantity of bicarbonate of soda – 6 tablespoons would make a tiny loaf!