Low Calorie Bread
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This low calorie bread recipe is soft and fluffy inside with a tender, sliceable crumb. It’s perfect for toast, sandwiches, and more.
Why this low calorie bread recipe works
Bread is one of those foods that’s surprisingly hard to ‘lighten up’ without ruining the texture. The first time I tried to reduce the flour, I ended up with a dense, heavy loaf. Cutting back on the fat didn’t help either. It just made the bread dry and crumbly.
After testing multiple variations in my kitchen, I went back to basics and loosely adapted my mom’s whole-wheat bread recipe. From there, I made small, intentional tweaks to lower the overall calorie density while keeping the loaf soft, sliceable, and sturdy enough for sandwiches.
My recipe yields two loaves, each with about 20 thin sandwich slices. When sliced evenly, each piece stays moderate in calories while still feeling substantial.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into my low cal bread, along with kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Flour. I used whole wheat flour, as it pairs well with the wheat germ and has a lovely flavor when toasted. White all-purpose flour can also be used.
- Bread flour. Provides structure and strength to the dough. It also helps the loaf rise properly and maintain a soft crumb.
- Wheat germ. Adds a subtle nutty flavor and extra fiber, while contributing to the bread’s overall structure .
- Salt. Enhances flavor and strengthens the dough structure.
- Sugar. Provides mild sweetness and helps activate the yeast for a proper rise.
- Olive oil. You need some fat to give the bread some richness and a golden crust.
- Yeast and warm water. The water should be around 43C/110F in temperature.
- Yogurt. Plain yogurt is preferred, but Greek or natural yogurt can also be used. Your yogurt must be room temperature, not chilled.
How to make low calorie bread
In a small bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, salt, and sugar. In a large, separate bowl, add your warm water and yeast and let it dissolve. Add the small bowl of dry ingredients, along with the oil and yogurt, and whisk together until combined. Slowly add the bread flour until a firm dough remains.
Next, lightly flour a kitchen surface and transfer the dough to it. Gently knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, until smooth. Lightly grease two large mixing bowls and divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion of dough into the bowls and roll it around to lightly coat the exterior in oil. Cover each bowl of dough and let it rise in a warm area for an hour, to rise.
Now, remove the dough from the bowls and once again, place it back onto a floured surface. Shape each portion of dough into a loaf and place it in a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Cover each loaf and let it rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Finally, preheat the oven to 185C/375F. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, lightly brush the top with melted butter or olive oil.
Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions
Yes, I recently (Feb 2026) tested this in a bread machine, but there are a few changes. Add the wet ingredients first, then the dry ingredients, and add the yeast at the very end. Use either the whole wheat or basic sandwich bread setting and allow the full knead-rise-bake cycle to complete (very important). Slice only after the loaf has cooled completely.
My recipe keeps calories modest by using minimal added fat and sugar, and producing consistent, thin slices. Traditional homemade loaves are often sliced thicker (as toast slices), which naturally increases the calories per serving, even with identical ingredients. Also, most standard sandwich breads contain 70-110 calories per slice.
The most common causes are inactive yeast or water that isn’t the right temperature. Also, your dough should not be too dry. If it isn’t soft and slightly tacky, add tablespoons of warm water (one at a time) to adjust the texture.
Since retesting the recipe, each slice is about 54 calories (based on a 20-slice loaf). If you want slightly thicker slices, slice each loaf into 16 slices, each with about 68 calories.
Storage instructions
To store: Once sliced, the low calorie bread can be stored in a sealed paper bag or bread box. They will keep fresh for up to 3 days. If you’d like to keep the bread longer, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Place leftover bread in ziplock bags and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information is calculated using weighed ingredients and analyzed by our in-house registered dietitian. Values are estimates and may vary depending on specific brands, ingredient substitutions, and portion sizes. For best accuracy, we recommend weighing ingredients where possible.
Low Calorie Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour 360g, or whole wheat flour
- 1 cup bread flour 120g
- 1/2 cup wheat germ 60g, toasted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 9g
- 1 tablespoon sugar 12g
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 7g
- 1 1/2 cups warm water 360ml, 45C/113F
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt 180g, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon olive oil 15ml
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the white whole wheat flour, wheat germ, salt, and sugar, and mix until combined. In a large mixing bowl, add the yeast and warm water and let it dissolve. Add the bowl of mixed dry ingredients, along with the oil and yogurt, and whisk until combined. Gently fold through the bread flour until a firm dough remains.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Lightly grease two mixing bowls. Divide the dough into two portions and place each ball of dough into the greased bowls, and roll around, until the exterior is covered in some of the oil. Cover each bowl of dough and let it sit in a warm area for around an hour, to double in size and rise.
- Grease two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans and set them aside. Remove the balls of dough and place them once more on a floured surface. Shape each ball of dough into a loaf shape and place them into the greased loaf pan. Cover the pans and let them rise until around double in size, approximately 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 185C/375F. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside. Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before carefully transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, brush the crust with butter or olive oil.
Notes
- Nutritional information and serving size: This recipe. makes two loaves of bread, and each loaf produces 20 thin slices, about half an inch in thickness, and 0.9 ounces (25g).
- For a slightly higher calorie count (68 calories), slice each loaf into 16 slices. Each slice would be 3/4 of an inch thick and 1.1 ounces (31g).
- Leftovers: Keep in sealed paper bags for 3 days or in the fridge for one week. Freeze loaves in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
More low calorie recipes
- Low calorie ice cream– A creamy frozen dessert with just two ingredients.
- Low calorie candy– Chewy, soft, and tastes like gummy bears.
- Low calorie cookies– Soft, chewy, and a decent size!
- Low calorie peanut butter– Enjoy all the peanut butter flavor.
- Low calorie pancakes– These are so thick and fluffy.
Originally published July 2021. Updated February 2026 to improve measurement accuracy, retested dough, and provided revised nutrition estimates.
I have made your recipe before and I love the low calorie aspect. However, when I enter the ingredients, their amounts and the 40 servings into My Fitness Pal, the calorie count comes out to 76 calories. Did you use a different calorie calculator?
Thanks!
Hi Ang! I’ve actually completely re-tested the recipe to both confirm the calorie count, improve the texture, and also give metric measurements. Our in-house dietitian calculated it as 54 calories per slice with each loaf having 20 slices, or 68 calories per slice when each loaf has 16 slices 🙂
I want to make this in bread machine do you have recipe for that and what setting to cook it at. I have tried a few times but it rises but it sinks before the bread is done.
Hi Karen- I don’t sorry, not for this. I’ve got it on my list to test using a bread maker, so when I do, I’ll shoot you an email!
Hi Karen!! Just circling back as I’ve tested it in the bread machine 🙂
Can you share the bread machine instructions please???
Hi Kim! Yes, it’s in the troubleshooting and frequently asked questions section 🙂
I bake a lot, and the “cups” measurement of the flour didn’t work. I had to add a lot more bread flour to get a workable dough. I used 240g wheat flour and 600g bread flour to get the dough to come together. This changes the macros a great deal. It’s 84kcal per slice.
It’s odd to see a bread recipe without the flour quantity measured in grams. I essentially had to add an EXTRA 200g of bread flour to get the dough to firm up. Thus the nutritional facts posted here are not quite accurate.
Hi Rob- I really appreciate the feedback. It’s what made my team and I re-test the recipe and provide metric measurements. I’m not sure why you needed to add excess flour, but the updated recipe (with updated measurements) should alleviate all of that 🙂 Let me know how you go!
This is my regular sandwich bread recipe. I make sourdough otherwise. It’s an easy recipe to make.
Thank you Michelle for you kind words! This was one of the first breads I learned in culinary school and just tweaked it slightly to be lower calorie. I would love to one day develop a low calorie sourdough- sourdough is just too delicious!!!!
If I swap wheat germ for flax seed will it still be 42 calories
I haven’t tried it with flax seed so I can’t vouch for the results. In terms of nutrition, you could plug it into myfitnesspal and see!
Is a serving 1 or 2 pieces? Thanks
Each loaf makes 20 slices, so one slice per serving.
I’m diabetic and need to watch my carbohydrates and i want to know how many onces are in one serving of this bread and how many carbs per once or serving for this bread?
Thank you Carmella Capezzuto
Hi Carmella- We’ve retested the recipe again and provided metric measurements, along with weight of each slice. I hope you find it helpful! 🙂
Can this be adapted to bake in bread machine
Hi Terri- Yes, it can. I’ve just added an FAQ to address this 🙂
This bread is absolutely amazing! I have never had a homemade bread that works so well for making delicious sandwiches. Being a bread lover makes dieting difficult but not with this one. Give it a try!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Hurla- I appreciate your kind words!
I want to use metric for more precise baking ( grams for flour). You mentioned in an older comment that this would be included in future but I dont see it. Is it available somewhere? If not do you recommend packing flour loosely or compact into cups?
Hi Jet! We’ve just retested this recipe and included full metric measurements, along with a nutritional breakdown of the ingredients, including metric weights per slice. I hope you find it helpful!
I put this recipe through Cronometer recipe importer with ingredients exactly as written.
The calorie count is 77 for 1/40 37g serving
Any ideas where the discrepancy could be? Did you mean for a serving to be 1/2 slice?
I was so happy to see this low calorie recipe but thought it too good to be true as I’ve been looking forever. What am I missing?
Following are calorie counts for ingredients: ( I so want this to work!) quantity as stated in recipe.
Whole Wheat Flour 880
Wheat Germ: 207
Sugar 96
Yeast 46
Yogurt Plain 149
Olive Oil 238
Bread Flour 1466
Do you see where the problem could be to cause such a large difference?
Thanks everyone
Hi there! I’ve had my in-house dietitian calculate the macros, and I’ve updated the recipe to include metric measurements. Each slice works out to be 54 calories for a 20 slice loaf, or 68 calories for a 16 slice loaf. Let me know if that helps!
This is the only bread I make and eat anymore. I never buy bread at the store.
I love to hear that, Michelle- that means so much!
It was super easy to make. I used a protein Greek yogurt which turned out very nice. The outside was the perfect crust. The inside was airy and fluffy. Taste was great. The only downside was it was super soft! I had a hard time cutting- needing to be extra careful. And I could only get around 16-17 slices per loaf. My calories ended up being 104 per slice – which I’m sure was partly the amount of slices I could get but I think maybe my yogurt made it higher. Not too bothered by that though. I can’t wait to try it again
Hi Annabelle- Oh nice, protein Greek yogurts so magic to baking- I love it! Hmmm we did a calculation (backed by our dietitian) using 16 slices per loaf, and it comes to 68 calories each. I’m wondering if it was the yogurt that added the extra cals.
Just wondering if this is a low GI recipe. Thanks for sharing
Cheers
Helen
Can you provide the math you used to calculate the calories per slice?
Hi Hannah! Yes, absolutely. Our in-house dietitian has re-calculated it with our new and improved recipe. I’ve included metric measurements and a breakdown of the calories in the recipe card 🙂
how can you make this in bread machine? What items go into machine in what order? What setting should I use on the machine?
No idea, never used a bread machine 🙂
Put all the ingredients into your bread machine and use the dough setting.
Water first, then olive oil, flour, yeast, sugar and salt.
The dough setting on my bread machine cycles for 1.5 hours, which includes the first proving.
Remove the dough, create two balls, place them into a greased bread baking tray and allow to rise again for around 1.5 hours.
Set oven at 200deg celsius and bake for 22-25 minutes.
Will the bread still work if I leave out the wheat germ. I cant wait to try it, as i love homemade bread and the less calories is great.Having a little difficult time finding wheat germ
Thanks
Sorry, Judy- I’ve only tried this recipe as written 🙂
Can this bread be put in a bread maker to mix and then knead the dough? Then put in the oven?
Hi Lanie- you can bake it completely in a bread maker- I tested this recently and included it in my FAQ’s 🙂
thanks
Great bread…
Thanks for the recipe
Hi again. Disregard my question about servings. Totally missed it, but I can see it’s clearly indicated – it’s 20 slices per loaf.
Thanks again!
C
What would you say to using oat flour instead of the whole wheat flour? Still using the wheat germ though.
To be honest, I haven’t tried that- I’d be a little wary as oat flour tends to be more absorbant that whole wheat flour.
Hi. I made a few of your recipes over time and love them. Finally going to try this bread. Haven’t made bread in a very long time, so fingers crossed.
One question – Just to be sure – the nutritional info is for 40 servings. That’s based on two loaves, cut into 20 slices per loaf, right? I’m thinking of cutting the recipe in half because it will take me quite a time to eat one loaf – and freezer space is at a premium. 🙂
Thank you!! And thanks for all the great ideas you share. Truly appreciated. I’ve lost 30 lbs, and the recipes here have been a big help along the way.
Catherine
Do you think this bread could be used for French toast?
I don’t see why not!
Did you create a video when making this bread? I would love to see a video.
I have questions:
1. In your story, you said to use 1 2/3 cup of bread flour, up to 2 cups. If I scroll down to the recipe, you said to use 3 1/3
cups of bread flour. Which is correct?
2. How did you measure the flour? I assume that you scooped packed flour into the cup. I used a spoon to put the flour into the cup, and it never made a dough. It was a gloppy mess. I added 1 cup more flour, then another half cup before giving up. It never became a dough that could be kneaded. A video would help to know how “wet” the dough should be.
Thank you. I am waiting to see if the dough will rise.
I wanted to fiind a low calorie whole grain bread for my weight loss as store bread is so expensive.
This bread is so good!! I made my first 2 loaves and its really good!
I added 1 packet milled flax seed and a small handfull of quick oats. The yogurt is surprisingly good in it.
I highly recommend this recipie.
Has anyone converted this to a bread machine recipe? It would really help me out. Thanks
Anybody try with all purpose flour instead of bread flour? Would it work? Or would it alter the calories/ integrity of the bread
Can’t wait to try this!
Is the yogurt Whole Milk, Non Fat, or Low Fat?
Any work 🙂
Hello Arman,
I plan to substitute milk for the yoghurt. How would you suggest I go about it to get the most similar results to the original recipe? Thank you.
Not sure- I’ve only tried it as written, so you’ll need to experiment and see
I made this yesterday and the flavor is good. But mine caved in— I shouldn’t be surprised because everything I try to bake using fat free yogurt falls flat. 😫. I just don’t have good luck using yogurt in baked goods.
This recipe was perfect! I divided the dough into 4 mini loaf pans. I used an egg white and water wash and topped the breads with oats and sesame seeds. My family loves this recipe! Thank you! 🤗❤
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe. Will it matter if I leave out the sugar or use a sugar substitute like a monk fruit sweetener?
I love your website. So much variety, everything is so easy to make and everything I’ve made so far has been delicious. You are my go-to baker 🙂
I think omitting it should be okay 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Brenda!
Hi Carol, I used my kitchenaid to mix/knead the dough too, but mine has come out fluffy and perfect each time. I’m pretty new to bread making, so I’m pretty pleased with the results.
Excellent tasting bread!!! Mine came out very dense. I used my kitchenaid to mix and knead the dough. Did anyone else use their mixer for this? I wonder if it makes a difference instead of handmixing and hand kneading?
This turned out amazing on my first try! So much more satisfying than store bought low cal bread. I’m going to be making this for a long, long time!
Great tasting soft bread! Just what I was looking for. The only change I made was adding 1TB vital wheat gluten with white whole wheat flour. This is a keeper.
It’s hard to read the recipes with all the ads & videos playing!
Thank you so much! I actually discovered that I needed to let it rise longer. after 2 hours it was a giant loaf of bread lol. This recipe is SUPER delicious and soft. Thanks for sharing
Would it be possible so share the ingredients in grams? because my loafs came out much smaller. I used 128 grams as a cup. that’s what the internet usually says. it is correct?
Hi there, we use American cups and tablespoons, we will be starting to include metric next year.
Great recipe! I had to swap ground flax seeds for the wheat germ. I also make it a habit to use up sourdough discard, so subbed a cup of that for 1/2 cup each of bread flour and water. Turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Can I use low-fat or no fat Greek yogurt in this recipe
I don’t see why not 🙂
Greetings to you, Arman! I love, love, love your recipes and thank you for all of your hard work creating all of your recipes.
I cannot eat wheat or the germ at all and I am wondering what I can use instead. Thank you, take care…
Are you aware that almost all the links to this recipe lead to a page where the amount of the ingredients is not shown? Everything else is there, but not that …the url even looks the same…argh
What do you mean? The ingredients are all in the recipe card.
This is wonderful bread! I put my bread machine on dough cycle. It raised beautifully. Then baked it in loaf pans. My husband would have eaten a whole loaf if I would have let him. I didn’t have wheat germ so used more whole wheat flour. That was only change I made. This is my new bread recipe. I have used so many of your recipes and they all turn out. Keep up the good work.
Fabulous- Thanks, Bev!
Cant wait to try this one I will use mostly whole wheat flour more like these please, low calorie