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.
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.
This recipe is just okay. I never came together in a dough ball, but was on the runny side.
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 🙂
Does not give amounts of ingredients to use I the instructions. Amounts of surger or yogurt terrible instructions
There is a full recipe card with all measurements, including metric measurements Richard.
thanks
Great bread…
Thanks for the recipe
Hi! For this Low Cal Bread Recipe:
can I use 5 1/3 cups of Italian white flour?
what can I replace wheat germ with?
You should be able to. To replace the wheat germ, you’ll need to use equal amounts of wholewheat flour.
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.
What could I substitute for wheat germ? Trying to use what I have on hand. Thank you 😊
Hi Abbie- you can use more wholewheat flour.
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.
Can you omit wheat germ? And or substitute?
You can’t omit it, but you could add extra wholewheat flour.
Has anyone converted this to a bread machine recipe? It would really help me out. Thanks
I followed the recipe exactly. My dough remained very wet and sticky even after adding an extra 2/3 cup flour. It was loose but I was able to get it into the baking pans. Moist bread. We will see how it works for toast and sandwiches.
Hi Ingrid- thanks for the feedback, if the dough was wet and sticky, I wonder if it was a looser yogurt or extra water added. I’ve updated the recipe to include metric measurements, which hopefully makes things even more accurate.
Does anyone have a bread machine single loaf version of this?
Hi Dana- I’ve updated the post to include my method using a bread machine. It’s in the FAQ’s.