Keto bread twists

Keto bread twists

These decadent, cheesy twists are full of yummy pesto flavor. Mozzarella meets bright herbs with the satisfying, golden bread-like crust. Bite into these for a quick keto snack or a perfect side dish with dinner. Or serve up as a platter of keto appetizers at your next cocktail party.
June 18 2016 recipe by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Appetizer, Bread, Snack

Keto bread twists

These decadent, cheesy twists are full of yummy pesto flavor. Mozzarella meets bright herbs with the satisfying, golden bread-like crust. Bite into these for a quick keto snack or a perfect side dish with dinner. Or serve up as a platter of keto appetizers at your next cocktail party.
USMetric
10 servingservings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (2 oz.) 120 ml (55 g) almond flour
  • ¼ cup (¾ oz.) 60 ml (25 g) coconut flour
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1 egg, beateneggs, beaten
  • 2 oz. 55 g butter
  • 12⁄3 cups (6½ oz.) 400 ml (190 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup (2 oz.) 60 ml (60 g) green pesto
  • 1 1 egg, beaten, for brushing the topeggs, beaten, for brushing the top
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Instructions

Instructions are for 10 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the egg and combine.
  3. Melt the butter and the cheese together in a pot on low heat. Stir until the batter is smooth.
  4. Slowly add the butter-cheese batter to the dry mixture bowl and mix together into a firm dough.
  5. Place the dough on parchment paper that is the size of a rectangular cookie sheet. Use a rolling pin and make a rectangle, about 1/5-inch (5 mm) thick.
  6. Spread pesto on top and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) strips. Twist them and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush twists with the whisked egg.
  7. Bake in the oven for 15–20 minutes until they’re golden brown.

Tip!

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💬 Have you tried this recipe?

What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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104 comments

  1. 51
    Reply to comment #50 by HEATHER VICKERY
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    December 6 2018
    Instead of greek or low fat yogurt, look for a European style yogurt as they have fewer carbs and more fat.
  2. 52
    Birgit
    December 23 2018
    Where I live we usually take mature hard cheese for such purposes.
    But regardless of the kind of cheese, the dough is by far too brittle for to be formed into twisted stripes.
    I will add psyllium husk powder next time.
  3. 53
    Keri
    January 1 2019
    I made 5 servings with no changes. (I used 2.6 tbsp for the butter and 3/4 cup Great Value block mozzarella which I grated (it kinda felt soft in comparison to a cheddar block). My advice to those folks worried about the egg cooking, I suggest using very low heat when melting the cheese and butter... don't rush it. Once melted and creamy, I turned off the fire and poured in the beaten half egg as instructed and stirred it slowly for just a few seconds. Then, I dumped in the dry ingredients and continued to stir slowly for a few more seconds. It formed a very pliable, moist, fluffy dough. Impressed. It rolled out beautifully and you have plenty of time to work with it. I'd imagine you can make your bread twists as "thick and short"... or... "long and skinny" as you like. I made mine in-between and it yielded 5 pretty small twists (I'm used to TX sized servings). After 20 min in the oven they were so fluffy and slightly golden. I'd recommend this recipe! Taste was pretty good, texture was nice, too! (My first time every trying a Keto recipe) It's certainly different than regular bread, but a nice substitute.
    Reply: #91
  4. 54
    Reply to comment #25 by Nicole
    Dana
    January 21 2019
    Maybe you are not using enough cheese. I just tried this recipe and it worked perfectly and was delicious! If you are using shredded cheese, press it into the measuring cup to make sure that you use the full amount. If you don't have enough cheese it might crumble when trying to twist. Also, I see that a lot of people are mixing the egg into the dough, but I just spread the egg on the top as directed. Mine twisted perfectly and cooked beautifully.
  5. 55
    Huvie
    February 13 2019
    I tripled this recipe and used half with the butter and cheese and half with margarine and no cheese (for the dairy-free people). I made it in a log shape, and it baked really well and tasted great! (my first keto recipe!)
  6. 56
    Rochelle
    February 14 2019
    Who TRIED and TESTED these....disgusting, way to much BUTTER, impossible to twist, and ended making me feel SICK in the stomach. Will never be making these again....I think I would rather a piece of multi grain bread spread with a THIN layer of butter.
  7. 57
    Christine
    February 19 2019
    Tried it for the first time, the dough was a bit soggy but the taste was great, used cheddar and herbs not pesto. I'm wondering if it was soggy because I used the cheddar and not mozzarella, thoughts anyone?
  8. 58
    Kat
    April 6 2019
    Incredibly dry and bland, was unable to to twist as the dough kept falling apart. Followed the method and I used mozzarella cheese but still didn’t turn out very good. Has anyone got any tips on how to improve, I’m not sure if using a different cheese would make much difference.
  9. 59
    Tom
    April 8 2019
    Can someone please advise how to melt mozzarella in butter, it doesn't melt??
    Reply: #60
  10. 60
    Reply to comment #59 by Tom
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    April 9 2019

    Can someone please advise how to melt mozzarella in butter, it doesn't melt??

    Melting slowly over low heat is the key.

  11. 61
    trudy
    April 20 2019
    It seems that step #5 is missing a number "about ____ inch thick"
    Reply: #62
  12. 62
    Reply to comment #61 by trudy
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    April 20 2019

    It seems that step #5 is missing a number "about ____ inch thick"

    It is supposed to be 1/5" thick but is not displaying properly for some reason. Thank you for pointing it out so we can correct it.

  13. 63
    Connie
    April 30 2019
    followed the recipe exactly cheese and butter did not come together until the egg was added. I temperd the egg for fear it would cook it all blend together beautifully. made a lovely dough I would cut my lengths. I twisted a few at the 15 inch length then cut the rest in half much better. I thought they would be crispy and I left them in the oven quite a while. they are soft a bit like a mozzarella cheese stick but there's a bread component in it also. So on a keto diet having something that similar to bread especially with the mozzarella meatballs I'm serving tonight for dinner I think they'll be a nice hit. They were very easy to make
  14. 64
    Denise
    May 4 2019
    Mine did not get fluffy. I ended up with dense hockey pucks. But taste was really good. Did I over work the dough?
  15. 65
    Denney
    May 10 2019
    Tried this recipe for the first time, followed it exactly, found the melting a bit difficult, but it came together and rolled out well. I used homemade pesto and it came out really good, very tasty snack. Next time I'll try it with cheddar and rosemary.
  16. 66
    Raymond
    May 13 2019
    I don't like the taste coconut flour gives, can I substitute it for extra almond flour ?
    Reply: #67
  17. 67
    Reply to comment #66 by Raymond
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    May 14 2019

    I don't like the taste coconut flour gives, can I substitute it for extra almond flour ?

    We have not tested this recipe with all almond flour. Almond and coconut flour have different properties in baked goods.

  18. 68
    Catherine
    May 26 2019
    I have just made these and they were delicious. Don't try twisting them as they just fall apart. I added the pesto to the dough mix, rolled it thinly beteen 2 sheets as instructed and then simply cut with cookie cutter and baked 20 mins. Perfect and very moreish!
  19. 69
    Christyne
    July 10 2019
    Just love it!! Tastes really good; I will do it many many times! How long can we keep them and how can we store them? Thank you so much!
  20. 70
    rosa
    August 7 2019
    It was really good, mine didn't twist much but I just started cooking. The batter was even more delicious than the final result!
  21. 71
    Geraldine
    August 30 2019
    Tried it for the first time, couldn't get the cheese to melt, I just used what I had, it was a bit sticky and couldn't twist, no matter, I sort of folded them and stuck in oven, was delicious, will try till I get it right, more importantly, my family loved it, no matter the shape.
  22. 72
    Gerry
    August 30 2019
    Any idea how to store them?
    Reply: #73
  23. 73
    Reply to comment #72 by Gerry
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    August 31 2019

    Any idea how to store them?

    In a sealed container in the refrigerator.

  24. 74
    alina sweeney
    September 13 2019
    I used mozzarella cheese sticks (I measured them whole using a scale) and melted it with the butter. They turned out pretty good.
  25. 75
    Candi
    September 15 2019
    These were relatively easy to make, really tasty and very filling. Ticked all of my boxes :)
  26. 76
    Ray
    January 16 2020
    I would like to know if Carbalose flour is Keto.
    Reply: #77
  27. 77
    Reply to comment #76 by Ray
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    January 17 2020

    I would like to know if Carbalose flour is Keto.

    We would not recommend Carbalose as it is still wheat based which can be inflammatory.

  28. 78
    m4tty_82
    January 19 2020
    No matter how much a try I cannot get the carb level down to 1 carb per serving, when I input the recipe on My Fitness Pal and the servings as 10, it comes out @ 3.8g carbs, so I take off fibre (English) @ 2g and I'm left with 1.8g per serving so this is very misleading!
    Reply: #79
  29. 79
    Reply to comment #78 by m4tty_82
    G
    January 21 2020
    m4tty_82: It is good that you are calculating the carbs yourself since different types of cheese or brands of coconut and almond flour will have different amounts of carbs and fiber. Also people need to be careful with My Fitness Pal. If you are using the free version, anyone can enter food value. I have found huge errors and conflicting data for the same product that was listed a different way (e.g. Costco vs Kirkland)
  30. 80
    Gemma
    February 18 2020
    Delicious! The twists worked beautifully and tasted great.
  31. 81
    Nita
    February 28 2020
    Made these for our Friday get together, twice now. They turned out great, everyone loved them.
  32. 82
    cynthia
    April 2 2020
    I chose to work the cheese/butter mixture into the dry ingredients by hand. It made a nice dough that was not sticky. I curled one, pinching it together as best I could. Baked one by itself just to see how it came out...crunchy, golden, and full of flavor. I would make this again. Serving it tonight with antipasti platter and dipping oil for the bread. Yum. Not sure I can wait until dinner!
  33. 83
    Lesley adams
    April 17 2020
    When you're expect the twists to taste like the delicious cheese/garlic/olive wheat-based twists you get in the supermarket you get very disappointed!
    The texture is too floury. Maybe reduce the flour? Or more egg white to give it more crunch? Or half cheddar, half mozarella? Add psyllium to make it easier to twist?
    Or as someone suggested don't bother with the twists, just make cut out biscuits from rolling the dough between two layers of greaseproof paper.
    Diet doctor team - could you to revisit this one!
    Reply: #84
  34. 84
    Reply to comment #83 by Lesley adams
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    April 18 2020

    When you're expect the twists to taste like the delicious cheese/garlic/olive wheat-based twists you get in the supermarket you get very disappointed!
    The texture is too floury. Maybe reduce the flour? Or more egg white to give it more crunch? Or half cheddar, half mozarella? Add psyllium to make it easier to twist?
    Or as someone suggested don't bother with the twists, just make cut out biscuits from rolling the dough between two layers of greaseproof paper.
    Diet doctor team - could you to revisit this one!

    I am sorry these did not turn out as expected; thank you for your feedback.

  35. 85
    Marianne B
    April 26 2020
    These were awesome! Made a second batch a week later because my husband loved them so much. Per some of the comments, I used the microwave to melt the butter a cheese on low power. Then let it cool a bit before adding to the egg and flour mix. Worked like a charm. Only thing extra I had to add was more salt because I used unsalted butter. Will do them for a family party when we are out of this quarantine! Thanks for the great recipe, perfect comfort food treat!!
  36. 86
    swturner
    May 19 2020
    Is there any way to make these dairy free? Thanks:)
    Reply: #87
  37. 87
    Reply to comment #86 by swturner
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    May 19 2020

    Is there any way to make these dairy free? Thanks:)

    The cheese acts as a binder in this recipe. I do not know of a way to make it dairy free and keep the texture.

  38. 88
    lauramb1994
    June 2 2020
    I've made these twice now with yummy results. Even fooled my extended family who thought they were just normal breadsticks. I did notice that the dough wouldn't twist perfectly and even stuck a little to my parchment paper as I twisted them. But I finagled them and got them to work out. I was able to store a couple of left-over breadsticks in a ziplock bag in the fridge and just popped them in the toaster oven for a few minutes for left-over! I'm going to try a different flavor next time and in place of pesto I might try a thick spread of garlic and herb butter. Can't wait to try them.
    Reply: #89
  39. 89
    Reply to comment #88 by lauramb1994
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    June 2 2020

    I've made these twice now with yummy results. Even fooled my extended family who thought they were just normal breadsticks. I did notice that the dough wouldn't twist perfectly and even stuck a little to my parchment paper as I twisted them. But I finagled them and got them to work out. I was able to store a couple of left-over breadsticks in a ziplock bag in the fridge and just popped them in the toaster oven for a few minutes for left-over! I'm going to try a different flavor next time and in place of pesto I might try a thick spread of garlic and herb butter. Can't wait to try them.

    Yay!! I am so glad your family enjoyed them!

  40. 90
    Donna T.
    June 4 2020
    This recipe made the bread sticks very, very dry.
  41. 91
    Reply to comment #53 by Keri
    sarah.scott818
    July 27 2020
    Thank you for sharing the measurements you used. It helped a ton! Mine were still a little brittle, but I think it's because the cheese dough cooled off too much before I had it all mixed in. I made half my recipe as a sort of Cinnamon twist by spreading cream cheese on the dough then sprinkling with a mixture of brown sugar substitute (Swerve I think) and cinnamon. It was very good. Again, thanks for sharing the cup/tablespoon measurements. I would have had WAY different results if I had used weight for measurements.
  42. 92
    sarah.scott818
    July 27 2020
    Hi all. Just made my first batch. I think at least some of the problems people are having with this recipe (and more than a few of the others) is ingredients we normally measure using Cups, Tablespoons and Teaspoons is in the recipe as ounces (oz.) You get a COMPLETELY different result using 6.5 oz of cheese weighed vs. 6.5 oz of cheese measured in volume. Same with the butter. Thanks to Keri in comment #53, who did recommended using volume measurements, I was able to get this right. For simplicity, this is what Keri recommended and what I used.

    2.6 TBSP Butter
    3/4 C Cheese

    Based on many of you comments, I used low heat to melt the mozzarella with the butter, and used a whisk rather than a spoon to integrate the two. One thing I noticed was that my cheese mixture cooled off quite a bit before I got it all integrated into the dry ingredients. I kneaded the dough and it mixed in ok, but I think the overall cool temperature impacted the elasticity of the dough. Next time I think I will put my burner on the lowest setting and add the dry ingredients into the cheese.

  43. 93
    jnr.metcalfe
    July 29 2020
    I'm not sure what everyone else did but the quantities are off and these are way to salty. yuck!
    Reply: #94
  44. 94
    Reply to comment #93 by jnr.metcalfe
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    July 29 2020

    I'm not sure what everyone else did but the quantities are off and these are way to salty. yuck!

    Interesting as there is very little salt, 1/2 tsp, in the recipe itself. Perhaps did you use salted butter or maybe the pesto you used was very salty? When baking it is best to use unsalted butter so that you are able to control the amount of salt added to your taste.

  45. 1 comment removed
  46. 96
    KBenton
    August 27 2020
    This recipe calls for questions. Watching the video it seems that the shredded mozzarella used was purchased as such. Those shredded packages usually contain cellulose to prevent sticking. Cellulose will also change consistency. Another possibility for mozzarella is the low-moisture type with a longer shelf-life, like Sargento. The other is a fresh mozzarella which is decidedly wet. I used the last. It was impossible to totally combine the butter with the cheese. Strings were everywhere. My results were edible but not so enjoyable. I applied plenty of egg wash to gain any crispness but it was inadequate. There was a soft but grainy texture to the “bread”. This was even though I measured all ingredients in grams applicable according to the recipe. What made it still worth eating was the use of homemade Marcella Hazan recipe pesto, the processor method. In future I’ll try a few previous suggestions. More Parmesan in bread than added in Marcella’s pesto and powdered psyllium husk.
    Reply: #97
  47. 97
    Reply to comment #96 by KBenton
    Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
    August 27 2020

    This recipe calls for questions. Watching the video it seems that the shredded mozzarella used was purchased as such. Those shredded packages usually contain cellulose to prevent sticking. Cellulose will also change consistency. Another possibility for mozzarella is the low-moisture type with a longer shelf-life, like Sargento. The other is a fresh mozzarella which is decidedly wet. I used the last. It was impossible to totally combine the butter with the cheese. Strings were everywhere. My results were edible but not so enjoyable. I applied plenty of egg wash to gain any crispness but it was inadequate. There was a soft but grainy texture to the “bread”. This was even though I measured all ingredients in grams applicable according to the recipe. What made it still worth eating was the use of homemade Marcella Hazan recipe pesto, the processor method. In future I’ll try a few previous suggestions. More Parmesan in bread than added in Marcella’s pesto and powdered psyllium husk.

    I am sorry you had problems with this one. Typically, a recipe will call specifically list fresh mozzarella if that is the preferred mozerella to use. Shredded would be the packaged or block, shreddable mozerrella with lower moisture.

  48. 98
    Alicia
    June 30 2021
    Just made these. Sounds like it’s pretty hit or miss for folks if the dough worked but it worked perfectly for me. They were amazing. They will be fun to experiment with. My strips were more puffier but still perf
  49. 99
    Jennie
    October 10 2021
    Can you do a sweet version of these?
    Reply: #100
  50. 100
    Reply to comment #99 by Jennie
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    October 11 2021

    Can you do a sweet version of these?

    We have not tested a sweet version of these, but it could work well.

  51. 101
    Claire
    June 29 2022
    Tasted SO good but there is no way that you can twist these! They break/crumble and look an utter mess, so sadly nothing like the picture. Will try different shapes etc for guests, but as 'twists' they won't impress anybody 😉
  52. 102
    Victor Edwards
    August 23 2022
    I've made these three times now. The wife and I love them! 💚 Great with dips. The first two batches went a bit flat, but the last batch looked just like the photo. I find them a little hard to twist, and I think the dough needs to be warm to make it easier. Thanks, DD.
  53. 103
    Rose
    August 26 2022
    I used a saucepan to heat the cheese and butter. I used pré-shredded mozzarella. It congealed into a rubbery mixture and didn’t blend well into the dry ingredients. So these came out messy looking, but they were tasty and were perfect for my salty cheesy cravings.
    Reply: #104
  54. 104
    Reply to comment #103 by Rose
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    August 27 2022

    I used a saucepan to heat the cheese and butter. I used pré-shredded mozzarella. It congealed into a rubbery mixture and didn’t blend well into the dry ingredients. So these came out messy looking, but they were tasty and were perfect for my salty cheesy cravings.

    Sometimes the pre-shredded mozzarellas can have anti caking agents which can affect the texture when melted.

  55. 105
    Martha
    November 15 2022
    Loved the picture, we eat with our eyes first. Then I read the comments. So sorry to the girl who got sick with the butter. I was nervous, but the picture was so yummy, so I persisted. I did notice that when I measured the cheese with the cups, then weighed it on a scale, the measured cups ended up being more, lots more. So I went with more; I’m from Texas, more is always better. Then when I melted the cheese and the butter in the microwave, the butter just surrounded the cheese, so I threw the cheese in the mixer bowl and turned it on. As the paddle stirred I noticed that the butter eventually incorporated, so I went on with the egg and the flour mixture. The rest of the instructions were spot on. Thanks for sharing.
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