Bread usually starts with flour, but I don’t use any for this cloud bread. Eggs and cream cheese form the base instead.
The yolks get mixed with cream cheese, garlic powder, and oregano, while the whites are beaten with cream of tartar until they hold firm peaks. Folding those two mixtures together creates the light batter that goes straight onto a baking sheet.
I Separate the Eggs First
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, placing them in two different bowls.
The yolks become the creamy part of the mixture. Add cream cheese and mix until combined, then stir in garlic powder and dried oregano.
The egg whites stay separate until they’ve been whipped.
Cream of Tartar Goes Into the Egg Whites
Add cream of tartar to the whites and beat them with an electric mixer.
Keep going until firm peaks form. The recipe has a simple test for this stage: turn the bowl upside down.
If the meringue stays in place instead of moving, it’s ready.
I Fold in Only One-Third at First
Don’t add all the whipped egg whites to the cream cheese mixture at once.
Start with one-third of the meringue. Fold it into the yolk and cream cheese mixture with a silicone spatula.
Once combined, add the remaining whipped whites.
I Stop Mixing Before the Batter Loses Its Air
Fold the remaining meringue into the mixture without beating it.
The goal is to keep the eggs light and airy. Overmixing works against the structure created while whipping the whites.
There still isn’t any flour, yeast, or traditional bread dough involved.
Two Tablespoons Make Each Piece
Heat the oven to 300°F and prepare two baking sheets.
The recipe recommends cooking spray even when parchment paper is used because the cloud bread can stick.
Spoon about two tablespoons of batter onto the baking sheet for each piece, leaving two inches between portions so they have room to expand.
The Edges Tell Me When They’re Done
Bake the cloud bread for 20 to 25 minutes.
Look for golden brown around the edges, then remove the trays and let the pieces cool for a few minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
What looks like bread on the finished tray started without flour. Eggs provide the airy structure, cream cheese joins the yolks, and careful folding keeps the whipped whites from losing the volume they gained in the mixing bowl.
Would you try cloud bread made with eggs and cream cheese instead of flour?
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