Cloud Bread

Whenever a recipe takes Instagram or TikTok by storm, I always get curious to see if the taste of the finished product can stand up to the visuals. And when I saw Cloud Bread for the first time on TikTok, I knew I had to make it to see if this gorgeous, fluffy cloud actually tasted any good. 

What Is Cloud Bread?

Cloud bread is, in fact, a high-protein bread alternative. It’s made by whipping egg whites and cream of tartar (or, in this case, corn starch and sugar) to get a soft, fluffy meringue-like texture. Often this mixture gets folded into the egg yolks, along with a full-fat dairy product—like yogurt—then spooned onto a baking sheet and baked. (The cloud bread recipe I will be showing you does not include the dairy.) When the “bread” first comes out of the oven, it will have a crisp, melty, meringue-like texture. But if you allow it to cool fully, it will be chewier and breadier. 

I used @abimhn’s TikTok recipe which was inspired by @linqanaaa’s.

It should look something like this when it’s done. (Notice the outside is yellowish-brown, not blue. 

When you tear it in half though, the color will pop out at you!

Look at the interior: absolutely beautiful. To the touch it will be slightly sticky with a bit of an eggy smell to it.

And as you can see, one drop of food coloring was enough. 

And it pulls apart beautifully: it’s fluffy and light with a just-audible tearing sound.

Beautiful. But How Does it Taste? 

Very eggy for one, not like a bread at all, the mouthfeel being much more reminiscent of a fluffy omelet: very light and airy. But even though it contains sugar, the egg taste predominates when eaten warm.

And though the cloud bread looks something like blue cotton candy, it’s more bouncy and wet, and doesn’t melt away like cotton candy. Rather, it’s more substantial than that, though to call it a bread is a bit of a misnomer.  

It’s much more like a chiffon cake, or an angel food cake, or even a sponge cake than any bread. And it could definitely use a little bit of flavoring: a few drops of vanilla, say, would make it much more palatable. 

My advice would be to serve it fully cooled with some whipped cream and strawberries. But warm, it just tastes like a fluffy, sweetened omelet.

Or, if you wanted to use it as a bread, try baking a version which incorporates yogurt or cottage cheese.