LOW CARB BAKING TIPS

Sweeteners
Please see our in-store flyer for information on the different sugar alcohols if you are unsure as to which sweeteners may be best for you. My favorite is either an erythritol/stevia combo or a blend of erythritol and Sweet Perfection (inulin, which is a prebiotic fiber) when I need more bulk.
Stevia is a great natural sweetener and is not a sugar alcohol. It doesn’t hold up well to high heat, however, so it’s not a great choice to use as by itself in baking. If blended with a sugar alcohol such as erythritol or xylitol, it works great and combining multiple sweeteners helps get rid of undesirable after tastes.

Agave is not a good choice for low carbers or diabetics, regardless of what the marketing campaigns that target diabetics try to tell you. Some people can process it just fine, but the fructose level is quite high (50-90% depending on processing) and can cause significant blood glucose spikes. A much better alternative is raw coconut crystals or raw coconut nectar (1.5% fructose) if you want to avoid sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners. The average glycemic index for raw coconut nectar is 35 compared to sugar at 60. Erythritol and stevia both have a glycemic impact of zero, which is one of the reasons they’re my faves. 

 
Flours
Coconut flour is a wonderful addition to a low-carb baking arsenal. Not only is it low in carbs and high in fiber, but coconut is considered a super food for a whole host of benefits it provides.  Two of the biggies are its natural anti-fungal properties and its ability to ramp up the metabolism. I use coconut in all its glorious forms all the time…. Coconut oil in place of butter or other oils, for example. The flour is a little tricky to work with and can’t be substituted cup for cup for other flours in recipes. It requires the use of a lot of eggs for leavening. The fiber in the flour soaks up liquids like crazy, so a little coconut flour goes a long way – you only use ¾ cup for a large loaf of bread, for instance. Don’t try to adapt your own recipes until you have tried several specifically designed for coconut flour. I use Dr. Bruce Fife’s book, Cooking with Coconut Flour all the time and just substitute the sweeteners. Until I got that book for guidance, I made many hockey pucks.

Almond flour is a low carbers best friend. It’s simply almonds that have been finely ground into a meal that can be used as flour for a whole myriad of applications. Almonds have an outstanding nutritional profile and are very filling. There are lots of recipes available online and all the ones I’ve tried from Elana Amsterdam’s book, The Gluten-Free Almond-Flour Cookbook have been fabulous. I just substitute the sweeteners and usually use coconut oil or butter in place of the grapeseed oil she prefers. I have nothing against grapeseed oil, I just love, love, love, coconut oil.

Commercial baking mixes such as Carbquick, Atkins Bake Mix, and Bob’s Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix can be substituted for flour (cup for cup) in most recipes. Since they are usually high in fiber, the liquids may need to be adjusted a bit, but they’re pretty easy to work with. Carbquick can also be used just like Bisquick to make “impossible pies” and whatever else you’d typically do with Bisquick.

Protein powders  - There are recipes all over the web using whey or soy protein powders as a flour. Dana Carpender includes them in many of her recipes for baked goods in her cookbooks. 

Flax meal (ground flax seeds) is a nutrition power house that can also be used as a flour. Most recipes don’t use flax as the exclusive flour, but I’ve had some seriously delicious muffins and breads that were developed that way. Oh, and Miracle Brownies… need I say more? I don’t want to infringe on the recipe author’s copyrights by printing and distributing, but you can check it out for yourself here:  http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/miraclebrownies.htm

There are countless other ‘flours’ that can be used, but these are the heavy hitters. All of the above are also gluten-free EXCEPT the bake mixes – those are loaded with extra gluten.

Storage
Sugar is a natural preservative, so when baking without sugar and its preservative properties, I would suggest storing leftovers in the fridge or freezer within 24 hours.

Any questions? Just ask and we will do our best to help. Tips are always welcome as well.
info@smarteatsusa.com
425-338-1300