Let's learn how to bake/cook keto.

[Kopiert]

I use Erythritol because it doesn't cause blood sugar spikes or insulin response. It does not have calories or apparently any nasty side-effects.

Google it. I personally don't get an after-taste either.

Thank you I will have a look

 

[Leadinglights]

Thank you I will have a look

The Canderel web site has lots of different sweeteners with an explanation of what they are suitable for. Some people find those ending in OL like erythritol if used in excess can cause a dodgy stomach. I made a rhubarb crumble and put some both in the fruit and in the crumble and wondered why I had a bit of a stomach issue the next day. Then I read that it could be a problem.

 

[rebrascora]

I think artificial sweeteners come down to personal taste but using the absolute minimum you need to is wise and not using them too frequently. I have bought lots of different types since I was diagnosed nearly 3 years ago and have jars and pots and dispensers of all of them. I also bought some of those Skinny Syrups which are absolutely vile to me. In general the ones ending in ol have a horrid aftertaste for me and saccharin seems to be the least offensive to my taste buds but I use them very very seldom and I have actively discouraged my sweet tooth by mostly avoiding sweet foods and focusing on savoury. I am now much more sensitive to sweetness and I am coming to the conclusion that I would rather have a spoonful of brown sugar or honey on the very odd occasion that I need a little sweetness added to something, than use these manufactured synthetic products. I think the craving for sweetness is part of the problem with our modern diet and curing that craving by changing our tastes is part of the solution rather than eating chemicals to satisfy it. Just my thoughts.
It will take me the rest of my lifetime to use up the sweeteners that I have in my cupboards because I can go weeks without any now and I was a sugar addict pre diagnosis and had a sweet tooth all my life.

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

Good morning

I am really interested in cooking for a low carb diet, particularly with Christmas coming up!

My area of confusion is when you say sweetener. What sweeteners do you recommend. When I was first diagnosed I used Stevia to transition away from sugar, but the tiniest amount made everything sort of sweet with an after taste - is that what you are referring to?


Nick

I have done quite a lot of digging up all sorts of info on sweeteners over the last few years in the search for something that provides the taste without causing harm and my current thinking is thus:

Erythritol is the safest and easiest swap with some provisos. It has zero carbs and zero calories and has been used for a long time and very widely with no evidence I can find of any serious negative issues with it. There can be an after taste or mouth cooling effect but this can be avoided when one knows what causes the cooling effect. The cooling effect (which is a bit like the minty fresh cool mouth feel you get with some chewing gums or toothpastes) is caused by the erythritol dissolving on the tongue. So if you can avoid that happening you can avoid the cooling effect. This is why using erythritol in baking with eggs and fat and keto-friendly flour ingredients (like ground almonds/almond flour and coconut flour) tends to result in lovely cakes that have no cooling effect because the erythritol has completely dissolved in the liquid of the eggs and fat and other added liquid like cream or water and then been bound in the dissolved state by the protein in the eggs and so when the cake is baked the erythritol is not in its crystal form and so does not dissolve on your tongue.

This is also why erythritol is fine in tea and coffee or sauces as long as you completely dissolve it before it gets into your mouth. It can also be used in butter cream icing as long as you use powdered erythritol and dissolve it in any flavouring with a touch of water and then mix it with melted butter and a pinch of xanthan gum and then whisk it until it cools into the creamy texture you want. The liquids dissolve the erythritol and then the xanthan gum keeps it held that way in the buttercream and then you avoid the mouth cooling effect. I have not yet found a way to use it as actual icing sugar as icing sugar dries out and crystalises and then you get the crystals back and the mouth cooling happens again - which is okay as long as you use it with a peppermint flavour but doesn't work well with other flavours so well.
I buy it in its granulated, powdered and brown sugar versions. The brown sugar version has a very tiny amount of caramel mixed in so I use it sparingly.

I don't like Xylitol - personally I avoid this one because it does have calories and carbs although it is much lower than actual sugar and it is dangerous for pets especially dogs.

I avoid Sucralose - it turns up a lot in processed foods and zero carb/no sugar products and is the main sweetener in Skinny syrups. I used them before I learned better but then I found out that sucralose can form nasty substances when heated to high temperatures and it also has a few problematic effects even when not heated. I won't panic about it popping up now and then if I have to eat something outside the home but I won't use it myself any more and if I can avoid it I do.

Aspartame and Acesulfame K - For me these are a complete no-no - if you do a search or look on Wikipedia you will quickly find out why. I won't eat any products that contain these.

I use Allulose where erythritol is not great - it works like sugar and caramelises and also works in ice cream and in recipes where the sugar substitute will crystalise. I can use it for small amounts of icing sugar on cupcakes and I use it to make toffee and caramel sauce. Allulose is relatively new and has not yet gone through the approval process in the EU and so is not yet available for sale in Europe or the UK. I buy mine from the US.

I use Monk Fruit drops - again ordered from the US. I use them together with other sweeteners as a drop will increase sweetness but they are no use where I need the structural properties of a sugar substitute when baking.

My best discovery this year is that frozen cranberries from Tesco have only around 2-3g carbs per 100g and if you heat them up in the microwave until they pop (or do it in a pan) and mix erythritol in with them until it dissolves then the cranberries gel on cooling and you get an amazing yummy very very low carb fruity jam/sauce/jelly and you can play around with other spices and additions to make some gorgeous Christmas recipes.

 

[Mrs Mimoo]

Chicken pot pie (with a very lazy fathead type dough top) and seriously good lemon tart.

View attachment 15973View attachment 15974
Chicken pot pie was from Sugar Free Londoner but I didn’t meltthe cheese in the fathead dough but just set the mixer at it for ages. Much quicker and just as tasty.

Can’t remember where and lemon tart came from will post the recipe anyway.
worth noting I didn’t conventionally blind bake the pastry but used the Delia method instead. Just prick the bottom of the tart case with a fork all over, egg wash, bake. Works just fine and saves all the faff worth baking beans etc.
Also the nutrition details are off as I’ll get at least 16 slices out of this.
Custard took far longer to cook than the recipe suggests but that may be my oven. I ended up tenting the whole thing so as to stop any colouration of the filling but it was baked for about 45 mins.

https://sugarfreelondoner.com/wprm_print/14224

KETO LEMON TART
NUTRITION INFO
[ Total Servings = 12 ]


Per serving ;


Total Carb = 3.8 g


Dietary Fiber = 1.6 g


Net Carb = 2.2 g


Calories = 177


Total Fat = 16.4 g


Protein = 5.6 g





INGREDIENTS


FOR CRUST


Almond Flour = 180 g / 1 1/2 cup


Unsalted Cold Butter (cubed) = 60 g / 1/4 cup


Lakanto Powdered Sweetener = 30 g / 1/4 cup (OR any keto friendly sweetener)


Whole egg = 1 large


Salt = 1/2 tsp





FOR FILLING


Lakanto Powdered Sweetener = 125 g / 1 cup


Whole Eggs = 2 large


Egg Yolks = 3 large


Salt = 1/4 tsp


Whipping Cream = 120 ml / 1/2 cup


Fresh Lemon Juice = 120 ml / 1/2 cup


Zest from 2 lemons





DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl or food processor, add the almond flour, powdered sweetener, salt and mix until well combined.

2. Add the cold cubed butter and use either food processor, pastry blender or hand to mash the butter until small pieces. It's done when the mixture looks like crumbles.





3. Add the egg and mix until a dough is formed.


4. Place the dough onto a greased 8" non-stick pie pan with a removable bottom. Spread evenly with hands until the entire pan is covered. Prick some holes with a fork.





5. Chill the dough for 15 mins.





6. Once the dough is chilled, do a blind bake. Cover the dough with a parchment paper and fill with anything suitable to weigh down the dough.





7. Bake at 350F or 180C for about 10 to 15 mins. Then remove the weights and paper and make a tent foil to cover the pan to prevent over browning. Then bake for another 10 to 15 mins until lightly browned.





8. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a bowl, add the sweetener, eggs, egg yolks, salt and whisk until well combined.





9. Add the lemon juice, zest and whisk until well combined.





10. Add the whipping cream and whisk until well combined.





11. When the crust is ready, pour the filling onto the crust.





12. Bake at a lower heat at 300F or 150C for about 20 mins or just until the filling is set. You can touch the filling and if it feels set or firm, then it is ready. Do not overbake as it will cause browning on the top of filling.





13. After baking, remove the foil and let it cool to room temperature. Then chill for at least 1 hour before slicing.





14. The lemon tart can be refrigerated up to a week and it tastes so refreshing and delicious when chilled.

wow that looks amazing. when i get to maintenance weight I am going to cook these.

 

[Anbemcc]

wow that looks amazing. when i get to maintenance weight I am going to cook these.

Try looking on you tube keto Fitness Club, amazing low carb recepies

 

[ColinUK]

Baked a simple seeded loaf the other day…

350g assorted seeds
1 tsp baking powder
Roughly 150g almond flour (although I use ground almonds)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 or 5 eggs (I hold one white back and whip that before folding it through the dough when it’s done)
Salt
Pepper

Mix the whole lot together and either whack it into a loaf tin or if it’s stiff enough just shape and bake on a baking sheet for about 40 mins at 170.

 

[ColinUK]

And this morning I baked a lower carb version of Nigella’s Clementine cake

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/clementine-cake.

It already used almond flour rather than wheat so I just switched the sugar for a brown erythritol and stevia mix (I use BrownShuga because I like that little caramel note it gives).

I was making a smaller cake than her recipe does so used 3/4 weight for everything.

Cooked the clementines in the pressure cooker for 20 mins on high before blitzing them and it worked beautifully.

Next time I think I’ll use the full weight of clementines with 3/4 off everything else though. And I’ll remember to grease and line the baking tin!

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

And this morning I baked a lower carb version of Nigella’s Clementine cake

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/clementine-cake.

It already used almond flour rather than wheat so I just switched the sugar for a brown erythritol and stevia mix (I use BrownShuga because I like that little caramel note it gives).

I was making a smaller cake than her recipe does so used 3/4 weight for everything.

Cooked the clementines in the pressure cooker for 20 mins on high before blitzing them and it worked beautifully.

Next time I think I’ll use the full weight of clementines with 3/4 off everything else though. And I’ll remember to grease and line the baking tin!

View attachment 19770

I made this one last year and was very happy with it. I used all the same measurements as Nigella and just swapped the sugar out for a mix of erythritol gold and white erythritol from NKD and I used less than a one to one swap because I prefer a less sweet cake and it was brilliant. I microwaved the clementines too.
This is how mine turned out.

 

[ColinUK]

I made this one last year and was very happy with it. I used all the same measurements as Nigella and just swapped the sugar out for a mix of erythritol gold and white erythritol from NKD and I used less than a one to one swap because I prefer a less sweet cake and it was brilliant. I microwaved the clementines too.
This is how mine turned out.

I don’t have a microwave!

Might add some chocolate into the mix next time I make it and up the clementine content a bit.

I’ll snap a pic of what’s left later 🙂

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

I don’t have a microwave!

Might add some chocolate into the mix next time I make it and up the clementine content a bit.

I’ll snap a pic of what’s left later 🙂

That sounds like a good plan. Chocolate always improves things. Sort of like a chocolate orange cake! Yum.

 

[ColinUK]

That sounds like a good plan. Chocolate always improves things. Sort of like a chocolate orange cake! Yum.

Kinda like a Jaffa cake cake.
Could always top it with 80% chocolate just to boost the goodness!

 

[NotWorriedAtAll]

Kinda like a Jaffa cake cake.
Could always top it with 80% chocolate just to boost the goodness!

You could make the orange jelly stuff with gelatine and orange oil and a little juice from the fruit and the sweetener you prefer!

 

[ColinUK]

You could make the orange jelly stuff with gelatine and orange oil and a little juice from the fruit and the sweetener you prefer!

Or just slather it in marmalade!

 

[Jacinta (Australian)]

Oo yum View attachment 15979

Glad to hear your breads turned out better on subsequent goes. I am off to look up the pot pie recipe now.

Hey notworriedatall, could you please do a video for how to make cloud bread please , I have no idea how to make it and I’m confused . Please and thankyou

 

[AnnSebastian]

Instead of me just sprinkling keto recipes and pictures all over the forum - though I will probably do that too - how about we have a thread here and I share stuff here and maybe you try some of the recipes and share your results and any ideas/tips/feedback and that way we all learn more and it makes it all more achievable and somewhere people can pop along for some encouragement and inspiration?

I'll start with the basic first keto recipe I started with and which I still use a LOT and which can be modified into cakes etc and is quick and easy in the microwave.

Microwave keto bread. (for those without a microwave - 200C standard oven/170C fan for about 15 mins)
1 portion - takes about five minutes from start to finish.
1/4 cup of almond flour (65g)
1 tablespoon of melted salted butter (15g) - 1 tablespoon of unmelted butter then melted. I use a small ceramic bowl for this step.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon psyllium husk
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutritional yeast (you can leave this out it is just for flavour)
1/4 teaspoon of coconut flour (again just for flavour and can be left out)
tiny pinch of salt - very tiny again for flavour.
1 medium egg.

First melt the butter in the microwave - I have 900w and I do it for 30 seconds on full and then leave it while I get on with the next stuff.
Put the almond flour and all the other dried stuff together in small bowl and mix it carefully with a fork until you can't see any separate powders. No yellow from the yeast and no white from the baking powder - it is all one mixture then crack the egg into the melted butter and beat with a fork until you get a custard yellow mixture.
Then make a little hole in the flour mixture and pour the egg mixture into that and then mix it together with the fork until you get a nice 'puffy' mixture/light dough.
Scrape the mixture into a small square glass container - you can use a round one but it needs to be flat bottomed if you want slices for a sandwich.
Put into the microwave and cook on full for 90 seconds - if it hasn't puffed up much you can put it back in for another 10s.
Then tip it out onto a mesh surface to cool. Once it is cool enough to hold in your hands - very carefully using a bread knife - slice it through the middle to make 2 slices.

These days I crack the egg into a silicone cake mold and mix everything in there and then put it in the microwave and I don't always bother with the butter nor the psyllium husk and I add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum if I want a nicely risen sponge mixture - I tend not to use this for bread any more since I started making proper loaves in the bread machine. But this is a good basis for cakes and is very forgiving and I can make a great syrup sponge pudding that is indistinguishable from the ones you get in a plastic tub to microwave. Also it makes excellent chocolate cup cakes and a Victoria Sponge but I double the recipe and sometimes add double cream and other stuff. It is a great recipe to play with because it is so fast so you can take a chance on it and gain confidence.

If you make the bread version you can then use that as a base for stuffing to have with roast poultry or you can use it to make bread sauce very successfully or you can slice it up and use it in a bread and butter pudding.

Hello
T2 for 15 + (ish) years. I’m finding my way around diabetes uk. Your ‘keto’ posts look interesting. I started using the Libre sensor recently and have renewed motivation to eat low-carb. Not quite ready for 100% keto yet - but maybe further down the line.
I was going to follow you but couldn’t.

 

[Windy]

My first attempt at lowish carb bread rolls (I don't think they're keto, but I didn't have any oat fibre, so substituted oat bran).
I adapted "Deidre's low carb bread", a recipe I found on youtube, added a tablespoon of seeds and one of milk powder and converted the measures to grams from cup measurements, then halved the quantity. Original recipe called for sweetener, I ignored that.

Makes 6 rolls
120ml warm water
Egg, slightly beaten
42g Ground Golden flax meal
40g oat bran
75g Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Tbsp butter 14g
Tablespoon mixed omega seeds
1.25g psyllium husk
Honey, 1 teaspoon
½ Tbsp. Yeast
pinch salt
Full fat milk powder (Nido) 10g
Add everything to the bread maker.
Put bread maker on dough setting.
When the dough is made, split into 6 equal parts.
Form into a ball (use wheat gluten as flour so it doesn't stick to your hands) and leave in a warm place until the buns have doubled in size.
Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 for 10 minutes, or until they are cooked. If you tap them, they should sound hollow when they're done.
Cool on a wire rack.

157 calories per roll, 10.6g carbs.
If you make them with oat fibre (instead of oat bran), it's 145 cals, 7.5g carbs, but I didn't have any.
The honey is there to feed the yeast. I don't know how much of the sugar in it would be left in the rolls at the end.

***They're based on vital wheat gluten, so definitely not suitable for people with gluten intolerence or celiacs***

The look, feel and taste like a slightly heavier wheat roll, and smelled lovely when they were cooking.

Veggie bacon and brown sauce cob for me for breakfast tomorrow.

 

[AnnSebastian]

My daughter is into keto. She made bread with something called ‘lupin flour’ I said I’d give it a try. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

 

[AnnSebastian]

My first attempt at lowish carb bread rolls (I don't think they're keto, but I didn't have any oat fibre, so substituted oat bran).
I adapted "Deidre's low carb bread", a recipe I found on youtube, added a tablespoon of seeds and one of milk powder and converted the measures to grams from cup measurements, then halved the quantity. Original recipe called for sweetener, I ignored that.

Makes 6 rolls
120ml warm water
Egg, slightly beaten
42g Ground Golden flax meal
40g oat bran
75g Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Tbsp butter 14g
Tablespoon mixed omega seeds
1.25g psyllium husk
Honey, 1 teaspoon
½ Tbsp. Yeast
pinch salt
Full fat milk powder (Nido) 10g
Add everything to the bread maker.
Put bread maker on dough setting.
When the dough is made, split into 6 equal parts.
Form into a ball (use wheat gluten as flour so it doesn't stick to your hands) and leave in a warm place until the buns have doubled in size.
Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 for 10 minutes, or until they are cooked. If you tap them, they should sound hollow when they're done.
Cool on a wire rack.

157 calories per roll, 10.6g carbs.
If you make them with oat fibre (instead of oat bran), it's 145 cals, 7.5g carbs, but I didn't have any.
The honey is there to feed the yeast. I don't know how much of the sugar in it would be left in the rolls at the end.

***They're based on vital wheat gluten, so definitely not suitable for people with gluten intolerence or celiacs***

The look, feel and taste like a slightly heavier wheat roll, and smelled lovely when they were cooking.

Veggie bacon and brown sauce cob for me for breakfast tomorrow.

Did you say 800 calories a day, every day? for 12 weeks? Wow!

 

[AnnSebastian]

Instead of me just sprinkling keto recipes and pictures all over the forum - though I will probably do that too - how about we have a thread here and I share stuff here and maybe you try some of the recipes and share your results and any ideas/tips/feedback and that way we all learn more and it makes it all more achievable and somewhere people can pop along for some encouragement and inspiration?

I'll start with the basic first keto recipe I started with and which I still use a LOT and which can be modified into cakes etc and is quick and easy in the microwave.

Microwave keto bread. (for those without a microwave - 200C standard oven/170C fan for about 15 mins)
1 portion - takes about five minutes from start to finish.
1/4 cup of almond flour (65g)
1 tablespoon of melted salted butter (15g) - 1 tablespoon of unmelted butter then melted. I use a small ceramic bowl for this step.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
1 teaspoon psyllium husk
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutritional yeast (you can leave this out it is just for flavour)
1/4 teaspoon of coconut flour (again just for flavour and can be left out)
tiny pinch of salt - very tiny again for flavour.
1 medium egg.

First melt the butter in the microwave - I have 900w and I do it for 30 seconds on full and then leave it while I get on with the next stuff.
Put the almond flour and all the other dried stuff together in small bowl and mix it carefully with a fork until you can't see any separate powders. No yellow from the yeast and no white from the baking powder - it is all one mixture then crack the egg into the melted butter and beat with a fork until you get a custard yellow mixture.
Then make a little hole in the flour mixture and pour the egg mixture into that and then mix it together with the fork until you get a nice 'puffy' mixture/light dough.
Scrape the mixture into a small square glass container - you can use a round one but it needs to be flat bottomed if you want slices for a sandwich.
Put into the microwave and cook on full for 90 seconds - if it hasn't puffed up much you can put it back in for another 10s.
Then tip it out onto a mesh surface to cool. Once it is cool enough to hold in your hands - very carefully using a bread knife - slice it through the middle to make 2 slices.

These days I crack the egg into a silicone cake mold and mix everything in there and then put it in the microwave and I don't always bother with the butter nor the psyllium husk and I add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum if I want a nicely risen sponge mixture - I tend not to use this for bread any more since I started making proper loaves in the bread machine. But this is a good basis for cakes and is very forgiving and I can make a great syrup sponge pudding that is indistinguishable from the ones you get in a plastic tub to microwave. Also it makes excellent chocolate cup cakes and a Victoria Sponge but I double the recipe and sometimes add double cream and other stuff. It is a great recipe to play with because it is so fast so you can take a chance on it and gain confidence.

If you make the bread version you can then use that as a base for stuffing to have with roast poultry or you can use it to make bread sauce very successfully or you can slice it up and use it in a bread and butter pudding.

Sounds like a plan.
I haven’t found my way around this website yet - what do I need to search for to find you?