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Low Carb Baking Tips

Following a low-carbohydrate diet can provide wonderful improvements to your health, allergies, energy and weight. However, these diets can be restrictive and extreme which makes people fall off the wagon. You might think that eating a low-carb diet and cutting out grains means that your days of eating cakes, muffins, bread and other delicious baked goods are over, but think again! Thanks to some wonderful food products on the market you don’t have to give up your favourite baked goods.

Here are some tips to help you bake healthy, low-carb treats.

Flours

Organic coconut flour is low-carb, gluten free alternative to conventional flour and it is a good source of fibre, protein and essential fats. Coconut flour can completely replace regular flour is many recipes and it’s high fibre content mean that it absorbs a lot of liquid and  this results in needing about 1/3 the amount of flour than most other flours.

Almond flour is popular low-carb flour which is made from ground almonds and is high in protein and fatty acids. It provides a wonderful nutty flavour to baked goods. 

Another healthy and tasty flour substitute is ground flaxseeds, which can be used the same way as conventional flour, in the same amounts. This is packed with healthy Omega 3 fatty acids and fibre.

Sweeteners

If you are adopting a low-carb lifestyle then ingredients like refined sugar, syrups, honey and agave nectar are out of the question. Natural sweeteners that do not raise the blood sugar significantly like xylitol and stevia are an excellent substitute for conventional sugar and sweeteners.

Another solution is to use natural, unsweetened apple sauce to replace sugar in baking. It is low in sugar and only needs to be used in small amounts.

Cocoa Powder

Organic cacao powder provides a delicious, rich chocolaty flavour to satisfy any chocoholic’s cravings. It can be used to make organic hot chocolate or used in baking to provide extra flavour. The acid in this powder actually helps baked goods to rise in a similar way to self-raising flour.

Binders

When baking with gluten free flours the ingredients might not bind together the way we are used to and we need a bit of extra help. Psyllium husks and Chia seeds are both helpful ingredients in this regards as they absorb moisture and thicken the mixture. They are also excellent sources of fibre.

Oils/Fats

When transitioning to a healthier lifestyle it is important to avoid cooking with refined vegetable oils as they become damaged and cause inflammation in the body when they go through processing and are exposed to heat. You can easily substitute these oils for organic, whole butter and organic coconut oil which are stable and won’t be damaged by heat.

Sources

http://www.livestrong.com/article/303384-low-carb-baking-flour-substitutes/