Bulk ingredient for keto/low carb flour substitute mix with gluten
Minimising one's intake of carbohydrates tends to deprive one of some rather lovely culinary items such as pasta and bread, because grains contain a lot of carbohydrates thanks to the high amount of starch in them. Typical substitutes are non-grain flours such as almond flour or coconut flour, but those come with their own problems - a distinctive taste (especially for coconut), a crumbly texture and they're around 20 times as expensive.
Since I can happily eat gluten and gluten is not just apparently the key to the typical texture of wheat-based dough products but also a protein with rather low carb content, I decided to try and make a flour substitute mix that I can use more or less like wheat flour with the help of vital gluten. However, I am unsure about just using pure gluten as a flour substitute - partially because there's a lot of claims about its inflammatory properties even for non-coeliac/intolerant people and partially because I sort of just assume there's a reason nobody seems to be doing it.
Because of that I wanted to ask whether there was an easily available, halfway affordable and low-carb (let's say under 8%) edible substance that I can use as a bulk base for my flour substitute which doesn't have weird reactions when used in baking or noodle making and isn't too far off in terms of taste (as a scale: I can tolerate almond flour, but coconut flour is too much for me outside of cake). I'm considering adding some psyllium husk to jack up the fibre content, but I don't think it's suited for this purpose. Advice as to the ratio for mixing is also appreciated.
Best Answer
Konjac flour, which consists mainly glucomannan gum, is a natural low-carb bulking ingredient. I have never used it in baking, but I ate noodles made of it. It does have its taste though, so you should probably try eating some shirataki noodles before ordering and baking with this flour to know if you can tolerate the taste.
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Which keto flour is closest to all purpose flour?
Almond flour Almond flour is probably the most widely used keto flour substitute. It's made simply from crushed almonds and is extremely low in carbs, containing only 3 grams of total carbs and 1 gram of net carbs per 2-tablespoon (14-gram) serving ( 3 ).Can I add vital wheat gluten to almond flour?
Almond flour can get spendy even if it's made at home like mine is. Combining almond flour with less expensive low carb flour it makes the almond flour last longer and saves money in the long run. My favorite combination is almond flour, pumpkin seed or oat flour and vital wheat gluten.Which gluten free flour is lowest in carbs?
The most commonly used flour which is the lowest in carbs is coconut flour. Note: Psyllium has the lowest carbs, however, psyllium is generally not used to bake entire cakes or cookies, it's used in smaller quantities to add bulk, fiber, and elasticity.How do you make low-carb flour regular?
For example, 1 cup of vital wheat gluten, 1/2 cup of wheat flour, 1/2 cup of whey protein concentrate and 1 cup of a bulk ingredient yields about 3 cups of low-carb flour, or enough to make one loaf of bread.Keto Flours 101 | Low-Carb Baking Science
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Answer 2
I have read that flaxseed meal helps in baking. I use a combination of almond meal, coconut flour and baking powder with mct oil & eggs to make keto bread, it works really well toasted or fried as a carrier for cheese or eggs, or anything savoury. Slendier have some nice soy, edamame and black bean pastas if you are looking for a wheat substitute. Hope this helps.
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