Category Archives: Breads

Appetizers, Breads, Desserts, Recipes

Versatility with French Madeleine Cakes

My friend Françoise , who is French, sent me her recipe for Madeleine Cakes a few weeks ago and I finally got around to adapting them to a low carb version. Magnifique! These are so delicious and rich-tasting, even with using low carb flour. They are wonderful right out of the oven, but equally good when warmed up for about 10 seconds per two in the microwave. I’ve also made a “cookie sandwich” with them and they work very well, except they try to slip off the filling.

But the recipe is more versatile than that. They can also be made in a savory version, so I’ve included that option below. Françoise’s original recipe called for Paris Ham, which is kind of like deli ham, and green olives. My adaptation still uses ham, but I’ve added bacon bits and bell peppers in lieu of the olives. I hope I haven’t committed sacrilege with the classic French recipe!

To make a “true” Madeleine cookie, you need to have the Madeleine pan, either a metal one or a silicone one.  You can find these in many stores that carry baking supplies and online at Amazon and other suppliers.  They have the shell shape and ridges that give the Madeleines their distinct look.  Françoise says that the temperatures are essential to getting the correct rise for the cookie.  I did lower the second temperature just a little for the low carb flours.

Classic Low Carb Madeleine Cookies

3 Eggs
1 Egg White
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar Substitite
1/2 cup CarbQuick or low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Melt butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a bowl. Set the butter aside.

Grate the lemon zest and get about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk together until foamy. Add the flours, whey powder and baking powder and mix together. Let rest a few minutes. If the batter is a little too thick, add a tablespoon of water. The coconut flour will absorb liquid.  Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix into the batter.

Use a silicon Madeleine cake pan to make it easier to release the cakes.

Fill the wells to 2/3 full, about 1 tablespoon, and smooth batter into the mold. Bake at 425 degrees for 4 minutes, then lower the temperature to 385 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pans.

Makes 24 cookie cakes

Nutrition Info per cookie:
Calories: 47.4  Fat: 3.9 g  Net Carbs 0.6 g  Protein: 1.9 g

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

And this is just something else you can do with the Madeleine cakes and low carb lemon curd. (Or any low carb jam, for that matter.)

8 Madeleine cakes
4 tablespoons Lemon Curd
4 tablespoons Cool Whip or Whipped Cream (optional)

Take two Madeleine cakes per serving. Place one on a serving plate, top down and spoon 1 tablespoon of lemon curd over the top, spreading smoothly. Top with the other Madeleine cake, shell design up and press into the lemon curd gently. Top with 1 tablespoon of Cool Whip or whipped cream.

Repeat with other cakes and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Ham and Peppers Madeleines

These are yummy as a snack or make great appetizers for a party. Try them with a little Ranch dressing or other low carb dressing as a dipping sauce. I added a ricotta cheese to my version to help the texture a little and add a bit more flavor.

3 large Eggs, fresh
3 tablespoons Liquid Egg White or 1 Egg White
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Ham, diced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, diced
2 tablespoons Bacon Bits,
1 teaspoon Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup Carbquick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Dice ham and sweet peppers and set aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave,

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and egg whites and beat with a whisk until they are creamy-looking, Add the ricotta cheese and whisk it in. Add the flours, salt, water and baking powder and stir in in well. The coconut flour will make the batter thicken, so add the water after its all mixed to thin the batter a little. Pour the butter around the edge of the bowl and gently mix into the batter. Stir in the ham, bacon, parsley and peppers.

In prepared Madeleine pans, spoon the batter into each of the wells to about 2/3 full. It is about 1 tablespoon of the batter.

Bake in 425 degree oven for 4 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 385 degrees and bake another 7 to 10 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Remove and let cool a few minutes, then turn them out on a pan and enjoy!

Makes 24 cakes.

Nutrition Info per cake
Calories: 60 Fat: 5.3 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 2.2 g

Breads, Product Review

Delicious Low Carb Rye Bread Is Possible

Product Review

I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review have asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.

My loaf of Dixie Carb Counters (aka Dixie Diner) low carb Rye Bread.

Dixie Carb Counters Rye Bread Mix

This bread mix caught my eye as I was placing a recent order on Netrition.com. I like rye bread and the idea of a low carb rye bread was instantly appealing. So I decided to order the mix and give it a try.

The package from Dixie Carb Counters is very appealing and sturdy, so it arrived with no damage and ready to go. In addition to the mix, you will need 1-1/4  cup of egg whites or 5 whole large or extra large eggs. I used the liquid egg whites in mine and it worked fine. You also need 1-1/2 sticks of melted salted butter, that’s 3/4 of a cup or 12 oz. for those who measure it out. And you need 1/3 cup water. You’ll use a 9”x5” standard size bread pan as this makes a full sized loaf.

From here, it’s easy. Just mix everything in a bowl and whisk until well blended, about 1 minute of mixing, then spread into the bread pan evenly and bake. It is really a snap making it.

Let it cool on a bread rack, then slice into 24 slices or cut it in half and freeze half for use later. Here’s where I had a bit of a problem. A 3/8” slice is really hard to cut without the bread crumbling a bit. It may be easier to slice it into 12 slices, then cut each of those in half. Or perhaps if it is partially frozen, it will cut easier.

The bottom line though is the flavor. This is a delicious rye bread. It’s a light rye, not like the dark deli bread. It would go great with corned beef or pastrami. The taste is really wonderful, especially for a low carb bread. If you’ve cut it into 24 even slices, each slice is 2 net carbs.

The price on this through Netrition is $7.95 for the mix to make one loaf. Add in the eggs and the butter and you’re about a $1.00 more into it, so it’s a $9.00 loaf of bread. But at least it’s a great tasting loaf for the price.

In summary: Great taste, easy to make, and worth the price if you are craving a rye bread. I give it 2 flour-covered thumbs up.

Breads, Recipes

Golden Yeast Rolls

I have been trying to get a really nice low carb yeast roll that rises up, looks great and tastes terrific.  I finally have one that makes me very proud!  It uses Carbquick low carb flour, which you can purchase through Amazon or Netrition.com.   Other flours you could use are Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix, which might be at your grocery store, although it is higher in carbs.  Also LC Foods makes several flours, including one for breads.

I also used a plain whey protein powder  and an egg white powder to add to the texture and lift.  They are not required, but helpful if you have them.  If you don’t use the optional items, then add the equivalent amount of Carbquick.

Golden Yeast Rolls

3/4 cup Carbquick
1 tablespoon Wheat Germ
1 tablespoon Oat Fiber (optional)
1 tablespoon Plain Whey Powder (optional)
1 tablespoon Egg White Powder (optional)
3 Eggs
1 packet Quick Rising Yeast
1/4 cup warm Water
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute

Put warm water in a small recipe bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top to soften and let sit about 5 minutes. Stir.

Mix dry ingredient together. Add wet ingredients, including the yeast and mix well. Stir to incorporate all the flour into the batter and make a thick dough. Set in a warm place and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise 30 minutes. Stir down.

Prepare cupcake molds by spraying with cooking spray. Spoon batter into molds, dividing evenly. Put pan in warm place and cover. Let it rise 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 365 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.

Makes 6 rolls.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 80.4 Fat: 4.9 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 6.7 g

Breads, Recipes

Peanutty Chocolate Chip Scones For Tea Time

Scones are a great breakfast or tea time treat.  The American scone has taken a few turns from the classic English scone and is made in a variety of ways with fruits, nuts and more like a biscuit at times.   I like experimenting with the various ways you can make these and still be low carb.  One of the flours available at health food stores and online is peanut flour.   Unlike some of the other nut flours, peanuts really retain the peanut taste when used in baking.  So it isn’t as versatile as almond flour for general baking, but it is terrific when you want the peanut taste, as in these scones that get a bit of a peanut butter flavor without any peanut butter in them.  For the sugar free chocolate chips, I used Sensato Mini-Chocolate Chips, but you could also use Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips, which I usually find at Wal-Mart.

Peanutty Chocolate Chip Scones

1 cup Carbquick or Almond Flour
1 cup Peanut Flour
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 tablespoon softened Butter
1/3 to 1/2 cup Buttermilk or Heavy Cream
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup chopped Peanuts
1/2 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 435 degrees (F.)

In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Add in peanuts and chocolate chips and mix into the dough. The dough should be stiff and a little sticky, but not wet. Use your clean hands to mix the dough if necessary.

Prepare a baking sheet by spray it with cooking spray. Turn the dough into the center of the pan and press and shape it into an 8 inch circle. If it tries to stick to your fingers, wet your hand. Score the dough into 8 pieces (scored into quarters, then each quarter scored in half) but don’t cut all the way through.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the scone loaf is golden brown. Let cool a few minutes, then slice on the scored lines. Serve warm with clotted cream or butter or with jelly or jam. Delicious afternoon tea break!

Makes 8 scones.

Nutrition Info: Per scone
Calories: 155  Fat: 8.9 g  Net Carbs: 4.5 g  Protein: 7.7 g

Breads, Recipes

Wheat Germ & Flax Bread Round

Steak sandwich using wheat germ and flax round for base.

A simple bread to make that is non-yeast and made with low carb flour options is this tasty flax bread.  I use CarbQuick for most of my baking, but you can also use Bob’s Red Mill or LC Foods baking mix or any of the flour options from LC Foods. Or you can avoid the flour substitute altogether and use a combination of almond flour, coconut flour or other nut flour with the flax meal. In fact, you can make it with just the flax meal for the flour options. It is much nuttier in flavor and flax is loaded with fiber, so it may affect your digestive system a bit.  Some people do not react well with flax, so you might want to ease into it sparingly if you haven’t tried it before.

Wheat Germ and Flax Bread Round

1 large Egg
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Onions, dehydrated flakes
1/2 cup Carbquick
1/4 cup flax meal, ground
1 tablespoon Wheat Germ
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F. Prepare baking sheet and three 3″ cake molds or rings. (You can use tuna cans with both ends cut out for rings.) If using rings, cut parchment paper to fit the baking sheet or use a silicone mold. Spray with baking spray. If using 3″ round cake molds, spray the molds with baking spray.

In a mixing bowl, combine flours, salt and baking powder. Add Coconut oil, onion flakes and egg and mix well to make sure all the flour is moistened. Add a little water if you need more moisture.

Spoon evenly into three molds or rings and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon dipped in water.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. The bread should be lightly browned and firm. Let cool a few minutes before eating.

This roll can be completely cooled, sliced and used for sandwiches and it toasts well.

Nutrition Information for 1 roll:
Calories: 242.6 Fat: 21.4 g Net Carbs: 2.4 g Protein: 7.8 g

Posted on 9/26/2013