Category Archives: Breads

Breads, Recipes

Cream Cheese Bread checks out

Photo: Cream Cheese Bread from Coconut Flour

Recently, a photo with the ingredients for a cream cheese bread loaf was posted, but it lacked mixing instructions, and the carbohydrate information on it was way off since it claimed it had only 6 carbs in the whole loaf. Nonetheless, the recipe is valid, and the slices are pretty low in carbs. So, I decided to give it a try and let everyone know how it works.

First, I cut the recipe in half and made about three-quarters of a small loaf pan. From that, I can deduce that the full recipe below won’t make a large loaf of bread. The one I made is about 2 to 2-1/2 inch tall and about three inches across. It looks great in the photos. I also made it two ways– once with coconut flour and once with almond flour. I added 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar substitute to the recipe.

Both of them work pretty well although the almond flour needs to be adjusted to replace the coconut flour since the latter expands by two to three times in the liquid ingredients. Both of them taste pretty good. The coconut one is a little sweeter, but the coarseness of the flour comes through. The almond flour one is less sweet and lends itself to a more conventional bread. For my own use, I would pair the coconut flour version with fruit or make it into a fruit bread. The almond flour could stand up to adding herbs in it and pairing it with meat and cheese. I will be experimenting more with this recipe and will let you know if I come up with something wonderful.

Both are close to the same carb count per slice and both are fairly sturdy bread that can be thinly sliced if needed. A full loaf would make about 10 slices of 3/8″ thick slices The carb count is based on 10 slices.

Photo: Almond Flour Cream Cheese Bread
A 3/4 loaf of almond flour cream cheese bread.

Cream Cheese Bread Loaf

8 ounces Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Butter
1 tablespoon granulated Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
8 large Eggs
6 tablespoons Coconut Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and long sides of a small loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and sugar and cream together using a mixer until smooth.

Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs and mix until combined.

Add the flour and baking powder and mix together thoroughly. Wipe the sides with a spatula to get all the mix blended together.

Spray the parchment-lined baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter mix into the pan and smooth.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then run a knife around any edge touching the pan and lift the loaf out using the overlapped parchment paper, then slide it onto a serving plate.

Makes about ten slices.

For the almond flour version, add 1-1/4 cup Almond Flour to replace the 6 tablespoons of Coconut Flour. I used a less processed almond flour, but the higher quality ones will yield a finer grained bread.

Taste test with both the coconut flour (left) and almond flour (right) slices smeared with butter. The almond flour is a little taller.

Nutrition Coconut flour

Breads, Desserts, Recipes

Goes with Coffee: Apple and Pecan Muffins with Streusel

Photo: Apple Muffins

I had an apple that needed using so I decided to try this delicious-sounding recipe from AllRecipes.com user NMARIEA, but I adapted it to a low carb version. The result is delectable, especially when heated up before eating. It works well for a quick breakfast and also for a light dessert.

I put a light streusel topping made with almond flour and brown sugar mix on top, just enough to give it a little sweetness. For the flour, I used a combination of different brands, such as Carbolose, Bakesquick, and Carbquick in it. Each one has a different texture and taste so together, you get a nice mixture.

Apple and Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

1 cup Low Carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup white Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 teaspoon Vanilla or Almond Extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped Apples
1/3 cup Pecans pieces

Topping
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Almond Flour
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon Butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Prepare 10 muffin tins by spraying them with cooking spray or put paper liners and spray those.

In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar substitute and mix together until creamy. Add the egg, egg white, vanilla or almond extract and cinnamon. Mix until combined.

In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Mix into the butter and egg in small batches until combined. This will be a fairly stiff dough. Stir in the apples and pecans.

Put about two tablespoons of the dough in each muffin cup. Because of the apples, they will nearly fill the cup.

In a small bowl, put in the brown sugar substitute (I used the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, or you could use Sweet Brown from LC Foods and add a little more butter.) Add butter and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut together until it is crumbly. Sprinkle a little over the top of each muffin.

Bake 11 to 14 minutes. Use a toothpick to test if they are done. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

Makes ten average-sized muffins.

Breads, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Low Carb, for real, tortillas

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Photo: flax tortillas with filling

Because this recipe for flax meal tortilla wraps seems so incredibly simple, I had to try it. As I’ve been experimenting with various ways to make a suitable substitute for a corn tortilla, which is too high in carbohydrates, I hadn’t found one that worked well for me until now.

This does not taste exactly like a corn tortilla, but it is close enough to satisfy my taste buds. It looks like one, acts like one, and even works in my tortilla press although it did want to stick to the waxed paper. If you want to push it a little more, you could add one tablespoon of corn meal in place of one tablespoon flax meal. This would add 7.7 carbs to the recipe or 1.9 carbs per tortilla.

As of yet, I haven’t tried to fry it after cooking it, but I will get to that soon and update this post on how well this works.

The recipe is a keto one. I found it at ketovale.com. I made an adjustment to suit my seasoning tastes, but it is basically the same.

photo: flat flax tortilla

Flax Meal Tortillas

1 cup golden Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup boiling Water
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice
1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, mix flax seed meal, salt, and the spices. Add the boiling water and stir until the flax pulls together into a ball. If it is too dry, add another tablespoon of boiling water. Make sure all the flax is mixed in. It will absorb the water. Form into a ball and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

If you have a tortilla press, place wax paper or parchment paper, sprayed with cooking spray, on the bottom of the press. Divide the dough into four equal-sized balls. Place one in the middle of the tortilla press, place another sheet of waxed paper or oiled parchment over the top of the dough, Lower the press lid and press it down until the dough is flattened.

Heat a flat pan or griddle to medium heat, spray with cooking oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. The tortilla should be lightly browned.

If you don’t have a tortilla press or want to make a larger tortilla, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a bread board until it is thin. Use a plate to cut the dough to the desired size. Re-roll any excess and repeat until all the dough is gone.

Or you can break the dough into balls, and roll each ball out to the size you want, cut around the plate, and set the excess aside. This way, you aren’t working the dough too much.

Use immediately or wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Makes four 6 to 7-inch tortillas

Nutrition Information per tortilla:
Calories: 122 Fat: 9.0 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 6.1 g

Breads, Recipes

Celebrate Fall with a Plum Bread

Photo: Loaf of plum bread

This fall, a friend gifted us with some fruit from her garden. She included plums, not enough to make jam, but sufficient for a plum bread. So I found this recipe, which is versatile enough to substitute in nectarines or peaches. I adapted it to low carb and tried it out.

First, I didn’t put it in a bread pan big enough for the dough and foolishly poured it all in when I saw it was overfilled hoping it would rise to a nice tall loaf. Unfortunately, the batter wasn’t thick enough to stand on its own while it cooked, so it oozed over the side of the pan, as you can see from the photo.

However, the flavor is wonderful and eating lumps of it didn’t bother me at all. But for this recipe, use a standard-sized bread pan. This bread us very moist and can be a breakfast or dessert bread.

I use a mixture of low carb flours fours for my bread. In this case, I used Bakesquick for 1/2 cup of the flour, 1/4 cup CarbQuick, and 1/4 cup Almond Flour. If you use Coconut Flour, use 2 tablespoons for 1/4 cup of flour and add an extra egg or egg whites.

Photo: Slice of plum bread

Plum Cake

1 cup chopped Plums (Nectarines or Peaches can also be used)
1 1/2 cups Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
6 ounces Vanilla Low Carb yogurt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (F.) Cut a parchment paper liner for the bottom of your loaf pan, spray with baking spray.

Remove the pits from the plums and chop them.

In a large bowl, use a mixer cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda and stir together.

Add 1/2 of the yogurt to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat mixing in the remainder.

Stir in the chopped plums. Pour into your prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm. Reheats easily in the microwave.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (8 per loaf):
Calories:245 Fat:21.3 g Net Carbs: 6.2 g Protein:8.1 g

Nutrition information per serving (10 per loaf):
Calories:196 Fat:17.1 g Net Carbs: 5.0 g Protein: 6.5 g

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out and how you liked it.

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Enjoy the taste of Hazelnut in your pancakes

Photo: Hazelnut Pancakes

Pancakes are a delicious way to start your day. They’re easy to make, and they provide that warming touch of comfort food. You can make them low carb with this quick mix recipe for hazelnut pancakes. I simply use hazelnut flour mixed with another low carb flour. In this case, I used Dixie DIner’s Bakesquick, which produces a light, fluffy pancake. Other types may not rise as much, but they work just as well.

If you wish, you can add a teaspoon of Hazelnut Syrup to enhance the flavor, but I find that the cooked hazelnut flavor comes through well. If you wish, double the recipe and put away a couple of pancakes for another day or make breakfast for two.

Hazelnut Pancakes

1 tablespoon Hazelnut Flour
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute

In a medium bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, and oil together until blended. Add hazelnut flour, baking mix, baking powder, and sugar substitute. Mix together well or put in the blender to mix.

Heat skillet until a drop of water skitters across the surface. Reduce heat to medium high. Spray pan with baking spray, then drop about 1/2 of the batter into the middle to make the first pancake. If you have a large pan, you can do two at once. Cook until the batter on the top looks set, and bubbles break through the surface, about two to three minutes, then turn the pancake and cook it another two to three minutes until browned.

Remove to a plate and cook the second pancake if you need to cook them separately. Butter and serve with sugar-free maple syrup or the topping of your choice.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 172.2 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 10.2 g