Category Archives: Breads

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

Breads, Recipes

Low Carb Cheese Bread

Photo: Coconut flour cheese bread

A favorite bread of mine is cheese bread, but on a low carb diet, it’s difficult to enjoy it as much as I’d like. Recently, I spotted a recipe for low carb cheese bread and gave it a try.

The initial recipe calls for coconut flour and psyllium husk powder, which you can buy at a health food store or order online. I happened to have some from previous baking experiments so I used it. If you don’t use it, then add 2 more tablespoons of low-carb flour.

So, I made the cheese bread with coconut flour and again with a combination of Carbquick and Bakesquick. If you like coconut flour, then try that version. It’s quite delicious. If you want to try almond flour with it, combine it with one of the other flour types to make it sturdier. I’ve included recipes for both versions; they are basically the same, just the differences in the flour.

Coconut Flour Cheese Bread

2 Eggs
1/4 cup Egg Whites (boxed version)
1/3 cup Oil
1/2 cup plus 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese, divided
2 tablespoons Psyllium Husk Powder
3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Spray oil or grease a glass loaf pan or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom, then spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg whites, oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and the psyllium powder and mix until blended together.

Add in the coconut flour, salt, garlic powder (if using) and baking soda and mix it until well combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Turn the oven to 425 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool, cut into slices and eat. Makes 6 bread sticks.

Nutrition information per slice:
Calories: 242 Fat: 18.9 g Net Carbs: 2.0 g Protein: 12.8 g

Photo: Low Carb Cheese Bread

Low Carb Cheese Bread

2 Eggs
1/4 cup Egg Whites
1/3 cup Oil or Butter-flavored Shortening
1/2 cup plus 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/2 cup Bakesquick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Gluten Flour or Low Carb Flour
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Spray oil or grease a glass loaf pan or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom, then spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg whites, oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and mix until blended together.

Combine the flours, gluten flour, salt, garlic powder (if using) and baking soda in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix it until well combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Turn the oven to 425 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool, cut into slices and eat. Makes 6 to 8 bread sticks. I found this bread raised more and cut easily into 8 slices.

Nutrition information per slice (6 slices):
Calories: 197.6 Fat: 14.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 13.4 g

Nutrition information per slice (8 slices):
Calories: 148.2 Fat: 11.2 g Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 10.0 g

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches

Low Carb Pancake Chicken Sandwich

I recently saw a post that featured pancakes used in various ways, including the “dutch baby” pancake, which is like a giant popover. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me to use a pancake to make a sandwich. By making the batter savory, you can easily cook a pair of sandwich-bun-sized cakes and make a delicious and satisfying sandwich. I made two–a chicken sandwich and a ham sandwich to test out the recipe. Wonderful and easy to do!

So, if you’re looking for an easy bread substitute, you might want to try this one. I used DCC Baking Mix, Carbquick, and flax meal in mine, but you can also use almond flour, coconut flour, soy flour or any other low carb flour to make them. I suggest at least two varieties of flour to give them more strength. Coconut flour breaks easily, almond flour a little less, so combining them makes it sturdier. You also need to let them cool before using them to make your sandwich as that allows them to set up better.

Pancake Chicken Sandwich

A twist on the chicken sandwich adds a savory pancake in place of the bread.

For pancakes:
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
1 tablespoon Golden Flax Meal
1 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder
Pinch Red Pepper
Pinch Salt
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream or 2 tablespoons Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Water (don’t add if using Almond Milk)
1/4 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Butter

For the sandwich:
2 slices Bacon, cooked until crisp
Sliced Chicken (however much you prefer)
Piece of Lettuce
1 slice Cheese of choice (optional)
2 slices Tomato (optional)
Mayonnaise or Mustard to preference.

In a small bowl, add egg, olive oil, and sugar substitute and mix well with a whisk or a spatula. Add the cream and water (or almond milk) and stir or whisk. Add the flour and flax meal along with the Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Mix together.

Put a skillet over medium heat burner and heat until a drop of water skitters across it. Add butter and melt it, then put three tablespoons of batter in the pan. If there is room for two, do the second one, otherwise, cook them one at a time. The batter should spread out to form about a 4″ thin circle. It will be thicker than a crepe, but not as thick as a regular pancake. Let cook until the top looks dry around the edges and little bubbles break through. Turn and cook another couple of minutes until lightly browned.

Put on a plate, then do the rest of the pancakes. This recipe makes about three, but you only use two for the sandwich. Put the other one away to use with your morning eggs.

Assemble your sandwich. Put mayonnaise or mustard on both pancakes, then put lettuce on one, topped by the cheese and the chicken. Put the bacon on top of the chicken, then the other pancake on top. It will hold together pretty well while you’re eating it. I had uneven slices of chicken that tried to escape, so this would work better with even slices. You can also make a ham sandwich with it.

Makes one sandwich.

Nutrition information per sandwich;
Calories: 526 Fat: 31.6 g Net Carbs: 4.7 g Protein: 19.2 g

Per Pancake only:
Calories: 139.4 Fat: 13.3 g Net Carbs: 0.8 g Protein: 4.1 g

Ham and cheese sandwich. This could probably be popped into the microwave for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese.

The only thing that changes for the ham sandwich is a slice or two of ham, depending on the thickness, instead of the chicken and no bacon.