What’s For Dinner?: Low Carb Bread – photos of first attempt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not exactly the sexiest bread I’ve ever baked!  Down right butt fricking ugly, in fact!  Because of all the emphasis on not punching down the dough after the rise, I was very concerned about doing anything that might deflate the dough...like making it look pretty and a little less like the “F-ing Nasty Blob That Ate Detroit”.

 

Now that I’ve made a loaf, I think I can make a pretty batch without jeopardizing the rise.  This batch rose far more than double, I think.  And I'll invest in a French bread loaf pan.  You can do the before-and-after comparisons when I’ve made Batch #2.  For now, only glimpse briefly on this ugly beast that is Batch #1.  Look away quickly before you turn to stone!

 

Nuts, I should have taken a photo of a cross-section, too.  Will do with Batch #2.

 

  10:07:09 PM    comment []

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What’s For Dinner?:  Low Carbohydrate Bread isn’t an oxymoron

 

Wow, it’s been a while since I posted under this category; I thought I’d post under this everyday.  But for some reason I haven’t been inspired to do so, even though I do have to cook every day.

 

Finally!  Inspiration arrives, in the form of new dietary needs.  We have some family members who are trying a reduced carbohydrate regimen; they’re also not really big on trying things that appear to be experimental.  Unless they can see or touch the results, they’re not going to try it.

 

That’s where I come into the picture.  I’ve got the time on my hands to try new things and I’ve also got the gumption and resources to make it happen.

 

This week’s experiment is Low Carbohydrate Bread.  Sure, I know, those of you who’ve never watched your carbohydrate intake are thinking, what’s bread without the carbohydrates?  Air?  Well, maybe if that’s all you put in your bread, air and carbohydrates.  But protein and fiber do a lot to make a good bread, too.  In fact, without an amount of protein, bread is really more like cake than bread.  The protein in wheat stretches to capture air in bubbly pockets, expanding the loaf.  Without it, the bread is heavy and dense, will not rise well.  We’ll just make use of this fact to make the bread rise – we’ll just be cutting the carbohydrate content.

 

The other way to reduce carbohydrates consumed is not just through eliminating them or reducing them; it’s offsetting them with fiber.  For each gram of fiber consumed, there is a net reduction of carbohydrate value to the human body of one gram.  One gram of fiber = one gram carbohydrate negated.  For example, if a person consumes a piece of bread that’s 23 grams of carbohydrate with 5 grams of fiber, the net result of available carbohydrate for burning by the human body is 18 grams.  We’ll add more fiber for this reason.

 

I don’t recall now where I found this recipe; if I can find the source, I’ll post it.  Note the photos taken of the risen bread (after one hour, per instructions) and after baking.  I found the bread should actually have risen for a shorter period of time and baked at 350 degrees instead of 375 as specified in the recipe.  If you make this, watch rising and baking times carefully for this reason.

 

The bread is “grainy” tasting, like an earthy whole wheat, not like a white flour bread; I think I will also add a bit more sweetener to the next batch to see if it offsets the earthy flavor just a bit.  But I may leave the recipe as it is and try it for pizza; it could be fine for that purpose as-is.  It’s probably the soy flour that gives this dough a stronger flavor; I’m not a big soy flour fan, could just be my personal tastes.

 

I don’t have a breakdown on the carbohydrate, protein and fiber content calculated just yet, but I’ll try to return and post that information after a bit of number crunching.

 

It’s worth a try, especially if you’re going low carbohydrate these days and are desperate for bread products you may have to boycott; what the heck, even if you’re increasing your protein or fiber intake in your diet this might be worth a try.  Give this a shot, tell me what you think.

 

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Low Carbohydrate Bread

(84 grams per serving)

[NOTE: serving size was not indicated, may be for entire loaf]

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/8 cups warm water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup wheat gluten flour (available from Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup oat flour

1/4 cup flax seed meal

1/4 cup wheat bran

1 cup soy flour

1 tablespoon artificial sweetener (I use Splenda® only, never aspartame products)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 package quick dry yeast (I used two teaspoons of quick-rise yeast)

 

How to Prepare:

 

(Above ingredients can be mixed and kneaded by hand same as for any other bread recipe; follow instructions below from point of removal from machine.)

 

In a bread machine:  Select “Dough” setting and add ingredients in the order specified by the machine’s manufacturer (my machine: liquids first, dry ingredients next, yeast last). 

 

Start machine, then stop it after the kneading cycle is completed. Do not let it rise in the bread machine.

 

Remove dough from machine and place in a long narrow oiled bread pan (15” or two 8”), roll it over.  Cover with a clean light cloth, put in warm place free of drafts and let rise for about an hour or until at least double, or triple in size.

 

DO NOT PUNCH DOWN (single rise only).

 

Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped.

 

NOTES:

 

·         All grain products can be found at Bob’s Red Mill website if you can’t find them at a local store.

·         As mentioned above, you may want to add slightly more sweetener if a first batch doesn’t taste sweet enough. 

·         Watch rise time; my bread was ready in 50 minutes, not one hour.

·         Watch temperature and baking time; I needed to bake at 350 F and only for 40 minutes in my oven.

·         I used aluminum foil to keep my loaf in an oblong shape since I don’t have a French bread/baguette pan; spray with Pam or brush with vegetable oil to keep bread from sticking.

 

 

  4:37:02 PM    comment []

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HURRY!!!  ALIENS NEEDED URGENTLY!!!

 

I don’t know how I missed this, but there’s a contest sponsored by Christian Science Monitor for the best aliens!

 

No, not the kind that actually land on Earth – the kind a kid can think up and draw on paper.  It’s open to kids, preschoolers through high schoolers; if they have any spare time tonight, they can whip up a picture, fill out the entry form and send it in.

 

Hurry, the deadline is tomorrow!

 

I’ve already got my kids working on this; it’s a great rainy afternoon project, perfect for keeping newly summer-vacationing hands and minds from getting restless and idle.

 

What will I come up with tomorrow to keep them busy?

 

  3:11:05 PM    comment []

›

 

Another letter

 

Dinner was spareribs, redolent with garlic and pepper.  As they cooked, the kids sniffed the air as puppies do: playing, sniffing, and then resuming play again. 

 

Short work was made of the accompanying salad, bread and broccoli; the usual pleading ensued, negotiating with my son to eat all of his dinner.  He entertains us by showing off his new reading skills: guh-rrrr-i-lll,  grill!!  Yes, we grilled the ribs.  Now please eat your broccoli, we beg.  His sister needs no such entreaties; her plate is clean in a wink. 

 

Afterwards, a familiar tattoo ensues in the kitchen: scrape, rinse; scrape, rinse.  We settle into this rhythm for a few minutes.

 

Hubby pauses his scraping for a second.  “We got a letter at work today from a military person.”

 

No surprise, this; the employees at his business put together care packages and shipped them off to the Middle East back in March.  At the time they had no idea what would come of these packages of candy and baby powder and the like; my husband’s contribution helped with the hundreds of dollars it cost to ship this odd assortment.  It seemed like a bit of cash, but I’m sure he was thinking that perhaps some of these items might even find their way to his son.

 

Since then they’ve gotten a letter from a soldier serving in Saudi Arabia.  Brief but thankful comments enclosed in a single page.  It made the effort seem entirely worthwhile.

 

But a second letter came, this time from someone serving in Afghanistan, a bonus of sorts.  Again, brief but thankful comments; this time, there was a subdued undertone.  Forced bravado came across as sadness, masked.  Perhaps there was more being read into this letter?  Who can say?

 

Hubby resumes scraping again, tentatively. “The letter was from a young woman this time; she's Native American.  She's serving in Kuwait.”

 

“Yeah?”  I continue rinsing, carefully.

 

“She left behind her six-month-old baby when she deployed.”

 

I stop rinsing.  I can’t say anything.

 

“That was ten months ago, she said in the letter.”

 

We know what this means; that it’s been closer to twelve months now, by the time the letter was received.  It’s been nearly a year.

 

Words finally come to me now:  “She’s missed the first words, the first steps.”

 

“Yeah,” says hubby, “she has,” pausing briefly.

 

“The baby won’t recognize her.”  I must look stupefied, as I spit this out.

 

Hubby shakes his head in affirmation; he’s not looking at me, though, looking instead at a scraped plate hovering above the trash can.

 

The dishes will have to wait.  I can’t see for the tears, for the anger I feel inside.  This is a loss that can’t be recouped; this loss had best not have been borne for a lie.  This woman’s loss, this child’s loss, is just the tip of the iceberg; they were not the only ones to make such sacrifices. 

 

If I stay in the kitchen I will break something.

 

The dishes can wait.

 

  11:03:20 AM    comment []