Flour Alternatives for Ketogenic Baking
Flour is made from wheat, and wheat is pretty much made from carbs. That means that flour's out when it comes to the ketogenic diet. So is cornmeal, rice flour, and pretty much any thing that makes pastries out of the question if you want to keep your body in ketosis.
So, what's the carb loving keto dieter to do? Find some amazing alternatives!
Almond Flour
Almond flour is the most commonly used keto-friendly flour when it comes to keto baking. That's because, in most cases, almond flour can be substituted for wheat flour cup for cup.
The best almond flour for baking is blanched, skinned, and finely ground. You can even make it yourself! Just blanch some almonds and pinch off the skin. Then just toss them in your food processor and pulse until you have a fine powder.
Just be careful not to over process, because if the almonds start to release their oil, you'll end up with almond butter (still yummy, but not going to make muffins!).
Coconut Flour
Another great option for a low-carb flour is coconut flour. Though it tends to be higher in carbohydrates than almond flour, it also is finer and lends itself to flaky recipes like cakes.
Coconut flour usually is substituted for wheat flour at ⅓ of a cup for every full cup. It also has the ability to absorb moisture from the mix. Therefore, for every ounce (¼ c) of coconut flour in a recipe, you need to add an equal amount of liquid in order to offset this impact.
Unlike almond flour, coconut flour has a distinct taste that may not appeal to the baked goods you're making.
Flax Flour
Like the previous options, flaxseed is gluten free, but unlike the others, it can be used as a substitute for several different parts of a recipe.
You can substitute up to 15% of a recipe's wheat flour with flax, and then substitute the rest with other alternatives.
You can also mix 1 part flax flour with 3 parts water and substitute it for eggs in your recipe. You can do the same for the oil in the recipe!
Chia Flour
Chia's another great fibre-full flour substitute. It can also substitute up to ¼ of a recipe's wheat flour with chia flour. This is an excellent way to increase your recipe's fibre and lower its net carbohydrates.
Binders
The main issue with gluten-free flours like these is that items made with them don't have anything to bind them together. Gluten creates bonds with itself that makes your items hold their shape and helps item retain moisture. That means that keto-friendly baked goods need to cool completely before they can be removed from the pans they're baked in/on.
Psyllium husks
Psyllium is a main source of fibre in a lot of supplements like Metamucil. In and of itself, it can be used to increase your recipes' fibre content which, in turn, reduces your items' net carbohydrates.
But when psyllium husks meet water, they can thicken your products and help bind them together.
Xanthan gum
Xanthan gum is one of the main ingredients in gluten-free cooking. It binds ingredients together in the same general way that gluten does. It can be used as a thickener in a variety of recipes.