Baking for paleo-deviants
 

Yes, baked goods aren't paleo. No question.

But, I miss baking. I really miss the smell of something fresh and sweet and spicy making my house smell good all day. And I miss having something with a bready texture to eat with a mug of tea on a cold morning.

I don't miss this stuff at all in the warm months but yesterday we got 3 inches of snow.

I thought about putting this in the regular cooking forums, but traditional 'low carb' baking makes heavy use of gluten powder, whey protein, soy flour and cream cheese. I thought some of the people here in Paleoland were probably experimenting with some of the same things I am. I saw Nancy posting about a molten chocolate cake thing...

So, the challenge is:
Basically, adhering as closely as possible to the paleo ingredient guidelines while still coming up with something recognizable as a baked good.
Gluten Free
Soy Free
Minimal dairy-limited to ghee, small amounts of butter, maybe tiny amounts of cream.
Mostly grain free
at least moderately low carb

* * *

Muffins:
Blueberry Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Pie Muffins - Civilized Caveman (off site) (post in this thread)
Squash Muffins
Honey Nut Muffins
Fruit Muffins (scroll down)
Banana Nut Muffins
Creamsicle Cupcakes
Coconut Almond Muffins
Berry Crunch Top Muffins


Cookies:
All-Purpose Cookies
Almond Macaroons
Lauren's Paleo Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond, Hazelnut choc chip cookies

Squares/Bars:
Pumpkin Pie Squares
Brownies

Cakes:
Coconut Cake
Pumpkin Cake
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake with Raspberry Sauce
Single Serving Chocolate Cake (original thread) (post in this thread)
Castagnaccio (Chestnut Cake)
- Version 2

Bread/Biscuits:
Drop Biscuits
Spongebob's Flaxmeal Bread
Lauren's Biscuits (off site) (post in this thread)

Squishy Desserts:
Chocolate Souffle
Zippy Pumpkin Custard
Paleo Panna Cotta
Christmas Pudding
Baked Coconut Custard
Tangy Lemon Curd (recipe off-site) (post in this thread)

Other:
Banana Bread - Civilized Caveman (off-site) (Post in this thread)
LC Paleo Granola
Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Rhubarb Crisp
Egg Crepes With Berries
Ischoklad
Baked Apples With Baklava Filling

Pumpkin muffins

2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin
6 drops sweetzfree or sweetener of choice

mix well

in a separate bowl add
1 c almond flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1 tsp cinnamon (or equivalent)

mix, then add to wet ingredients

I bake at 350 for 20 mins. I live at 6500 ft, so adjustments may be needed at lower altitude.

This makes a very nice muffin, although I found it a little too wet.

Today I exchanged 1/4 c of gluten free bake mix for 1/4 c of the almond meal for texture plus 1.5 tsp molasses for richer flavor. They were closer but still not quite right. Next time I'll just exchange 2T of bake mix for 2T of almond meal and I think I'll use 1tsp maple extract instead of the molasses.

I think 2T of flax would be perfect, but my body hates flax.

Food porn below! Stay away if you can't handle it.

WARNING: Not Paleo

Well, needless to say I stray away from Paleo land when I do low carb baking.

I have been using some Rice Bran in baking at times. It seems to be well-tolerated by me. Also I use flax meal and cocoa powder. My new chocolate cake in a bowl turned molten chocolate is insanely good and I feel great about using cocoa powder which is low carb and full of things that are good for you. Plus I got some unprocessed stuff from Whole Foods that is amazingly delicious. Quite reddish brown, unlike the Dutch process stuff which is super dark brown.

I'd be using coconut oil instead of butter but I'm out and really don't want to pay 8.00 for a bottle of the good stuff. I suppose I will though. I think Erythritol is probably a fine sweetener, health-wise, although it definitely isn't paleo in the sense that it requires a lot of processing to extract it from fruits. And I use a little splenda still as well.

I do bowl muffins now sometimes using half rice bran and half flax meal.

I'm trying to judge if there is any effect on my intestines. A lot of health things going on right now due to pernicious anemia caused by an arthritis drug I'm taking. I thinking that some of my diarrhea was caused by the anemia and now that I'm taking a whopping huge dose to folic acid, I seem to be getting constipated. *sigh* So when I opened my freezer and saw the rice bran I remember my bowl muffins -- which I had discontinued due to the intestinal issues -- and throught... hey, maybe I can do this now!

We shall see, I only use 1 Tbl. of the rice bran and so far everything is pretty quiet downstairs.

My all purpose cookie recipe-

2c almond flour
1c unsweetened dried shredded coconut
3/4 c butter *melted*
12 drops sweetzfree or 1/3 cup honey or equivalents
3 eggs
2T vanilla
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
1sp xanthan

cream together everything from the butter down and let mix for several minutes to emulsify. Add the coconut. Add the almond flour. Add whatever else you like in your cookies.
Bake on a non-stick surface. The dough will be stiff and will stay in exactly the shape you put it in so rough it into shape with your fingers. I bake at 350 for 16 mins.

By adjusting the vanilla and using other extracts and spices this recipe can be made into almost anything. Good gingerbread. Use lemon and add macadamia nut pieces and dried blueberries. Banana extract and walnuts. If chocolate is one of your personal deviations, it makes great chocolate chip cookies.

I do better when I avoid dairy altogether so this baking season I'll be experimenting with replacing the butter with varying mixes of coconut oil, ghee, and organic lard. You *can't* replace all the butter for coconut oil. The profile is wrong and you get a greasy mess.

Absolutely. No question. That's why we're 'paleo-deviants', we're starting with paleo and straying, rather than starting with generic low carb and trying to incorporate paleo concepts (and account for food intolerances).



Ooooh! Thanks for reminding me. Way back when I tried some gluten free products (which were much too carby and weird) I bought some rice bran and when I ditched everything else I kept that because the carbs were tolerable. Must dig that out and try it instead of the bake mix, which has a slightly weird taste and some ingredients I don't love.



Instructions please?



mmmmm. Have to find some.

Did you have to give up coconut flour in the long run? I find it wrecks me but I may experiment with using smaller amounts. I just need something to dry out the pumpkin a little more. Maybe 1T might do the trick without the side affects.

I have given up on coconut flour for now. Maybe there is some measure of it I can eat but I can't eat it too often. I am EAGER to try your cookie recipe. I get so crazy around things like cookies though... I'll have to be careful.

Today is Day 1 of NO SWEET FLAVOR. I intend to go for 3 days without anything sweet. My weight has bounced up and refuses to go back down, so perhaps this will get things jarred.

Here's the thread about the chocolate cake. It's towards the end I describe how to make it molten. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=351805
The key is not overcooking.

Nancy, I may join you, starting tomorrow (too late today - had a D. Coke for lunch) on avoiding the sweet taste. I can't even *think* about cookies right now.... :(

I haven't had anything sweet for one and a half weeks except for a diet root beer last friday and it gave me heart burn. Nancy, the cake sound really good. May have to try it someday. Would be good for a once in a while treat.

Kim

Ooooh, I love me some deviant baking!

Blueberry muffins (or double it, and make blueberry loaf)

0.5 cup almonds ground
0.25 cup flax meal
1 tsp baking powder
0.25 cup Splenda
0.25 cup coconut milk
1.5 tbs almond oil
1 large eggs
0.5 cup blueberries
0.25 cup Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free baking flour
2 tbs maple syrup
0.5 tbs vanilla

Bung it all together in muffin cups or loaf pan, bake at about 425 for 15-30 minutes (15 for muffin, 30 loaf...but check beforehand, and maybe bake at lower temp for the loaf. Sorry, I'm a wing-it baker which is why I am not renowned for my baked goods. But this is good.)

You can sub in any berry, and basically muck about with it however you want. Carb count is about 11g net/muffin/slice.

Rice bran, eh? Not carby?
Will be trying both the Bat Spit cookie and the Nancy cake. I have heard amazing things about your bowl muffins. Oh...and I still adore you for your lemon curd. OMG. OMG. Lemon curd.

Pumkin pie squares (occasionally, pumpkin pie mush, but still yummy)

14 oz pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 cup polyD
1/4 cup erythritol
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt


Mix and bake at 350° for about 40-45 min
Eat whole pan at one sitting OR sneak a square every time you enter the kitchen.

Net carbs - 11g

Wow. I just went to check my rice bran for carbiness. Its darn good!

1/2 cup serving
Total Fat 14g
Total Protein 10g
Total Carbohydrate 34g
Dietary Fiber 19g
net carb 15g

Which is much better than the gluten free bake mix which I think is 19 but without all the fat and protein. I can't wait to try it.




Uh huh. I suspected as much about you.
;)

**Food Porn Alert**

If you want to bake the worlds greatest gluten free cookies to take somewhere to impress people?

Make that cookie recipe with honey, then add butterscotch chips.

OMG!

I had several new love slaves volunteer offer themselves for those last year.
Of course, my husband made me send them back...

**End Food Porn Alert**

There are recipes for cookies and apple pie in the "Eater" link of my signature file. They don't involve shite.

This is a scary thread.

I am not "wise in the ways of Paleo," but what about a baked apple??

Just removed the core and fill the centre with butter and cinnamon and whatever you can have that's sweet...(honey?)

That will give you the smell of baking in your house with the cinnamon...but it's mmmmm-mmmmmm good! :yum:

SQUASH MUFFINS

1 cup almond butter
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
honey/agave/any sweetener to taste
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger to taste

mix all ingredients in the food processor to make a batter
bake at 400 for 12 minutes

Sorry for the intrusion...just posting so that I can subscribe to this thread. I'll tip toe out now:wave:

I agree.... VERY SCARY.... :yum:

No hand-wringing allowed! :D

I'm late to the party here, and I can't post any of my recipes, as they're going into a book, but I do all kinds of baking that meets your criteria and a bit beyond it.

Recently, I've begun doing some professional chefing on the weekends, and my clients have all kinds of restrictions (because I only take on clients with restrictions), and I do my best to give them back their favorite foods.

Myra

I posted this recipe on another board because I couldn't stop myself from buying rhubarb last month. I've always liked Rhubarb Crisp but of course the topping would not be paleo. I modified a recipe for Warm Rhubarb Cups with Whipped Cream as a base, located here.

Rhubarb (my version)

4 rhubarb stalks (about 3.5 cups)
1/4 water
stevia (two individual packets)

Slice rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. Put water and rhubarb in pan. Cook on low for about 15 minutes or until desired softness is reached. At the 10 minute mark I stirred in the stevia.

It tasted good though it was on the tart side but I like tart. This makes about three servings. I believe the carb rate is a little higher than stated in the recipe.

Next time I'll try using pecans, coconut and butter as shown in this cheesecake recipe for the crisp topping.

Also, as someone else mentioned, make applesauce using sliced apples, a small amount of water and a lot of cinnamon (but no sugar).

I realize these aren't really baked goods, but they can still be satisfying on a winter day, especially if you add a little fresh whipped cream (without sweetner).

A good applesauce is made from 3 apples and 6 fresh dates processed in the food processor.

Kim

I tried the pumpkin muffin recipe using 1/4 cup rice bran instead of gluten free bake mix.

ewww.

Definitely not the right answer. My package was sealed, but may have been rancid, or it might just be the way that smells. I ignored that and made muffins anyway, but they did not turn out well. Just as mushy as when made with 100% almond flour and the flavor was a little odd, and most importantly, it makes my mouth and lips that tingly-numb feeling which usually means bad things.

Back to the drawing board.

some of the squash I dried yesterday I had sprinkled with fresh ground cinnamon and I also dried unsweetened cranberries to use as garnish on dishes ...some nuts in the crockpot with spices on them roasted and let me tell you it it is a paleo bake fest in here I think!!! I have some very nice fairly low carb very natural healthy treats and my whole house smells like I have been baking this morning!

Sounds like you might have an allergy to rice bran! I don't recall my rice bran having an off smell. I found it at Netrition.

agar jells coconut milk dishes so beautifully you could make one in the mold of a cake and then decorate it some brilliant garnish ...light a coconut scented candle and pretend :)

I'm literally drooling. Thanks to everyone who posted these

Honey Nut Muffins

3 eggs
2 tb butter, melted
2 tb coconut milk
3 tb honey (or sub sweetener)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 cup sifted coconut flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix eggs, butter, coconut milk, honey, salt and vanilla.

Mix flour and baking powder and add to batter - mix til there are no lumps. Fold in nuts.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes - makes 6 muffins. I imagine you could double this and make a loaf/cake?

I have discovered a new near-paleo baking ingredient that works really, really well. Powdered egg whites.

My new favorite treat is a biscuit. I started with this recipe and adjusted it some to fit my criteria.

2 1/4 c almond flour
4T cold solid fat. I've been using lard, but plan to try palm oil soon.
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c powdered egg whites
1T liquid fat- I like macadamia nut oil
sweetener- I like 2 drops sweetzfree for an average batch
water

Cut the cold fat into the almond flour (well what do you know, my pastry blender is good for more than making egg salad!), then add the rest of the dry ingredients, mix. Add the 1T liquid fat, sweetener, and just a little water and start mixing, keep adding water in small amounts until you get a nice gloppy mixture that will make a good drop biscuit. Bake at 400 for 10-ish minutes.

I made some very thin ones and used them to make a really nice sandwich with uncured sliced ham.
I made some savory ones using olive oil and chicken stock instead of water and used them as a not-stuffing at Thanksgiving. They were excellent with gravy on them.
I made a sweet one using 5 drops of sweetzfree and cinnamon and used that as a 'shortcake' with berry puree and coconut milk.


I fixed my pumpkin muffin recipe by making that 1/4 cup 'other' flour into a scant 1/4 cup of powdered egg whites. Worked great.

Now I can give all my 'alternative' flours to my celiac friend, since my body doesn't like any of them.

Where oh where did you find powdered egg whites? Sounds fantastic!! I don't like most of the alt flours either, just bc they're usually way carby or made of stuff I don't want to eat much of (legumes, etc). Nut flours and egg flour...awesome. Bicuits...even awesomer.

I can get powdered egg whites at my Safeway, in the baking aisle near the alternative flowers and the baking soda.

My King Sooper doesn't carry them. So, I'd just check a selection of your local supermarkets. A quick google shows that some people use them for protein shakes, so a local HFS or vitamin type store might have them also.

They do give the end product a certain texture, but the DH didn't notice at all, and it doesn't bother me a bit.