The Diabetic Pastry Chef

Welcome!

Note:  My newest posts can always be found on this front page below, directly under the post How to Calculate Carbs: Useful Tools! 

Check back often, as I update my blog with recipes frequently. 

Announcing my new sister site: Diabetic Pastry Chef Goes Organic !

I have something I’d like to share with you! Through trial and error, I have developed a formula I call Neo-Carb Baking, that produces tasty, healthy, homemade bakery products for diabetics. My techniques and formulas lessen (but not always eliminate!) sugar, “bad” carbs and saturated fats, while maintaining the satisfying tastes and flavors of your original recipes.

I posted my techniques, formulas and recipes on a diabetic Internet forum, where they became so well read and popular, I decided to devote an entire blog to my experiments and results. This is all in an effort to help other fellow diabetics learn to bake, enjoy and not fear eating delectable homemade bakery items. I promise to teach you how to bake products that not only you will enjoy, but your whole family will, as well.

The original thread that started it all is found here:

www.DiabetesForums.com/forum/recipes/18693-tips-diabetic-pastry-chef.html

I’d like to give special thanks to The Bayer Corporation, who stumbled upon my blog, and have offered to sponsor me to provide baking demonstration classes to the public!

I make my own low-carb flours, which I use to prepare pancakes, waffles and muffins. I keep the following on hand at all times: white flour, white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, soy flour, whole almonds and old-fashioned oats. I am continually adding new flours to my arsenal.

If I’m making muffins, I follow a traditional recipe that, for example, calls for 3 cups of flour. I look at my flours and might decide to mix 1 cup of white flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1 cup of soy flour together. Occasionally, I use all whole wheat flour or any other mixture I prefer. I sometimes grind almonds to make almond flour or oats to make oat flour. I caution you not to use soy flour in your waffle or pancake batters, as it tends to stick too much to the griddles.

If a recipe calls for oil, I use canola oil. If a recipe calls for butter I will generally use canola butter or Smart Balance regular spread.

I purchase whole milk, and when baking (and elsewhere), I mix it with half water to make an approximate 2% milk. This cuts the carbs (as well as the price of the milk!) in half. There is no noticeable difference in taste from 2% milk.

I am not a big fan of putting artificial sweeteners in most baked goods as it alters the texture and flavors too much and makes things stick to the pan. When baking cakes or muffins, I prefer to reduce the amount of sugar rather than add all artificial sweetener or even a combination of sweetener and sugar. For instance, yesterday I baked a large batch of Amish Raisin Bran Muffins that called for 3 cups of sugar. The recipe makes six dozen muffins. I reduced the sugar to 1 cup of sugar with very satisfactory results.

I’ve discovered that a combination of half sugar and half Splenda works well in sweet potato and pumpkin pies. This also works well in baked bread and rice puddings (I use brown rice) and in baked custards. I also use half sugar and half Splenda when I bake pies such as apple, pineapple, peach and berry. These pies taste pretty much the same as if I had used all sugar.

So I basically mix my flours, use canola oil or a butter substitute, cut the milk carbs in half and reduce the sugar; or mix sugar and sweetener together (usually half and half). I do this with just about any standard recipe. The results are pretty much the same as the original recipe - and sometimes even better!

These recipes are not the final word. They are here to get you to think outside the box. To get you to experiment with the dessert recipes you come across, until you obtain a level of control that is comfortable to you, your health and taste buds. This can be achieved by portion monitoring, lowering the recipe ingredients that adversely affect your health, and by adding or substituting those that help. Use your own discretion and seek the advice of your licensed health care provider.

I am still experimenting; so from time to time, I will post further results. I’m committed to making superior low-carb products for me, my husband (who has also just been diagnosed with diabetes) and my family.

In baking, you may use a heaping Tablespoon of soy flour and a Tablespoon of water to equal one egg. Once baked, there is no texture or taste difference.

1 large egg = 1 1/2 large egg whites

1 large egg = 3 Tablespoons egg substitute

1 large egg white = 2 Tablespoons egg substitute

1 large egg white plus 2 teaspoons canola oil = 1 egg (to reduce the cholesterol)

I will occasionally substitute “some” of the whole eggs in a recipe with soy flour or egg whites.  I consider this when a recipe calls for more than 2 eggs.

Portion size, that is. If you’ve ever found yourself baking a cake or pie and devouring it all in a few sittings this tip is for you. Think portion size. Don’t bake a cake, bake cupcakes or bake your pound cake batter in mini cake pans.  Eat one and freeze the remainder of the individual portions. Don’t bake a pie, bake small tarts. Portion puddings and ice cream into ramekins. One or two cookies is a portion size. Freeze the rest. Once you’ve had your portion for the day, thats it.

2 c butter, softened
1 1/2 c canola oil or olive oil

Whip butter with electric mixer.  Add and beat canola oil or olive oil. Pour into container and refrigerate until hardened. Keep refrigerated.

I use this as a healthy spread for my quick breads such as biscuits, waffles and muffins. Also to butter my vegetables. Use anywhere you would use butter or margarine. Works well in most recipes that call for butter, margarine or Smart Balance spread.

For those of you who have an interest in nutrition information and would like to count the carbs in recipes and foods, here are several useful links:

www.BellaOnline.com/subjects/4486.asp

www.ntwrks.com/~mikev/chart5a.htm

WhatsCookinginAmerica.net/NutritionalChart.htm

They are excellent resources!