But Is Vital Wheat Gluten Keto
In my opinion, Yes.
Vital wheat gluten is very low in carbs and is unlikely to cause a large spike in blood sugar. Especially because it’s usually used in a recipe involving fats as well.
You also don’t typically go around consuming mass quantities of vital wheat gluten. If you did, you’d probably make yourself sick and it wouldn’t be very appetizing!
Typically vital wheat gluten is only used in small quantities such as 1-2 tbsp per recipe, going as high as about 1/2 a cup per recipe.
With most recipes being breads, cookies and muffins and typically making about 12-16 servings that’s only about 0.5-0.66g of carbs coming from vital wheat glutenper serving if you were to use the full half cup. That’s a very small amount.
So, yes. vital wheat gluten in my own opinion is completely keto-friendly and is a great addition to desserts and breads to give them a more traditional chewy texture.
Keto Bread No Vital Wheat Gluten Or Nut Flours Soft And Fluffy
When I first started keto, besides keto ice cream fails another big fail for me was keto bread recipes. At the time I didn’t know anything about keto baking ingredients so I just conceded to not having bread because it was such a waste of ingredients to try to get a whole loaf of keto bread from recipes on the internet. Once I figured out the perfect keto biscuit I thought I could tackle a loaf of bread. It still took a lot of testing but none were complete fails so I could still eat them at least. Three weeks and a lot of ingredients later I finally nailed it! Check out the video at YouTube.com/ketoupgrade for step by step instructions so this bread loaf comes out perfect every time.
Now the market on keto bread has come a long way in just a year. There are many good low carb breads out there, but they all contain vital wheat gluten, which isn’t technically keto. When I started, a main component when I researched keto was eliminating gluten from the diet to decrease inflammation and stomach upset. And it worked for me, I definitely felt way better not eating gluten. But now when I eat anything with gluten in it I feel horrible so I have to severely limit my gluten consumption. So those low carb breads are great but I can only have a slice at a time and I really wanted a sandwich!
Keto BREAD!!!!
1 1/2 Cups Warm water
1 pack Active Dry Yeast
4 Tbs. Allulose
2 tsp. Salt
1.5 oz. Melted Butter
3 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
108 g Unflavored Whey Protein Powder
68 g Oat Fiber
Vital Wheat Gluten Isnt Wheat Bad On Keto
Yes, it comes from wheat, but its not full of carbohydrates. Its the protein thats found in wheat that gives flour the stretchy characteristic. Its made by washing the flour until all the carbohydrates granules are washed away in the water. Science. Its part of what gives this crust the stretchiness that weve come to know and love in pizza and bread.
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Low Carb Bread Ingredients
There are some specialty ingredients in this recipe.
Products can also be sourced locally here in Australia from Elite Health and Keto Eats Australia.
Many of these ingredients have NO substitutes so please dont ask what they can be changed with.
Do Not Try To Speed Up The Process Or Skip Steps
As I am sure youve picked up on in the last section about time and temperature, it is important that you dont change THE TIME by speeding up or skipping steps in this recipe. That includes the kneading speed and time in your mixer & the rising time!!! Just trust me in that, speeding things up, mean too quick of a rise. Too quick of a rise is going to result in either an easily over-proofed low carb brioche that will deflate after baking. OR flavorless brioche. And you DONT want EITHER.
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Best Binding Agents For Low Carb Flour
My three favorite binding agents are xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder and vital wheat gluten. When these are individually combined with the liquid in a recipe they create the same gummy texture that the gluten in white and wheat flour create. As a result the baked good will come out light, fluffy and in one piece.
Best Vital Wheat Gluten Low Carb Bread Recipes
The flavor reminds me of a white bread crossed with a wheat bread. Total cost for ingredients comes out to about $4.50 per loaf. Best of all, the whole loaf comes in at about 22 net carbs , meaning there are about 1.3 net carbs per slice .
I tried making a Keto Pizza crust that was with almond and coconut flour and it was terrible. It was more like a pastry dough and tasted slightly sweet and very dry. Im hoping this is the right balance of low carbs and with the almond and vital wheat gluten. Question: You call for baking the dough on a cookie sheet.
Bread is one of the most difficult foods to replicate on the keto diet. I used a recipe swapping out the carb heavy ingredients with vital wheat gluten, oat fiber, flaxseed meal and almond flour to recreate a bread roll with a nice crust and soft fluffy center.
Then Vital Wheat Gluten is 100% OK to have on a low-carb diet and WILL NOT knock you out of ketosis. Itâs actually a pretty fantastic, cool little ingredient. That said, I have also included another version of the best low carb pizza crust that IS gluten-free and does not use vital wheat gluten.
****this recipe is grain free, sugar free, dairy free, ovo vegetarian, nut free, keto approved, paleo approved, low carb approved. note: this recipe uses vital wheat gluten but does not contain wheat. it is not gluten free so if you have a gluten intolerance i would avoid this bread.
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How Do We Use It In Baking And Cooking
Glad you asked!
Baking with vital wheat gluten is great. Seriously.
If you’ve never tried it before..prepare to be amazed.
Vital wheat gluten offers a truly amazing chewy texture to baked goods and a fantastic elasticity to keto-friendly breads and crusts.
You can start by adding 1-2 tbsp in place of almond flour in one of your favourite low carb muffin or cookie recipes.
Then move on to making your own low carb breads by using vital wheat gluten for about 1/4 to 1/3 of the flour in your low carb bread recipe .
You can also use it to thicken sauces, create vegan-friendly low carb meat replacements and even in burgers and patties as a binding agent!
Where can I buy Vital Wheat Gluten?
You can buy it in a few places!
Why Does Gluten Get Such A Bad Rap
Gluten continues to be demonized by many health-conscious individuals. But does it deserve this reputation?
For those with celiac disease, gluten definitely deserves the bad rap. These individuals have an autoimmune reaction to gluten that can cause many health troubles, as discussed above.
But is gluten bad for those without celiac disease or a true allergy to wheat?
Although many people think that gluten-containing foods play a role in causing or worsening an array of non-gastrointestinal symptoms , there is a lack of solid evidence. The strongest statement that can be made regarding glutens association with other health problems is that, in people with suspected non-celiac gluten sensitivity, gluten might exacerbate some of their pre-existing symptoms.
There is speculation that changes to the methods of processing gluten-containing foods or an increase in gluten intake may be responsible for the rising prevalence of gluten-related conditions.15
However, given that there are several other substances in gluten-containing foods that may actually be responsible for peoples adverse reactions, it seems prudent to focus more on the types of food that contain gluten and related substances, as opposed to gluten itself.16
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Low Carb Bread Recipe
This Low Carb Bread has proven way more popular than I ever anticipated.
For that very reason I have just updated the post to answer the many questions regarding it. Every day I receive so many photos of your creations, questions for substitutions, baking tips, etc.
So, I thought it was time to try and answer them and do a few updates on the recipe and pictures. The updates have taken affect from 14th August 2020.
Storing Your Keto Croissants
These keto croissants are out of this world good fresh out of the oven. But they are pretty darn tasty leftover too.
You can store your leftover croissants individually wrapped in plastic wrap and then put them in a resealable bag or air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to a week.
But if you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 2 months. And if you want to freeze them, you will want to do it the day you make them. Just let your croissants cool for 4 hours, then individually wrap them in tin foil and place them in a freezer-safe bag.
Then to reheat your frozen croissants for a quick keto breakfast, place them still wrapped in tin foil on a baking sheet and heat in a 350°F oven.
Bake for about 10minutes, then peel back the foil to expose the tops and bake until warm and crisp.
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So What Is Vital Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten is a super powered flour that is all gluten and very little starch. Its not technically flour itself, but its made from wheat flour that has been hydrated to activate the gluten and then processed to remove everything but the gluten. Its then dried and ground back into a powder.
This powder is really high in protein, weighing in at an amazing 80g of protein per 100g. Itâs also very low in fat and, most importantly, low in carbs!
Time & Temperatures Are Part Of The Recipe
Thanks to the amazing teachings of Ken Forkish in his Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast Book and Bonnie OharasBread Baking For Beginners book, I have finally truly come to understand the full affect of temperature & time in bread making. Time & Temperature are BOTH intertwine, affecting eachother as well as affecting your final bread. They affect your bread so much, that both renowned bread baking authors consider time & temperature as PART of the recipe . We need to be cognizant and diligent with the temperatures of: the water used, the ingredients used, the room and the actual temperature of the DOUGH, and finally the baking temperature! Time is important in a similar way (and intertwined with temperature. Mainly because the COOLER the temperatures, the LONGER the fermentation/rise time will be. And furthermore, the LONGER the fermentation, the MORE developed and DELICIOUS the flavors usually are in your breads! PHEW.
Are you going to need a thermometer for your water YES. Because dipping your finger in water to see if its slightly warm or not is likely to be up to 30°F off, which could great affect your low carb brioche . Dont guess just use a thermometer mmmmkkk? Theyre TOTALLY affordable. Heres a that will do everything you need for this recipe and ANY future bread recipe!
Now, dont let this overwhelm you, Ill cover below the main temperatures and times you need to be aware of FOR this recipe below:
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I Do Not Recommend Trying To Substitute Other Brands Or Substitutions Other Than These:
I know this is all a lot of information, but sticking to the brands I recommend are probably the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!!!!!!!!!! I say that because even my mess ups where I adjusted times, shaping methods, etc. were NOT bad when I used this very specific mix of ingredients however, when I used OTHER brands of these ingredients SOME WERE COMPLETELY inedible!!!!! The brands of these specialty ingredients REALLY truly matters here both for taste and especially for texture. Heres the ONLY brands I recommend you use here!
Oat Fiber There are ONLY two brands I recommend you use: THIS LifeSource Brand Oat Fiber or this Honeyville Brand Oat Fiber direct from their site . Regardless, I frequently use these two brands interchangeably in recipes with very very little difference . I have tried every other brand out there , and NuNaturals and Anthonys brand oat fibers were THE ABSOLUTE WORST DO NOT TRY THEM. Trust me. They look dark brown, taste terrible and gritty, and make for some really gross low carb bread that will NOT rise the same or be fluffy or even look anything like mine. Enough said !
How To Make It
It really is easy to make and bake your own low carb bread at home. Here is all you need to do. I have included a low carb Thermomix bread recipe / method for all our Thermomix users. It is super easy this way and of course, can be replicated in any food processor as well.
- Mix the yeast with the inulin and water in a large bowl or 2 cup measuring jug. Cover it and leave it in a warm place for 15-20 minutes until it activates. You will know it is activated by a thick foam on the surface of the water. The foam can almost double the volume in the jug.
- Combine all the ingredients into a mixer with a dough hook, food processor or Thermomix and mix until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean bench or silicone mat and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is soft supple and no longer sticky.
- Press the dough into a large rectangle the same width as your loaf pan. Roll the dough over to form a log and place the dough seam side down into the loaf pan. Cover with a silicone mat or kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Remove bread from baking pan immediately and allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
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But Then Why Does It Get Such A Bad Rap In The Keto Community
Many strict keto-ers like to point out the fact that vital wheat gluten is WHEAT and Ketogenic diets do not include wheat.
I have a few issues with this..
1. No one ever really said you can’t have wheat on a Ketogenic diet.
A Ketogenic diet is keeping your carbs below a threshold to maintain a certain level of ketosis.
Eating wheat, if the carb count is below this threshold is really not going to affect you negatively.
Your level of ketosis doesn’t necessarily equate to weight loss .
If you eat a food that contains wheat and it’s low in carbs and doesn’t cause you extra cravings.. then awesome. It’s completely acceptable on your Low Carb/ Ketogenic diet.
People are completely fine with eating store-bought low carb breads and wraps without even realizing very minuscule amounts of wheat are included.
Wheat is not the enemy, it’s the total carb count that should really concern you.
2. Vital Wheat Gluten shouldn’t even be labelled as wheat.
It’s just the protein extracted from wheat. It’s ultimately A PROTEIN. If you do not have a wheat allergy then vital wheat gluten is completely fine for you to consume on a ketogenic diet.
Stop fearing it for the name! As I said, it’s often referred to as gluten flour as all of the other parts of the wheat are removed.
More reasons why you shouldn’t be concerned:
1. Vital Wheat gluten is often used in Ketogenic recipes that are high in fibre as well as fats.
2. Vital Wheat Gluten is extremely filling.
Vital Wheat Gluten Substitutes
No vital wheat gluten? No problem. There are a few substitutes you can use instead.
- Xanthan gum: This food thickener made from bacteria is probably your best bet for a sub. It’s usually vegan and adds structure to gluten-free dough. Use about ½ a teaspoon of xanthan gum for every cup of flour your recipe calls for or for every tablespoon of vital wheat gluten.
- Protein Powder: If you’re using vital wheat gluten as a source of protein, you can use protein powder instead. However, this won’t work for baking projects, as it doesn’t add much structure.
- Eggs: In a pinch, eggs can help add structure and integrity . Use one egg for every cup of flour your recipe calls for or for every tablespoon of vital wheat gluten.
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