Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

[bowhuntrrl]

Please excuse me if this is posted in the wrong forum since this is my first post here. This is my second time around on Atkins. The first time, we (my wife and myself) got bored with the food after a year and a half. It took us about another 1 1/2 years to gain it all back. Now I'm trying to keep the food interesting so that this doesn't happen again. Recently I bought some wheat protein isolate, vital wheat gluten, soy flour, corn bran,wheat bran and flaxseed meal. I want to put together a bake mix substitute using some soy flour,flaxseed meal and wheat protein isolate and maybe some wheat gluten. Do you think this combination will work ?? Can the wheat protein isolate be substituted for soy or whey protein isolate in recipes ?? We dont love the flavor of soy flour or soy protein isolate and the whey protein isolate is much more expensive. Thanks.

[not2late]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

Hi and welcome back.

Atkins still makes a bake mix that contains no soy.

I'm so sorry you got bored the last time you were on Atkins. Did you all stay on the Induction phase or did you move to the On-Going Weight Loss phase? I ask this because too many people get suckered into believing that they will only lose weight if the stick to Induction and they become bored with the food choices. The food choices in the On-Going Weight Loss Phase is so varied that it's hard for me to become bored (heck, I can even eat potatoes and corn if I want!)

[2big4mysize]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

wheat works very well in baking here is Naja's topic on it http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=1184

you nevery have to use the soy stuf. Take it back if you can. we have many homemade bake mix recipes from nuts to the protein isolates in the low carb cooking school forum.

All bake mix is is basically bisquik minus the carbs you add a leveling agent (baking powder or soda) with a "flour" and fat. that is all you can just go to the recipe section and sub yours for theirs in a recipe any time it calls for bake mix. here are some basic ones folk have used http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...read.php?t=303 I haven't used bake mix being allergic to soy i just do it from scratch each time adding a flour of choice and the levening agent.

there is a very good WPI roll recipe with flax by nullomondo in the recipe section. Megs version of the revolution rolls is good too.

[bowhuntrrl]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

I have already read those threads but neither of them mention wheat protein isolate in the baking mix substitutes. I guess I'm on my own. I'll have to experiment with different mixtures until I get something to work

[2big4mysize]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

try some of Scott123's recipes he uses it but says if you have more then 30% WPI you will get rubber.

[Heidi3]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

I can not tell you how to make a baking mix from those things because I am more of a cook than a baker...but I can tell you if you stick around here you will never be bored with your food again ...that is for sure

I hope you post the results of your experiment?

[bowhuntrrl]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

Last night I made up my first "experimental" batch of baking mix substitue consisting of :
1 cup soy flour
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1 1/2 cups WPI
salt
3 Tbsps baking powder


We tried to make some of the garlic/cheese bisquits like Red Lobster's. They went together well, but melted out like a cookie when put in the oven. They were also too salty and I didn't like the texture. We will try a different recipe next time.

This morning, we made some pancakes from the left over mix and they came out good.

I'm going to alter the mix a bit. I'm going to leave out the salt, cut the baking powder back to 2 Tbsps since it too is salty and cut the WPI back a bit. I'm not sure at this point if I will substitute something else for the WPI that I removed.

I'm sure it will take a lot of experimentation before I finally get something usable, but the first attempt shows promise. The total net carbs for the entire batch of mix was only 24 grams. The pancakes we made this morning only had 4 grams for the whole batch, 2 grams per serving.

I may have to get some whey protein isolate to add to the mix.

[scott123]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

Bowhuntrrl, first of all, WPI and vital wheat gluten are both gluten. The WPI is just a more concentrated, less carby form. The type of WPI (5000 vs. 8000) changes the baking results because of the way they're manufactured, but in general,

WPI + regular flour = vital wheat gluten

2big, is right about the soy. You don't need it. I can see how you might think diluting the soy with other stuff might make it more palatable, but my recommendation would be to lose the soy completely. Nobody's cooking with soy these days because of the taste. Even George Stella has made the shift to almond flour.

As 2big mentioned, you have to watch how much gluten you use (either in the form of WPI or vital wheat gluten). Too much gluten and you'll have a rubbery/spongey/tough end product. There are a few mitigating factors as to how much you can use. Both fiber and fat prevent gluten from bonding/getting tough/rubbery, so if you're using a lot of fat in your recipe or using fatty/fibrous flours (such as almond or wheat bran) the gluten percentage can go a little higher, as high as 40%. I wouldn't go higher than that, though.

As far as the non gluten component options for a baking mix go, here's a few:

Almond flour - the taste is wonderful, but it can be expensive, and tends to make baked goods grainy. I've also noticed that it has a tendency to create a dry/crumbly end product. When I used to work with almond flour, I would blend it with the liquid ingredients to help remove the graininess and I'd watch my baking times closely so I wouldn't overcook it. It's been years since I've made them, but I used to make a WPI/almond flour pancake that was pretty good off the griddle (not so good rewarmed). Almond flour has a a great many fans, but for me, I've moved on to other things. If you do purchase almond flour, make sure it's blanched. Also, you might be able to save a little money by processing your own blanched almonds into a flour or blending the almonds with the liquid ingredients of a recipe.

Whey protein - as you know, whey is expensive. Whenever I see it in recipes, though, it doesn't seem like a great deal is used. Jennifer Eloff has developed a popular mix using vital wheat gluten, almond flour and whey.

Flaxseed meal - The taste of flaxseeds has never really thrilled me. They are healthy, though, and create a fluffy bready texture in baked goods. Nullo's osolo roll clone seems to have a lot of fans. That's WPI based (8000). You could probably sub corn bran for the oat fiber.

Corn bran - I've had some corn bran on my shelf for a very very long time. The carb count and the slight taste tend to preclude it from most of my recipes. At some point I'm hoping to combine with hydrated lime to see if I can come up with an approximation of a lc masa.

Oat fiber - the carb count is extremely appealing. Other than WPI, oat fiber has the least amount of carbs for a flour sub. I can't seem to get past the chalkiness of it, though. In small amounts, it might be a good option. Jena-marie's flour blends use oat fiber and seem to have a few fans.

Resistant corn starch/resistant wheat starch - resistant starches, although a little high in carbs, are showing a great deal of promise in the bake mix area. They're biggest strength is that they have little to no flavor. I've been experimenting with resistant corn starch and WPI with great results.


One other option you might want to consider is to purchase a bake mix. Depending on what ingredients you'd use in your own, the price may not be that much more for a commercial product. Carbquik/carbalose flour has many fans and a handful of detractors. If you use the right recipe, it makes a good biscuit. The strong taste doesn't work for everything, but if you're aware of it's shortcomings and ways around them, some wonderful baked goods can be achieved. Carbalose, when combined with the right sweeteners, makes a brownie that's better than the real thing. So far, carbalose is one of the better gravy thickener options, especially a flavored gravy such as sausage gravy.

These are some of the more popular baking mix ingredients/baking mixes. Other than a slight glimmer of promise for resistant starches and selective/careful use of carbquik/carbalose, I'm not head over heels in love with any of them. Although the lc community has made significant strides in recent years in replacing sugar, flour replacement still has a ways to go. I think we're still a few years away from a one size fits all solution. Rather than attempting a DIY one size fits all baking mix, my recommendation would be to approach each recipe individually. Rather than coming up with a baking mix that will work for, say, brownies, fried chicken and pizza crust, track down a tried a true recipe for each.

[Heidi3]

Re: Wheat protein isolate in bake mix substitute?

I am with Scott that is probably the reason I am not baking much ..the taste of the lc stuff that is out there just does not kick it with me..I love almond flour and it makes a wonderful pound cake with a mix of sweeteners ....my attempts with breads and biscuits have been lousy expensive and frustrating ..and I do not do flax...or wheat bran because of the taste...carbulose is just horrible IMHO right up there with flax...

I have found wonderful desserts to satisfy the sweet tooth when needed...with the mix of sweeteners..they are remarkable ... but when it comes to bread and cakes (other than nut flours and I do use a variety of them hazelnut flour is wonderful ..so is walnut and pecan ..I buy nuts in bulk and grind my own to save money because they are very expensive!) ..I just try periodically to see if things are better ..but the expense is just not worth it to me ...not when there are so many good things to eat..

but please if you find something that is yummy post the recipe !!!