This steak sarnie is why I think a low-carb, no-sugar diet is the best weight loss approach for me. I LOVE carbs and couldn’t possibly live without good bread or pasta, but every year, I take the plunge and try and lose those extra pounds.
Living and breathing food, my weight fluctuates massively, and with Covid, I thought I ought to do something about it. I find a low-carb, no-sugar diet is the least restrictive regimen for those who enjoy food – yes, there is plenty of good fat, butter, cheese and cream, as well as meat and fish, but there is also loads of green vegetables.
The weight does fall off on a low-carb diet, but it is far from being a perfect solution – I get incredibly irritable within a few days, and while on ketosis it feels like I am on meds – rather like being on Pro Plus, those caffeine tablets I used to take at university to cram for exams, this means I am fully awake at around 5-6am every morning. Alcohol tolerance is also greatly diminished, I get very tipsy with just a glass of wine, and if I drink any more I just fall asleep!
In the last year, I have been experimenting with Keto baking and came up with this gluten-free recipe for keto bread rolls using Paneer cheese as a base for the dough. The only odd ingredient here is the psyllium husk, but I am afraid it is necessary – I tried to substitute it with less successful results. Psyllium husk will expand in contact with water giving out volume to the dough, while also acting as a binding agent. Psyllium husk is the husk of the plantago ovada plant’s seed, it is 100% fibre so has zero net carbs. Most importantly, it works as mild laxative which is great for those on Keto who for the lack of fibre, may be a tad constipated, another less desirable side-effect of the diet. You can buy psyllium husk on Amazon.
These keto rolls are the closest I could get to something resembling proper bread – I have been baking my own sourdough bread for years, so being on low-carb is a real challenge on that front. The rolls will be at their best while fresh but will toast nicely if a day or two old. They hold their shape really well, so they work nicely for burgers and steak sarnies. Best of all, they are only 2g of net carbs per roll and take about 15 minutes to prepare.
I would be interested to hear about your experiences with a low-carb diet, so please let me know in the comments below. PLEASE NOTE - I am not trying to get anyone here to do a #keto or #lowcarb diet, I am simply describing my experiences with weight-loss and keto baking.
Keto Bread Rolls with Olive Oil and Paneer
(8.1g total net carbs – 1.35g per roll/6 rolls or 2.1g/4 rolls)
Ingredients:
- 100g Paneer (1.5g net carbs)
- 50g almond flour (3.5g net carbs)
- 1 tsp baking powder (1.3g net carbs)
- 4 tbsp psyllium husk (0 net carbs)
- 1/2 tsp salt (0 net carbs)
- 3 eggs (1.8g net carbs/0.6g per egg)
- 15ml (1 tbsp) Apple cider vinegar (0 net carbs)
- 60ml (4 tbsp) boiling water (0 net carbs)
- 15ml (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil (0 net carbs)
- Sea salt flakes (0 net carbs)
Method:
- In a food processor, blend the paneer, almond flour, baking powder, psyllium husk and salt until uniform but finely crumbly.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the apple cider vinegar, mixing well with a spatula to incorporate. Mix the boiling water and olive oil and add this to the bowl, mixing it well. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Weigh the dough and divide into 4 or 6 equal sized buns, lightly flatten them so they are just about ½ inch thick. Lightly brush the top with a little water and sprinkle with some sea salt flakes. Place them in a 175C pre-heated oven (or the Aga’s lower oven) and bake them for 30 minutes. Let cool down for at least another 30 minutes before eating.
Thanks so much for this! I earlier this year decided to move to low-carb thanks to pandemic weight gain (oops) and discovered psyllium husks and hemp hearts, the latter of which are crazy good. Looking forward to trying your recipe, and the added protein from the paneer is a real plus. Cheers!
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