I’ve been low carbing for almost a year now, doing the Atkins diet specifically. Despite the negative press, it’s been wonderful for me. I have more energy than ever, and the weight is slowly but steadily dropping off. The symptoms of Syndrome X (pre-diabetes) have disappeared, so I have a lot to be thankful for. I even eat lots of fresh vegetables now, which I never did before, apart from the occasional small salad or the limp, translucent lettuce that comes on a fast food burger.
Most of the time, the low carb lifestyle is pretty easy to stick to, but every so often (usually when I’m tired, or stressed) I get carbohydrate cravings that can only be satisfied by a chewy, gooey, chocolatety brownie, fresh from the oven. What to do? At first, I tried some of those pre-made low carb energy bars from the supermarket. They were completely unsatisfying, a pale imitation of the real thing. One brand even had a fish-like aftertaste!
I’m not much of a cook, so baking from scratch was a little daunting. That left baking mixes. Luckily, the low carb diet craze was in full swing, leaving me plenty of choices. I’ve tried nearly all of them, including the abysmally bad Atkins Nutritionals Bake Mix. I won’t beat around the bush, it was awful. With a strong soy flavor and course grind it was hard to pretend that you were eating something made from real flour. It had a bitter aftertaste and a gritty, sandy mouthfeel. Even my normally ravenous golden retriever wouldn’t finish the “pancakes” I made.
My experiences weren’t unusual. After talking to many other dieters I realized that most prepackaged diet foods just aren’t very good. So, hopefully, my experience with low carb baking mixes will save you time and money. Since we’ve briefly discussed the bad, let me tell you about a couple low carb baking mixes that are truly delicious, and the best situations to use them both.
I’ll be comparing my two favorite mixes, Bob’s Red Mill Low Carb Bake Mix, and Tova Industries Carbquik Bake Mix. I buy them both at my local supermarket, but I’ve also seen them at health food stores and on the internet at the link provided below.
We’ll look at how well each mix performs in three different tests: Brownies, pancakes, and biscuits. But before we talk about their differences, let’s talk about their similarities.
Bob’s Red Mill and Carbquik both cost about the same, about $4 a pound. They aren’t as cheap as regular flour or Bisquick, but that’s no surprise since they’re a specialty food. Since they’re more of a treat than a staple, price is not a big consideration for me.
Carbquik has a slight edge when it comes to the carb count. Bob’s Red Mill Low Carb Bake Mix has 11 grams of carbs in a quarter cup. That includes 5 grams of fiber, for an effective carb count of 6 grams per serving. Carbquik has 12 grams per quarter cup. Minus fiber, Carbquik has 3 grams of carbohydrate per serving. With a difference of 3 grams per serving, it’s unlikely to matter to most low carb dieters, with the exception of those on induction.
Carbquik and Bob’s Red Mill both make an excellent batter for fried chicken! I don’t eat many fried foods, but I have a weakness for good homemade fried chicken. Mixed with an egg, some milk, and salt and pepper to taste, both mixes make a superb, crunchy coating.
To start our test, I made two batches of brownies, identical except for the baking mixes used. My test panel included my 12 year old son and 9 year old niece, in addition to yours truly.
The brownies made with Bob’s Red Mill Low Carb Bake Mix were delicious. They stayed chewy and moist even after they cooled, and the kids couldn’t tell they weren’t made with regular flour. Carbquik, on the other hand, produced a brownie that was wonderful while still warm, but hard and kind of dry after cooling. I could also taste the bake mix in the cooled Carbquik brownies, but it was subtle. The kids enjoyed them both, but definitely preferred Bob’s Red Mill.
Pancakes were a different story. After making my own low carb topping from frozen berries and stevia, I got out the griddle and made the two batches of batter. Carbquik was the clear winner here. Carbquik Bake Mix made very fluffy pancakes that tasted a bit like buttermilk. They held form and stayed together well, while the pancakes made with Bob’s Red Mill Low Carb Bake Mix were too grainy, and fell apart in the pan and again when the berry syrup was added. They had an ok flavor, if a bit bland, but Bob’s Red Mill is a courser grind and just didn’t work as well. This time the vote was unanimous as well, with Carbquik being the clear choice for pancakes.
When it came to biscuits, our taste test panel was divided. Mind you, both mixes made biscuits that were quite good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use either again. I preferred the textures of the biscuits made from Bob’s Red Mill. With the courser grain it makes for a hearty biscuit, great for accompanying a plate of eggs or an evening stew. Both kids, however, preferred the finer, lighter taste of the Carbquik biscuits. I enjoyed them as well, but they were more airy and less substantial than the Bob’s Red Mill biscuits. Neither type held together very well. They produced lots of crumbs, but were still quite a treat.
I hope my experience with low carb baking products helps you in your own low carb journey. Happy baking!
