Category Archives: Bread

Sprouted Spelt No-Fat Drop Biscuits ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sprouted Spelt Drop Biscuits!

I’m sooooo excited!!!!! (I decided not to yell in all caps but bold worked nicely. :D )

I wanted a quick healthy carb bread. There are lots of healthy fat bread recipes going around the internet but not many that are healthy carb with no fats. Yep! You read that right. I even asked on the THM facebook page and was basically told that it couldn’t be done because it takes fats. I was not to be deterred. ;)

Oh and it had to be specifically formulated to work for spelt flour. You see, spelt requires less liquid. So if you ever see a recipe that says that you can substitute spelt flour for the whole wheat, don’t believe them! Seriously! I did and my dough was way too wet and I had to add a lot more flour to get it to work.

I did some research and found a simple biscuit recipe using whole wheat (they said you could use spelt, but I knew better). Then I found a fat free recipe for biscuits which uses all purpose flour but noticed that it was very similar to the previous recipe and that it simply replaced the amount of butter and milk with non-fat yogurt.

Then I found an actual recipe for spelt flour biscuits, for which I knew I could substitute sprouted spelt flour. This recipe looked very similar to the previously mentioned ones but with the right proportions of liquid to spelt flour. I decided to try to substitute non-fat yogurt for the amount equivalent to the butter and milk.

It worked!!! My family loves these and they are done, start to finish, in less than 20 minutes. I’m so happy. So here’s what you do (4 simple ingredients):

Combine the sprouted spelt flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. I use my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk for just a quick whirl while I measure out my yogurt.

Sprouted spelt flour in mixer ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd baking powder ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd salt ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhisk flour, salt, baking powder ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen change to the dough hook and add the yogurt.

non-fat yogurt added to dry ingredients ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd blend until it all comes together well.

Sprouted spelt drop biscuit dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meI blend it about 5 minutes or so. I keep it going until it is all well combined and not extremely sticky to the touch. You can fold the yogurt in by hand, it’s just more work than my machine doing it for me. :)

Then take the dough and plop it on a baking sheet.

Sprouted Spelt Roll Dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meReady to bake spelt drop biscuits ~ Lifeofjoy.meI’d used some of this dough for other purposes this time so I only made 7 biscuits this time but you want to make 12 biscuits. Per biscuit there will be .5g fat from the flour and 20.4 net carbs (this does take the carbs from the yogurt into account).

Greek yogurt is too thick to use. However, I was out of non-fat regular yogurt the last time I made these and did thin some down a bit and it worked reasonably well. Tiffany said they were a bit tangier than usual though.

If you want to attempt this with sprouted whole wheat flour only use 2 cups of it. That may bring down the carb count too–I don’t know though because I cannot get that very readily and am currently out of it.

Sprouted Spelt No-Fat Drop Biscuits ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Sprouted Spelt Drop Biscuits!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups sprouted spelt flour
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/2 cups non-fat plain yogurt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425º.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Fold in the yogurt.
  4. Drop onto a silpat on a baking sheet forming 12 biscuits
  5. Bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. 🙂
https://lifeofjoy.me/sprouted-spelt-drop-biscuits/

If you try these, I’d love to know how they turned out for you.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Sprouted Spelt Rolls ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Spelt Rolls

I learned that sprouted spelt flour cannot be used interchangeably for sprouted whole wheat. Yeah, in spite of a recipe saying that was indeed the case, every time I made that bread, it required more spelt than listed. I finally did some research and found that spelt flour needs 25% less water. I finally decided to just look for a spelt flour recipe and found a gem!

I chose to weigh my flour to ensure it would turn out right.

Sprouted Spelt Flour ~ Lifeofjoy.meI add the yeast and salt. I skip the sugar because I chose to use some honey instead, so I added that to the wet ingredients later.

Added salt ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdding Yeast ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen I put it into my KitchenAide mixer because it’s just easier.

Whisk dry ingredients ~ Lifeofjoy.meNext I heat up the water, almond milk, honey, and olive oil to 110º – 120º.

Add almond milk ~ Lifeofjoy.meWater ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd honey ~ Lifeofjoy.meheat wet ingredients ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen add the wet to the dry and mix for a couple minutes.

mix ingredients ~ lifeofjoy.meI switch out the whip for the dough hook and continue beating as described in the directions on the link.

Kneading spelt roll dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meI failed to get pictures of the rest of the process (but may remember next time I make them ;) ). I just follow Dana’s directions and they turn out wonderful.

Sprouted Spelt Rolls ~ Lifeofjoy.meI tried it as bread too but had a mishap with the rising of the loaf.

Spelt Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meIt was still edible and yummy. :)

So, go check out Dana’s recipe over on Minimalist Baker. These marvelous rolls work in an E or S-Helper setting on Trim Healthy Mama. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Four Homemade Corn Tortillas ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Corn Tortillas

Easy, homemade, corn tortillas. I use them in a THM-E meal.

These easy tortillas are sooo good. They are much better tasting that the corn tortillas I used to buy in the store. They are okay for use on Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle of eating because the corn flour is treated with lime. So the lime does the work in the corn like the process that happens when wheat dough is in the refrigerator for 72 hours. It is all similar to what happens when wheat is sprouted. :) You can read over on Gwen’s Nest about this corn flour and get the nitty gritty on why it is okay to use on THM.

So, I was a bit of a detective in getting this recipe. I had seen a post about homemade corn tortillas over on Dawn’s site, Oh Sweet Mercy dot com but the recipe was not visible. It was an old post, so I searched for it on the internet archive and found the recipe. :) It was very similar to the recipe on the package of corn flour I purchased.

Now I am going to admit here that I have not seen anyone on THM do anything like this, so I guess you have to use your own judgement on whether you want to give it a go or not. ;) I have seen others use the masa flour in addition to other flours in S and FP tortillas or wraps but mostly with eggs whites and I didn’t want any egg whites.

If you use butter as suggested in the recipe there are about 3g fat and 23g carbs for all four tortillas; per tortilla it is about .75g fat and about 5.75g carbs.

When I told Sean I could make tortillas but it would be easier with a tortilla press, he told me to pick it out and he’d get it for me. :D I got a heavy duty cast iron one. I read somewhere online that the best way, and most authentic way, to press them is with cut grocery sacks. I was opposed at first but they say that it is really the best thing to use for easy removal.

So here is the super simple recipe.

Place 1/2 cup Masa flour (treated with lime) in a bowl.

Maseca Corn Tortillas ~ Lifeofjoy.meCorn flour in bowl ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen add 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt (the original recipe said to use Kosher salt but I used pink Himalayan).

Corn tortillas ~ LIfeofjoy.meAdd 1/4 tsp to 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon hot water and let it melt. Then add to the flour and salt and stir.

Corn Tortilla Dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meIf it is a little too dry, add a tablespoon of water, one at a time, and stir until it comes into a cohesive ball. If it is too wet, you can add a tiny bit (1/4 tsp or so) at a time, until it is not longer sticky. Knead it for a minute or two.

Corn tortilla dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meDivide it into 4 balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Corn tortilla dough ~ Lifeofjoy.meNow, place one piece of your cut grocery bag on the tortilla press (or down on your hard surface).

Preparing to press corn tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.mePlace your other piece of bag on top of it.

Corn Tortilla Press ~ Lifeofjoy.meLower the top part of the press, if using press.

Using tortilla press ~ Lifeofjoy.meRaise the handle and press on the top.

Pressing corn tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.meIf you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a heavy flat bottomed pan.

Remove the tortilla from the press and gently peel the bag from it.

pressed corn tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.meCorn tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.meremoving tortilla from liner ~ Lifeofjoy.mePlace on a medium hot skillet, sprayed lightly with oil spray.

Quick cooking tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.meCooked Corn Tortilla ~ Lifeofjoy.meRepeat the process with each dough ball.

Four Homemade Corn Tortillas ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd there you have it! Four lovely, delicious corn tortillas. These are soft and pliable. Unfortunately to fry them up crispy would make them a crossover. Hmmm, I wonder how they would turn out cut into triangles and baked?

Corn Tortillas

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Masa (corn flour, not corn meal and be sure it has lime in the ingredients)
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp butter (or coconut oil)
  • 5 tablespoons hot water

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in the hot water.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Form into a ball and knead for a minute or two.
  4. Divide into 4 golf ball sized balls
  5. Press between two pieces of cut grocery bag.
  6. Remove from press and bags.
  7. Cook on a medium hot skillet, lightly sprayed with oil to keep it from sticking.
  8. Cook for about a minute on each side.
  9. Fill with your favorite low fat toppings.
https://lifeofjoy.me/corn-tortillas/

In future weeks I’ll share some ways we enjoy these with some low fat ingredients.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

WWBB ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Another Kind of Bread

Low-Calorie bread that you can have slathered in butter if you so desire. :)

My first attempt at this Wonderful White Blender Bread from the Trim Healthy Mama Table cookbook page 242, turned out less than stellar results. ;)

FP Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meAlthough it did some serious collapsing, it was still edible and good enough that another loaf was desired.

The second time yielded much better results. I also made a batch into buns. They weren’t very large buns but they made some nice hamburgers. I’ll make them again this week to have with the Slim Sloppy Joes.

Brian, Lauren, and Liam were here this weekend and they liked it too. We finished off the loaf I made a few days prior.

It looked really nice and didn’t have that big fold over top that I’ve had on previous loaves and that I’ve seen online of other’s loaves. This time I changed up a few things per other’s experiences on the THM Facebook group, so I think that contributes to the lack of fold over.

I’ll walk you through it, as I make another loaf. (That is my only regret about this recipe, it makes only one loaf instead of two.)

So first up is to get a whole lot of eggs whites. Yes, it is easier to use egg whites from the carton but I cannot pay $3 or even more for a quart when I can get 5 dozen eggs for just $2.08 which turns out to render quite a bit more than four cups. So, I start this (and many recipes) by separating eggs. Thankfully we have animals that love the cooked yolks. ;)

Egg whites in Blender ~ Lifeofjoy.meThe whites go into the blender while I go measure out the other ingredients.

Modified WWBB Ingredients ~ Lifeofjoy.meI measure out the ingredients into a bowl. All the dry in one and the cup of Greek yogurt. Then I run the blender for a minute with just the egg whites and xanthan gum.

Egg whites ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd the remaining ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to blender ~ Lifeofjoy.meAdd Gk Yog ~ Lifeofjoy.meBlend for another minute or so.

Pour into sprayed straight sided loaf pan.

Baking Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meBaking Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

After it is baked, lay it on its side and keep it in the oven with it turned off for about 10-15 minutes to keep it from falling.Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meThen put it on a cooling rack on its side to cool some more.

bread ~ Lifeofjoy.mebread ~ Lifeofjoy.me bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhen it is freshly baked, it has a squishy sponginess. I don’t know how it tastes because I waited and toasted mine.

toast ~ lifeofjoy.me toast ~ lifeofjoy.meI shared though; it’s hubby approved.

Hubby Approved Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meHope you like it too.

Another Kind of Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 3/4 cup whey protein isolate powder
  • 1/2 cup THM Baking Blend
  • 1/2 cup oat fiber (THM or LIfesource 500 brands)
  • 1 cup greek yogurt or 1% cottage cheese
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend (Or possibly Sukrin +)
  • 1/2 teaspoon mineral salt
  • 1 tablespoon yeast (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350º and spray loaf pan with coconut oil spray.
  2. Blend the egg whites and xanthan gum on high for about a minute in the blender (or some say a mixer will work too)
  3. Add remaining ingredients and blend for about 30 seconds.
  4. Scrape down the sides of the blender to ensure it gets well blended.
  5. Blend for another 30 or so seconds.
  6. Pour into loaf pan.
  7. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
  8. When it is done, turn off the oven and lay the pan on its side and stay in oven for another 10 minutes or so.
  9. Then remove from oven and put on its side on a cooling rack.
  10. When cool, slice.
  11. Store in gallon size baggie with a paper towel in the refrigerator if it will last longer than a day.
https://lifeofjoy.me/another-kind-of-bread/

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Low Carb Pizza Crust!

Hallelujah!!! Real hold-in-your-hand pizza! This is a great alternative for that carb-laden delight of the past.

Fathead pizza is all over the internet. I’m so glad I came late to the keto diet because people have figured out things like pizza crust, bagels, donuts, and muffins, not to mention cakes and cookies. Pizza is one of my favorite meals. My mother taught me to make pizza the way her mother taught her. It has been a staple in our family for a VERY long time.

I, like many others, have tried all kinds of pizza crusts: cauliflower, chicken, corn thins (during the Let’s Do Lunch diet), tapioca (good for paleo diets), and even egg based crusts. This one is a winner though. The others were an okay substitute for a while but eventually I would really crave that regular bread dough crust.

I had stayed away from this one while on other diets and even in the beginning of this way of eating because of the large amounts of cheese in the crust. You see, I didn’t know how it would work to have so much cheese IN the crust and then ON the crust too but I finally gave it a try and I love it!

Another reason I avoided this one was because every recipe I’d seen melted the cheese with the cream cheese in the microwave and I don’t like to use the microwave. Actually, for a long time I had my microwave put away. Then I learned that it works just as well on the stovetop.

Here’s how easy it is to make . . .

Put 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (I use part-skim because I was told it works better than full fat for this recipe) and 2 tablespoons of cream cheese in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. As it begins to melt combine the two and stir occasionally, until it is all melted.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Then add 1/3 cup of almond flour, 1/3 cup oat fiber 500, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, and a teaspoon dried oregano.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.meGarlic Salt and Oregano ~ Lifeofjoy.me

When partially combined and cool enough that it won’t cook the egg on contact, add the egg.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Combine thoroughly.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Spread out thinly on parchment paper on a pizza pan or cookie sheet.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, lightly browned.

Fathead Pizza ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Low Carb Pizza Crust!

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella (6 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese (1 ounce)
  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 1/3 cup oat fiber 500 (brand does make a difference)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

  1. Melt mozzarella and cream cheese over medium heat in a heavy saucepan.
  2. Thoroughly combine the two cheeses.
  3. When melted, add almond flour, oat fiber, and seasonings.
  4. Add egg and combine thoroughly.
  5. Flatten out onto parchment paper on a pizza pan or baking sheet.
  6. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
https://lifeofjoy.me/low-carb-pizza-crust/
Amish Cinnamon Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Amish Cinnamon Bread

I first received this wonderful bread when Michael and I had only been married about three or four years. A dear lady in the church brought us a loaf one day. I loved it so much that I asked her for the recipe. She happily agreed, as she informed me that this bread uses a starter and told me how easy it was to make. She also told me that if I wasn’t going to make the bread for a while, I could freeze the starters. This was good news, because the recipe says it makes three large loaves of bread.

Here’s the deal, you use a one cup starter, stirring it once each day. On the fifth day you add flour, milk, and sugar to it and stir for two more days. Then let it rest for two days.

Day 10 is the baking day but first you add another cup of flour, milk, and sugar. Then before mixing up the batter, you remove three starters, one cup each. These starters can be given away to friends or even frozen.

So here’s the deal, although the recipe says it makes 3 large loaves ours doesn’t because my family doesn’t like the raisins added and only likes the nuts on occasion. As you can guess, this means there is less bulk in the batter reducing the number of loaves it produces.

Years ago, I shared this recipe (and a starter) with a friend. One Christmas she decided she wanted to make a double batch to give as gifts. She did the math and measurements and found that if you take out just one starter, you have two batches worth of starter left and could double the recipe, which is what we do every time.

Amish Cinnamon Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

I believe you could create your own starter by combining 1/3 cup each flour, milk, and sugar in a container, loosely covered, and leave it out on the counter for a couple of days.

Combine all the ingredients.

Amish Cinnamon Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meWe like this recipe in muffins more than the bread. Although Sean and Tiffany really like there to be a gooey bit in the loaves.

Amish Cinnamon Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Amish Cinnamon Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Amish Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 cups flour, divided
  • 3 cups sugar, divided
  • 2 cups milk, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 large box INSTANT vanilla pudding mix
  • 1-2 cups nuts
  • 1 cup raisins

Instructions

  1. To use frozen starter or starting with 1/3 cup each milk, sugar, and flour:
  2. Take out of freezer (or sit new starter on counter, loosely covered) for 2 days, on 3rd day start counting as day 1.
  3. Day 1: Receive Starter
  4. Day 2: Stir
  5. Day 3: Stir
  6. Day 4: Stir
  7. Day 5: Place starter in larger container for room to rise and add 1 cup each flour, sugar, and milk.
  8. Day 6: Stir
  9. Day 7: Stir
  10. Day 8: Do Nothing
  11. Day 9: Do Nothing
  12. DAY 10: Add 1 cup each flour, sugar, and milk.
  13. Take 3 cups and put 1 cup in each of 3 small containers with lids; these are for your friends, yourself, to start again, or to freeze.
  14. To the remaining batter, add:
  15. 2 cups flour
  16. 1 cup sugar and all the rest of the ingredients beginning with salt, listed above.
  17. Grease and flour pans. Pour batter into pans and bake at 325º. Muffins bake in 15-20 minutes and loaf pans bake in 45-60 minutes. Can wrap and freeze when nearly cool.
https://lifeofjoy.me/amish-cinnamon-bread/

If you try this, let me know what you think, and how making your own starter worked out.

Until next time, God bless,

 Michele ºÜº

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Cheese Cracker ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Cheese Crackers

Every once in a while I want a cracker. A cheese cracker. :)

I found the inspiration for this little gem on YourLighterSide.com.

They are incredibly easy to make. :) All you need are a microwave and a deluxe slice of American cheese.

Start by taking a deluxe American cheese slice. I’m told it has to be the deluxe. I’ve not tried it with anything else.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.mePlace it on a piece of parchment paper.

Cut it in half. I use a long blade knife, so that I can just press it down and not have to drag it.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.meNow cut it half again.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.meCut each strip into about 5 pieces.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.meSpace them apart so they don’t melt into one big piece. Microwave for 30-45 seconds.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.meYou will probably hear a lot of sizzling, which is okay. Take them out and let them cool for a few seconds.

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Cheese Crackers ~ Lifeofjoy.meCheese Cracker ~ Lifeofjoy.meRepeat the process with the other half of the cheese slice. :)

Enjoy the crunch.

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Mug Bread (Gluten-Free)

A bread made from egg, almond flour, flax (flour), quickly made in the microwave.

From time to time I need to have a “bread” that is not really a bread, if you know what I mean. I’ve been doing the keto diet for the past month or so and finally got to the point I “needed” some bread.Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

Thankfully this is not a new scenario for me and I was able to go and dig into my hCG recipes for this, very simple, quick and easy bread that is made in the microwave in just 70 seconds. :)

I have a friend that needs this right now too, so I’m sharing it here for her future reference, as well as my own. ;)

You need just a few ingredients. If you make anything gluten-free from scratch, you probably already have some of these items.

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meCombine all ingredients in a mini food processor, magic bullet, blender, or mix in the actual baking container with either a immersion blender or your own arm power and a whisk. Tiffany chooses the later but I go ahead and get out the mini processor.

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me Transfer to your mug or english muffin-sized bowl. I used this small soup bowl.

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.mePop it into the microwave for 70 seconds. (I go through spells where I don’t use the microwave for long spells and then want it again for a few things. I have not figured out how to make this without using the microwave, although I figure it’s got to work in the oven; I just don’t know how long it would need to cook.)

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meAnd it’s done.

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meI loosen it around the sides with a small rubber spatula/scraper and turn it out onto a plat or cutting board.

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.meWhen cut in half horizontally, this makes two rather thick pieces of “bread”; so I cut it into three slices. Then I love to make a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich with two of the slices and a piece of toast with the last. :)

Mug Bread ~ Lifeofjoy.me

I like to toast it.

Mug Bread (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup almond flour
  • 1 Tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 Tablespoon water

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients well. (I use a mini food processor)
  2. Pour into mug or other suitable microwavable container
  3. Microwave for 70 seconds.
  4. Remove from microwave and from baking container.
  5. Slice in 2-3 pieces and enjoy!
https://lifeofjoy.me/mug-bread-gluten-free/

I hope you enjoy this. We sure have. :)

Until next time, God bless,

Michele ºÜº

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