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Keto breads have evolved quite a bit since I began a clean keto diet/lifestyle in 2017, and I think one of the biggest challenges for many new keto eaters has been finding—or in my case nearly perfecting—a good recipe for pillowy soft, chewy bread textures often found with traditional kneaded-bread items, such as sandwich bread, dinner rolls, hamburger buns, or a thick pizza crust. Big box stores, however, such as Costco, Aldi, and Wal-Mart now carry keto bread loaves and/or bread mixes (some containing modified wheat starch, soybean oil, gluten and/or the typical run down of preservatives in bread products). This is a huge contrast to the grocery options in 2017. Back then, cloud and another egg-based bread was a modest effort at bread making as we know it, often falling apart or tasting too much like eggs! Then came fathead dough, a pure genius enhancement that brought back a chewy texture and evening out the playing field among keto versus traditional breads. Fathead dough is now widely used in the making of pizza dough, pretzels, and a new, modified version with keto chaffles.

Yesterday, though, I found a pretty amazing recipe update for the keto pretzels I had previously posted last year. This new recipe can also be used for bread rolls. And, like the previous pretzel post, this update does not use cheese as used in fathead doughs, but offers the option of using dairy or dairy-free substitutes. Unlike my other recipe, however, the new one does not include eggs, nor the same ratio of flours. The biggest difference is the addition of psyllium husk powder (which I’ve experimented with in the past for low-carb bread with mixed results), along with a new combination of ingredients, including the rather debatable ingredient—xanthan gum.

**Side note: The photo contained in the front cover of this post is from my previous pretzel recipe from last year. (I will be replacing it the next time I have a chance to make another batch and have the opportunity to stage it for better photo presentation.) It has a smoother outer skin, but does not have the same rise or air-filled texture as this current recipe. Its dough center is a bit more dense, and I may alter the previous recipe slightly so that it has less almond flour, with a replacement of psyllium husk, and ultimately a lower net carb count. The photos below are of the new recipe creations, which have a slightly drier skin texture from the psyllium husk powder used.**

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum, a vegetable gum, is one known ingredient that provides a similar elasticity of gluten-containing baked goods and is often a go-to product in gluten-free baking. Xanthan gum is used as a thickener in sauces, dressings, and even toothpastes and medications. Unfortunately, this ingredient is a food additive, and it does get mixed feedback for good reason in clean-eating circles. Food additives are generally unnecessary, especially if we make our own food, and many pose health concerns. Below are three reasons why one may or may not choose to use xanthan gum:

It is derived from a manufacturing process. (And, I am by no means trying to push processed foods or processed additives with this post.) It is made by the fermentation of sugar–most often from corn–with the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris. And, the extraction process from which the powder is separated includes the use of alcohol.
Most people tolerate xanthan gum well, given the small amounts typically used; however, a small number of people are very sensitive to it in food, having some form of digestive upset from it (especially if consumed in larger amounts). Others may experience flu-like symptoms or nose, throat, and lung irritation from the powder itself.¹
If you have an allergy or sensitivity to corn, like a very small number of people do with citric acid (also a corn and mycotoxin derivative that is widely used in carbonated soft drinks, sauces, and other foods), you might already determine this ingredient is not for you.

On the other hand, if you use it sparingly as I do, I strongly recommend you find a non-GMO version, as corn is one of the most genetically-modified grains out there. Fortunately, if you decide to include this in some of your occasional breaded snack food treats or dinner rolls, it is available with zero net carbs.

If, however, you decide to skip xanthan gum for a substitute, other less debatable alternatives are available. I have used some of them in various other baking or cooking.

Xanthan Gum Alternatives

Agar agar: I have limited use of this ingredient, derived of Red Sea algae, which is touted to have excellent gelling and thickening properties. It is often used in desserts, soups and sauces. I have also heard that, in the low-carb Asian cooking community, agar agar is used as a rice/rice paper substitute, as it can be purchased in sheets, flakes, powders, and bars. Given it’s use as a rice substitute, I’ll definitely have to get my hands on some of those agar agar sheets to experiment with making Vietnamese spring rolls or perhaps other rice-based foods I have not been able to eat on keto!
Chia and/or flax seeds and water: These seeds have often been in used for anything from breakfast smoothies, puddings, and as a binder in baked goods. I do not personally use these, as I have seen on a number of health websites chia and flax seeds mimic estrogen (called phytoestrogens), which is of particular of concern for many of us breast cancer survivors. And, due to the limited research to say whether these do more to help prevent or increase risk for certain cancers, I have decided not to use these until the verdict is out. (Note: If you look up phytoestrogens, a list of other healthy foods pop up, such as cruciferous vegetables, berries, and garlic, and I have decided to keep those in my diet for their anti-inflammatory properties. If you have been impacted by breast cancer, consider doing a little of your own research and decide for yourself, if eating some, if not all, phytoestrogens are right for you.)
Egg whites: I use these in my donuts at the bake shop. They provide a visibly whiter cake property, without the taste or look of yellow yolks, and they provide a pretty good binding quality for lighter baked goods.
Konjac powder or glucomannan: This tasteless powder is derived from the same konjac plant used to make Miracle and other similar zero-carb noodles. It is considered a prebiotic fiber, good for gut health, and I use this as a thickener in custard, fruit-based glazes or jams, and in frosting. It provides a gel-like quality in some of these items, especially when used in sauces made on the stovetop.
Unflavored gelatin: This ingredient is derived from animal collagen, and in holistic circles, grass-fed beef gelatin contains various health benefits, similar to that of grass-fed collagen, as described in this Medical News Today article. I use this type of gelatin in my Snickerdoodle cookies. It helps keep these cookies soft and chewy. Sources suggest setting the power in cold water and then adding hot water to dissolve the gelatin powder. I find this to be one additional step that doesn’t always work to my favor so I often just add it as a dry ingredient when mixing together baking ingredients.

Source

https://www.rxlist.com/xanthan_gum/supplements.htm

Soft + Chewy Keto Pretzels

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: SnacksCuisine: Bavarian-AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

minutes

Baking time

minutes

Have a craving for the salty side of low-carb snacking? Try my recipe for these soft pretzels (also good for rolls), using dairy and dairy-free ingredient options. The dairy-based version favors the keto eater with slightly more fat and 4.5 net carbs!

Full macros, calculated using Cronometer, will be posted soon for both versions of this recipe.

Ingredients

Dairy-Based Version Wet Ingredients
1 cup 1 hot filtered water
1/4 cup 1/4 organic pasture-raised heavy whipping cream
2.5 tablespoons 2.5 organic pasture-raised unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon 1/2 organic apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon 1 melted butter for brushing onto finished pretzels, optional
Non-Dairy Version Wet Ingredients
1 cup 1 hot filtered water
1/4 c 1/4 organic full-fat coconut milk (I like getting mine from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 tablespoon 1/2 organic apple cider vinegar
2.5 tablespoons 2.5 Butter-flavored coconut oil (or pasture-raised ghee for some Paleo eaters)
Dry Ingredients
5/8 cup 5/8 coconut flour
3/8 cup 3/8 almond flour
4 tablespoons 4 zero-carb psyllium husk powder
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 non-GMO, zero-carb xanthan gum
1-1/4 teaspoon 1-1/4 aluminum and gluten-free baking powder (I prefer a zero-carb brand)
1/2 teaspoon 1/2 garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon 1/4 Himalayan pink salt
Egg Wash Ingredients
1 large 1 organic pasture-raised egg
1/2 tablespoon 1/2 water
Sprinkled Seasonings or Toppings + Brushed-On Flavorings
course or flaked sea salt
Everything Bagel Seasoning
melted pasture-raised butter or ghee
pure olive oil

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, and add 1 cup of the boiling hot water to a 16 oz (or 1 pint) measuring cup. Then add the apple cider vinegar, butter (or dairy-free substitute), and heavy whipping cream (or dairy-free sub). Allow the boiling water to melt the butter, and stir ingredients.
Now, add a piece of parchment paper to a large-sized cookie sheet.
Then, in a small mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix well, flattening out any clumped parts.
Add your wet ingredients to your mixing bowl of dry ingredients, and using a spatula, make sure to blend all the dry ingredients together so it all comes off the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Now, separate your dough on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet in four to six even-sized balls. If the dough feels tacky to the touch, allow the dough balls to sit out on your baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before forming into pretzel twists.

Note: The more dough balls you make, the fewer net carbs. Although, six pretzels may finish looking more like a pretzel knot rather than a full pretzel, as seen in the photo below, so I’ll leave the choice of how many pretzels to make up to you.
Next, roll one ball into a smooth 3/4″ thick, 12″ long rope, pinching together and smoothing out broken areas, as needed.
Then, here’s the somewhat tricky part, forming the rope into pretzel twists. I like to start by crossing the rope ends over each other and folding the looped end over the crossed rope end. Next, I lay it down on the parchment so the crossed ends sit on top of the looped end. I hope this makes sense. Looking at the graphic above might help, although you may have an easier method to use. (At some point, I need to begin creating video for my recipe posts!)
Repeat this step until all dough balls have been formed into pretzel twists.
Now, crack an egg into a small bowl, and add a 1/2 tablespoon of water. Whisk these ingredients together with a fork to create your egg wash. And, using a basting brush, generously brush the egg wash over each pretzel. You will do this again after 15 minutes of baking. (The egg wash helps give your pretzels a golden-color, while providing a tacky surface for your seasoning to stick to in the next step.)
Now, place these in the bottom rack of the oven, and set your oven timer to bake for roughly 15 minutes. When the buzzer goes off, pull the rack out to baste with another layer of egg wash, adding your choice of seasoning (course sea salt, Everything Bagel Seasoning, olive oil, or even a basting of melted butter or ghee, although butter may be prone to burn if you don’t watch it as it bakes).

Note: Your egg wash can be used for up to three batches of pretzels or can be used elsewhere (i.e., added to your egg scramble or fried to eat between a toasted and halved pretzel after they are done baking).
Then, bake for another 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown on the tops, and remove from the oven. You may add an additional layer of butter, ghee, or butter-flavored coconut oil. Then allow to cool before enjoying.