Is this too good to be true?
 

I just accidentally came across this website that sells low carb bread. I'm wondering if anyone has tried it. They are a small business so orders are baked "to order" for now. It seems too good to be true and I couldn't find anything on the site when I did a search. Has anyone tried this product? They will also be adding hamburger, hot dog and dinner buns to their product line.

http://www.smartweighters.com/index.htm

Hey, WandaWanda. How do?

I took a look at the website and the ingredient information, such as it is, that's provided, and ya know, it's quite possible that it's perfectly accurate and correct.

My own bread recipe posted here in Readers' Recipes uses pretty well the same ingredients and has a lower carb count per slice, actually... But of course I have to MAKE it.

Getting it across the border might be fun, never mind the shipping charges. Also, in Canada (I've been doing research, the label laws have just undergone a major change) 2g or less per serving makes it 'legally' a Low Carbohydrate food.

FYI.

Hi ya Judi: :wave:

Long time no hear. I bought so many LC tortillas from you last time, I'm still trying to use them up. :D

So the sugar in the yeast really does burn off with no carb count? The only problem is that they use splenda. I'm concerned about eating splenda almost everyday, plus I don't really like its aftertaste. I e-mailed them about making it without splenda since they are made to order, but haven't heard back from them.

I'm surprised that no one has tried it. I'd really like to hear what it's like. One of my problems in the summer is trying to pack a compact, non-perishable, lightweight meal to carry in my golf bag. It'd be really nice to be a able to pack a sandwich that didn't taste like soy. But, I won't get my hopes up too high.

You think getting it across the border will be hard? I think they UPS the bread cause it has to be delivered within a few days. I'm mostly concerned about the cost if I like it.

Re: your recipe - I couldn't find one by Island Girl or Judi. I found one called "Lo Carb Bread". It has 4g/slice. Looks good, though, cause it has no soy it in. Your recipe, is it "good, good" or low carb "good". I'm not one for making "faux" recipes because they mostly remind me what I'm missing. :tears: I don't mind high fiber, but really dislike the taste of soy. I don't own a bread machine (in fact, I've never made bread), but maybe if the recipe were really good, it would be worth the effort.

As always, thanks Judi

Wanda

Hey, Wanda! Goodness me, it's all really simple.

To find my recipe, go to the orange menu bar above and click on LowCarb Recipes, then from Karen's Gourmet recipe page, click on the red line readers' low carb recipes that's near the top of the page right above her picture, then click on Bread & Pasta then click on Rye Bread, Oven Baked, 2 1# loaves or even Gabi's World-famous Bread which is a similar recipe. It definitely has "IslandGirl" on it. My website name has no space in it, you technogeek you!

My version provides instructions for both Bread Machine and oven-baking. I minimize or eliminate the sugar/sweeteners (doesn't seem to harm anything and though the yeast PROBABLY eats it all up, there's no way to be sure) and increased the yeast accordingly. I don't like soy taste and there ain't any here as far as I can tell. I do generally use organic stoneground soy flour, but it's not dominant.

As for baking, if no bread machine, some experience is helpful. You might want to find someone who has baked and hand them the ingredients and recipe and have them walk you through it or bake it for you? Could be fun.

It's real bread and I've had bakers comment on the 'happy dough' that's produced and non-LowCarbers enjoy it as well (though you should ALWAYS warn them how filling it is).

As for the smartweighters website, I noticed it was up as of last July and it surprised me too, that I hadn't heard of it, being the Products Queen! :D

Enjoy, Wanda, email me (you know where) anytime!

OK, OK, I'll admit it... I didn't check ALL the links under "Bread & Pasta" :lol: - skipped the Rye recipe cause I don't like rye and never made it down to Gabi's since I was looking for "Judi". Since I didn't know what I was looking for, I thought I'd ask.

Hey, the processed food queen has been converted. I can cook anything now. :agree: I've made pizza dough from scratch before, so I can do this. I think I can, I think I can..... Actually, maybe I'll get my dad to make the first mistake-free batch (he's a great bread maker) and if it turns out, I'll try to make it. :blush:

As for the smartweighters.com site, maybe they are just so young (as a business). Heck, you'd think they'd send free loaves to the "Product Queen" to test out and review. Hmmm, there's a thought.

You take care & I'll let you know how this turns out.

Wanda, the "technogeek" :lol: :bash:
P.S. aren't these little emoticons annoying? I love them.

Wanda, you'll be happy to know it doesn't TASTE like a Rye Bread, more like a multigrain (which it IS, I suppose).

Do let me know how it turns out, I'd love to hear your Dad's feedback, too.

PS: I like it best oven-baked but I let the bread machine do all the hard work with the kneading. I haven't tried it yet with the dough hook on the stand mixer I got last Christmas :devil: but that's supposed to be a good lazy way to knead the dough.

In that case, I'll try both recipes. My dad's feedback would be "I wouldn't touch the stuff". :D He's a white bread kinda guy. I tried converting them, but it was one of my miserable failures.

Ya, I was thinking of using the bread attachments on my mixer. I've used it before for low carb shortbreads and, I think, the pizza dough.

OOOOhhhh, you got a stand mixer for Christmas? Could it have been a Kitchen Aid for the hobby cook?

Wanda

oh yeah
 

I didna wanna BRAG but yes, a lacquer-black KitchenAid, my heart nearly stopped :spin:

I needs must get me a spare bowl, a small bowl and (ha ha ha!) one of those fancy-shmancy attachment kits with the meat grinder et al! :yum: YaaaaaHoooooo! :devil:

PS: :devil: I know you don't really want or need any :help: but I thought I'd point out to you that with these cool conversational threads, you don't really need to use bandwidth in quotes! Well, not unless a whole bunch of people butt in and stick posts in between our little chats :devil:

PPS: When you get really good at this bread thing? Consider upping the vital gluten content and adding/upping (I can't remember if that's in there or not) the oat flour (health food store) and making a creditable white bread. :yum:

Hugs! :bhug:

Hi Judi:

You are right about wasting bandwidth. Old habits die hard. I used to belong on a BB where it was very hard to follow threads and there would be snips taken out of them. When I refer to something written, I just automatically quote it.

I'm so jealous about your Kitchen Aid. :cool: I've been considering it but never have the courage to spend that much money. I'll just have to wait till my current mixer goes. If I keep making bread, maybe it will go quicker. The grinder attachment has gone already.

Speaking of bread, I bought all my ingredients today. I'm going to make this tomorrow. I will keep you updated.

I don't know what's going on with that company. I e-mailed them, but they haven't replied. It's been 4 days. I noticed they use almond flour in their bread. Oh, I love almond flour. When I'm good enough, maybe I can play with that ingredient.

Take care,
Wanda

the hubby bought it....
 

... i didn't have that kind of financial daring either!

Sooooooo, how's the bread, eh? I'm going to experiment sometime this weekend with a starter, i.e., making one... now THERE'S a challenge. Sheesh.

smartweighters not taking new orders
 

I sent them an email with an order inquiry and they responded back that they can't take any new orders. Very small business and they weren't expecting their little website to be noticed by so many. The webpage was just for the convenience of their very small local customer base. They said they may be expanding in a couple months. So at this point all you can do is get on their list of potential future customers.

Hi RhaChaCha:

Thanks for the info. Boy, guess they never thought what a thriving business low carb can be. I'll call them a see about that waiting list.

I'd love to hear what it tastes like if you get it before me.

Hi Judi:

Having some trouble - recipe doesn't say what to add (ie. which flour) if the dough is too sticky - how long should I kneed with dough attachment?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
 

IslandGirl,

I just had to thank you for the wonderful bread recipe!

I made a ½ batch 2 days ago and it was amazing! I have been buying Food for Life’s low carb bread, and although I like it(a little), it does not come close to the taste of real bread. Your bread tastes like a wonderful, home baked yeast and flour bread!

Your bread is going to be a regular in my home! Thanks so much!

Hi Judi:

2 milestones today.

1) I just made my first loaf of bread - decided "what the heck" and jumped right in, cold turkey.

2) I just ate a legal chicken sandwich! It was like heaven. :yum:

Thank you, thank you for that recipe. I'm hooked. Is it worth it to buy a bread machine? If so, what's the best breadmaker for this kind of breadmaking? I think I'd prefer to bake it in the oven. It didn't seem like such a chore with the kneading attachment.

It was a little chewier than I remember most bread. I added a little more gluten flour to the recipe (wasn't sure what to add re: my post above), so maybe that was why it was chewier? I called my mom and she thought I still have to knead the dough even if using the dough attachment. If I have to knead, I'll buy a bread machine. I didn't knead the dough, but it seemed to turn out ok. Very big and light.

WHY DOESN'T EVERYONE KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP BREAD? The ones I've had in the past were bricks or tasted like soy. Could these be made into hamburger buns?

Yay for Judi! :clap: :cheer:
Wanda

bread
 

Sue 222, Hello could you give me the recipe for the bread and did you make this by hand or bread machine? Please let me know thanks alot :wave:

Hi Mandy
 

Mandy,

You can find Islandgirls wonderful recipe by doing the following:

1-Go to the orange menu bar at the top of this page and click on the Low Carb Recipes link

2- Click on the “Go to readers' low carb recipes” link at the top of Karens Recipes page(and just below the orange bar)

3-Click on Bread & Pasta

4-Click on Rye Bread, Oven Baked, 2 1# loaves

I started the bread in my bread machine, on the dough cycle, and then finished it in a regular loaf pan.

I only have a 1 ½ pound bread machine, so I had to cut the recipe in half.

Enjoy!

Sue

HOLY MOLY, Wanda! One question at a time! :lol:

Actually, let me deal with a couple of other things, first.

Sue222, thanks for the compliments, and for your efforts in leading MandyJo to the bread recipe... I MUST :D however point out that if the whole thread is read, the instructions are already there, where I laid them out in GREAT detail for Wanda in the first place :D :devil: :D

Now, Wanda:



Make up your mind... :lol: Yes, if you don't want to KNEAD at all AND you follow your mother's advice, it's worth it to buy a bread machine and (answered earlier, dear one) get one with a DOUGH or PASTA cycle - that's where the kneading's done.

OTOH {on the other hand}, a bread machine is basically a high-speed dough hook (yes, the same gizmo as used in the stand mixer) in the bottom of the container that also has a heating element around it and a timer and a mini-chip for different cycles. You choose: if the stand mixer worked out for you (very big and light you say? good flavour you say?), why bother?

On THAT subject, I couldn't possibly tell you how long the dough SHOULD be kneaded using the dough hook in the stand mixer, as I actually haven't done that yet. It was just my cook's brain that said it could be done, a dough hook is a dough hook is a dough hook. So I'm hoping you'll tell ME how long you let it run (i.e., kneaded the dough using the dough hook in the stand mixer)?

It's a chewier bread to start with, by the way, because it has a much higher percentage of vital gluten flour (low carb) than 'normal' bread. VGF is about 75-80% protein and regular flour is MAYBE 25% protein and a ton of the evil refined carbs. Ergo, elastic and chewy. No gettnig away from chewy with this recipe, but light and high is a MAJOR accomplishment!

Any of the flours would have been fine when you had the sticky situation but I would have selected the lowest carb one, too, if needed. I have a tendency to do it a little bit differently, though. I short the water in the first place, and then add a little if the dough looks too dry as it is kneading.



Not all people can eat wheat or any grain, and many are 'triggered' into carb cravings by any kind of bread, BTW. Definition of BREAD, my dear. Now take a deep breath and make sure to count your carbs/slices/portions, and remember that many people have many more constraints than you... :p -- and of course you can make them into hamburger buns. Do the same thing (make the dough), shape into rolls (portion the dough out) and make sure they get only 1 rise. Into the oven.

BTW, has anybody here taken a look in the LowCarb Kitchen forum to see if all this discussion may have already been had by others? the Readers' Recipes link to that forum if anyone pushes the little 'button' on the recipe that says "Discuss this Recipe" or some such. A great place for baking tips and such, too.

Hi Judi: :wave:

Thanks for the info. I need to use quotes here cause I'm addressing certain questions/responses. ;)



Yes, I had already checked but there was no discussion on either of your recipes. Also "bread maker" search didn't show up any of my questions. If I "report myself to a moderator", would she be able to copy some of this thread to your "discuss the recipe" section? The conversation certainly has taken a different direction than the original post. :o



I can't remember if it was 5 or 10 minutes, I didn't count. Next time I'll post the results under your "Discuss the recipe" thread. Being my first attempt at bread, I didn't know you were supposed to knead the dough as well as use the dough hook until after I had the bread in the oven when my mother corrected me. But not kneading it didn't seem to bother the end results.


I actually prefer chewier bread. I just wanted to make sure I did it right.


Hmmm, I spent some time thinking about this before posting. I am a very avid golfer. I carry my bag over a course of 5-5 1/2 hours, so I have space, weight, and heat limitations on what I can bring to eat. This has been the worst adjustment for me and I found myself trying to avoid golfing if I wanted to be "good" or simply cheating from lack of choices.

Right now I am trying to really work on making this a WOL for myself. I'm no longer avoiding situations which may cause me to cheat, but find appropriate alternatives. I'm not on induction, but looking for ways to live this way forever without craving sugar. On maintenance, I will never be able eat a bowl of oatmeal because I know it will set off cravings. I'll never be able to eat anything resembling sweet because I know it will set off cravings. About as sweet as I can get is stevia and then it's only occasional. So, finding out I could make half decent LC bread is a blessing in disguise for me. I can golf and not worry about cheating.

Eating bread is not a regular thing for me. Besides, one of the great side effects of LCing is the lack of bloating from all those grains. ;) I had 2 thin slices of that bread in total last week and the rest is still sitting in the freezer. Bread is the occasional treat for me when I'm in a fix . This is a much better alternative than those ridiculous "LC" bars which cause me symptoms of hypoglycemia.

However, you are right. People are sensitive to the grains. In my excitement, I didn't mean to imply that "everyone should eat" LC bread, just that "I didn't know good quality LC bread existed". Forgive me if I gave the wrong impression. It just seemed to be the "best kept secret". There is so much talk on the forum about LC sweeteners, desserts, and LC products, I was surprised I hadn't come across this information. Maybe I just wasn't seeing it in the right places.

I would almost always choose fresh, whole food over grains and processed foods. One of my greatest frustrations is the amount of frankenfoods people still eat on this WOE. Behaviorally, we aren't learning new ways of eating when we continue to eat our food out of a package, but that's just my opinion. People do the best they can and many just can't accept a major dietary overhaul at this point in their lives. I sincerely apologize if I gave anyone the impression that regularly eating LC bread is OK. It's certainly not.

Hope this clarifies some issues,
Wanda

Sorry to be so slow in responding, dear Wanda... been in EDMONTON :devil: so don't even go there.... :lol:

Hey, EXCELLENT selective use of the quotes, Wanda, just precisely what that little feature is for. You rock!

So here I go, in response to your thoughtful and considered post (and I'll use the quotes, too, because there are several 'streams of consciousness', right?).



Well, now. :lol: I guess I was wearing my Moderator hat and being perhaps a TOUCH pointed. Sigh. Sure you can but it would come to me anyway... LOL! The time has come for me to do my Moderator magic anyway and port the appropriate bits of this thread over to the Kitchen. I've delayed because, once THERE, I no longer have my magical Moderator powers and won't be able to merge this with the other related thread as I would rather do... and Karen's a bit busy, too. But no matter. I'll do it soon.



Well, I don't do that either :lol: Your mother is clearly more of a traditionalist, and perhaps can detect the textural differences with the extra hand-kneading, but I can't (and maybe you can't either) so I'm not inclined to think it makes any difference for US, anyway.



Well said, and very specific. I understand completely.



Nah, you're right. There's WAY too much focus on desserts and sweets, but that's pretty well where everyone starts, to some degree or other. It's not-PC of me, but LC experience tells me that eventually one must lose the focus on such stuff as being bodily craving distractions, the 'addiction' calling out, and refocus on real food and real life -- if you want to understand it's not a temporary 'diet' but a change in the way one approaches food and health... but I digress. I DO understand your point, and now I'm 'preaching to the converted', for pete's sake!



Not to worry, that's why they pay me the big bucks :lol: -- NOT -- to try to moderate the tones and threads and such...

See you in the Kitchen, Wanda! Take care.

Hi ya Judi:

I won't ask about Edmonton. ;)



:lol: That kind of made me sound like I was saying "I'm going to turn myself in".

See ya in the Kitchen,
Wanda

smartweighters bread crumb substitute
 

wow......hey guys......i am a new "inductee" and having a great time eating all the things that I never could eat on any other diet. I, too, came across the Smartweighters site, and contacted them...they have so many customers for their bread, that there is a waiting list to order it. But, the good news is that the have this bread crumb substitute that I was able to order and I was in heaven......i used it for fried chicken, and veal parmesan, and my kids ate chicken nuggets and didn't even know it was "diet" food....hehe...and the best part ZERO CARBS....they eaven send me a buy one get one free certificate. I wish I gould get good stuff like this in a restaurant, because my hubby likes to eat out. Anyway.,..i came here to find a partner to lose pounds with....anyone out there looking for a little motivation, like me?