Einkorn Fluffy Biscuits
I am beginning to experiment with Einkorn flour. There is much info on the web about this ancient form of wheat if you Google: http://www.jovialfoods.com/nutrition.html For the wheat naysayers about to attack, yes, I have read Wheat Belly by Dr. Wm. Davis, and yes, I know about the metabolic response to gliadin. But I don’t think all wheat is “evil” to the degree that I’m not willing to consume it at all. We all get to pick our own vices. Einkorn wheat is the non-hybridized, non-genetically modified wheat Dr. Davis speaks of in his book. So I personally plan to begin experimenting with Einkorn flour on a very small scale… in BREAD recipes only. I will begin kitchen testing this product, never exceeding 2T. per full recipe, which will actually translate into a very small amount occurring in each slice or serving.
In all honesty, after 4+ years of baking low-carb breads with all the various alternate flours, I’m just not very happy with any of them, nor is my husband. Yes, I’ve come up with some very good bread recipes. I had hopes for the very low-carb lupin flour I discovered not long ago. But I have discovered I am highly allergic to it, so that one is out of the picture for this girlie. So I have to be very honest here, NONE of my very best bread recipes are as good as “the real thing”. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. It is for this reason I am going to begin experimenting with Einkorn wheat flour in combination with typical low-carb alternate flours and see where that leads. I order my Einkorn flour from Jovial Foods: http://www.jovialfoods.com/products/einkorn-flour.html . They carry the whole grains as well, and I may eventually order some of that and try sprouting them for a sprouted bread. But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I have to see how my body reacts to small amounts of this flour.
If you prefer a biscuit that has no wheat flour at all in it, then do check out my Peggy’s Fluffy Biscuits. They’re delicious and really live up to their name!
The experiment this morning rendered a biscuit flavor that was spot on! Even my husband loved these (he ate three!). No crumbling! No dry mouth feel! I’m so pleased! As I begin testing this flour I will post the new version on site with the same recipe name, but with the word “Einkorn” at the beginning of the name (as above). I will also leave the old version of the recipes up on my site, as each will have their target audience. This should make it easy to find the specific recipe version.
If you prefer not to use the 2T. Einkorn flour in the recipe, you have two options: you can just use 2T. more whey protein powder……..but that results in less fiber so the net carb count actually goes UP if you do (depending on your brand of whey protein); or you can use my Fluffy Biscuit recipe that has no wheat flour. I had to rerun the numbers 3 times to verify that to be the case. This recipe is not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 OWL and is suitable for Ketogenic diets. It is not acceptable for Primal-Paleo followers.
UPDATE NOTE: These warmed up very nicely in a low oven at 300º. They were just as good as the morning I made them, which is unusual for low-carb biscuits!
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 T. Parmesan cheese
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix
¼ c. plain whey protein powder (I use NOW brand)
2 T. Einkorn Wheat Flour [or 2 T. more whey protein powder, if you prefer]
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Oil your pan (I used a silicone muffin pan). If making drop biscuits, oil or line a sheet pan with parchment or silicone sheet. Soften the cream cheese in a medium bowl. Add in the 2 eggs (I only had 1 left in the house today and had to sub in a chia gel “egg” for my second egg) and the cheeses. Stir well to blend. Measure the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and beat/fold until well-mixed. Spoon or drop into 9 equal biscuits. Bake for about 13-14 minutes or until firm to the touch in the center and beginning to lightly browned. Cool a couple minutes, carefully remove from pan and serve at once with your favorite preserves and butter.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 9 biscuits, each contains:
148 calories
11.7 g fat
4.13 g carbs, 2.72 g fiber, 1.41 g NET CARBS (if you sub in 2T. more WPI for the Einkorn flour, 3.06 Carbs, 1.10 fiber, 1.96 Net carbs)
10.35 g protein
279 mg sodium
430 mg potassium
Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes 
I have tried Judy Barnes yogurt biscuits with Jennifer’s mix and they were outstanding!
I’ll have to try that one day soon! I have some of Jen’s mix made up ready to go!
hi Peggy,
Would you by any chance have a recipe for gluten free, dairy free and egg free biscuits?
My friends daughter needs this and all we can find is some gluten free flour with a starch, which comes out dry and crumbly.
thanks,
Jo
No, I don’t have one that meets all 3 criteria. With low-carb “flours”, I don’t see how you’d get the ingredients to bind together without some egg. There are lots of things people do to substitute for eggs: http://tipnut.com/egg-substitutes/. I’ve done chia and flax “eggs” successfully. I suppose you could always sub in almond or soy milk for any dairy; coconut oil for butter. Check out Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-free bake mix and biscuit recipes. She’s a great cook and her family is gluten-free. The things I’ve baked with her gluten-free bake mix have all come out very nice: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2012/05/splendid-gluten-free-bake-mix-always-on.html or her latest one with gelatin she says is improved: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2013/01/splendid-gluten-free-bake-mix-2-without.html
I just made these tonight using spelt for DH and they were great.
I normally make fermented spelt sour dough for DH.
I have to order the Eikorn here in Canada, so I would like to try that.
Thanks for the recipe as I need an option for healthier “bread” for DH.
Jo
Welcome, Joanne. I’m so glad you liked these. I’m just beginning my Einkorn experiments, so stay tuned. I’d like to try sprouting whole Einkorn grains one of these days. I just had someone explain how to do that and plan to order the whole grains one day and try her step process eventually. 🙂
I was happy to see your post. I have enjoyed MANY of your recipes and truly appreciate you sharing them with us! That being said, I think trying a bit of einkorn is completely up to you. Being overweight ALL my life and never succeeding at losing more than 20 lbs when restricting fats etc put me in a real BLACK OR WHITE type of mentality. I feel that this is part of the reason I haven’t ever succeeded in getting my eating under control. I was ON a diet or OFF a diet. Period.
Eating low carb and experimenting with Paleo, Primal, Wheat Free, Sugar Free, and Ketogenics has allowed me to pull from each and eat the way that works for ME!
I eat a few pieces of low carb sprouted wheat bread a week. It has not affected me one bit. I continue to lose weight at a fairly steady pace. I did read Wheatbelly and while I agree with what the author writes I feel that if I get to the “all or nothing” frame of mind I will be taking 10 giant steps back.
Just my two cents. Please keep up the good work. The members of the low carb community just blow me away with all the help, recipe ideas and support.
THANK YOU!
Oh, thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Ann. I wholeheartedly agree with the “all or nothing” mentality that some can get into. I don’t think things have to be 100% to be necessarily good for us, nor the “correct” thing for us. Lord knows there have been enough fad eating movements over the decades that fell by the way side, but Atkins persists, and I think for good reason. I think the BBC film I just posted yesterday does much to vindicate Dr. Atkins work in this field, even if he didn’t live long enough to be able to say “I told you so” now that the naysayers are starting to see what he said was maybe true. Docs just can’t deny the lab work numbers for people that have been eating this way for 10 years or more, even with the occasional eating digression, as you say. I just got back from my (brand new) doc today for a readout of my lab work done Monday and after 4 years of LC’ing, the numbers were so good, she said “keep eating the way you are, as it’s working for ya.” and she’s dropping my BP meds to half dose, and said she might even pull me off them completely if my BP continues to stay so low. I’m so pleased!
Thanks for being a loyal reader. Folks like you encourage me to continue my kitchen experiments with these oddball LC ingredients and share my successes to save others time and promote success on their WL journeys.
I’ve been eating your recipes since i started LC’ing three years ago. I trust them and enjoy them so much. I have lost 100 lbs and kept it off. I can not wait to try this. For me personally, i never did induction. I never tried to ‘avoid all wheat/gluten’. I didn’t need to. My fasting blood glucose is around 64. My post meal glucose is around 78 to 83. I don’t sweat the small stuff b/c there’s just no need. Sometimes i get 50g net carbs per day…some days its more. I’m still on my journey, and i am SO GLAD to finally find a recipe like this. So thank you for taking the time and putting in the effort. I truly appreciate it.
Hi Nicole! And thank you for your kind words. I always feel encouraged when readers tell me they have been long-time followers. I’ve always tried to keep my recipes simple for today’s working women. Been there, done that and I truly understand how tired women come home after a long day at work. Facing getting a meal together when all you want to do is sit down and put your feet up is overwhelming. My motto has always been “A meal in under 30 minutes” is OK by me. But I’m not willing to sacrifice flavor. You can have that AND ease of prep has been my experience. Your BG is truly remarkable and I’m sure your low-carb success is a major factor there. Keep up the good work and do come back often! I appreciate ALL my readers and their continued support!
I also would not consume eikorn; wheat is wheat.
And as this is a personal decision, I respect yours.
I am glad you are experimenting. I do not miss bread, but do miss the influence of gluten in pizza. I have been very happy with the mix known as Better Than Flour in my biscuits, quick breads and cakes, but yeasty pizza crust is another whole story!
I have dabbled with the BTF as well and have had some good results. As with all LC baking, the brand and grind of coconut flour and other ingredients can make a difference. I don’t “miss” bread, but do like the occasional sandwich or biscuit in the morning. And when I do eat baked goods, I want them to taste like their higher-carb counterparts. Maybe it’s the perfectionist in me, but I can’t stop until I get there. 🙂
I am thrilled to see this post! This is something that I have been considering myself. I too have read Wheat Belly and do believe what he says. My husband and I started this journey last August with good results but lost our momentum with this WOE around March of this year. I lost 25 pds. and my husband about 15 pds. (he wasn’t as strict as I was). Sadly the temptations were so great for bread and potatoes and I gained about half back. Maybe there’s a supplement I could try? I know, probably more psychological and I’m a very visual eater. Anyway, we have started again. Neither one of us has issues when we reintroduced wheat other than not having as much energy. We understand all the reasons why wheat is “bad” and why even just a little can cause problems; however, at this point we too want to experiment. This might be just what we need to stick with it this time. I do believe that inflammation is the real cause of many of our health problems as I continue to study. (The movie on YouTube, Fathead is a real eye opener!) So with that being said, I am VERY interested in your experience with Einkorn and can’t wait to try many of your other recipes! I want to enjoy the journey as much as the destination!
WELCOME, Jeanette! As you and your husband have learned, low-carb eating really works for losing weight. But after 4 years of a very slow journey for me, I have come to the conclusion that I just don’t want to eat bread that doesn’t taste like bread any longer. “Close” just isn’t good enough anymore. If I can introduce tiny amounts of this “least deleterious” type of wheat, and achieve bread that tastes like bread (not grass or cardboard) and maintain low carb counts, then I willing make that choice, with every intention of closely monitoring my body’s metabolic reaction (bad blood workups or weight gain). Naturally I will suspend consumption if a problem arises.
Thank you! I couldn’t agree more, I too am willing to introduce small amounts (will even check my blood glucose after trying it). Yes low-carb eating does work and have many reasons for trying to stick with “wheat free” as much as possible due to my husbands family history with heart disease. I can’t imagine eating this way for 4 years and not losing much and can understand your reasoning completely for wanting to experiment. Do keep us updated!! 🙂
Well, I certainly know I better than to stray too much, or too often. Best of luck to you and your husband as your journeys unfold from here.
Glad to see you doing this! Katie’s comment stole a little bit of my thunder, but I’ll still ask my question … After reading Wheat Belly, I had really wanted to look into an Einkorn or Emmer “Gluten” … or … a High Gluten version of those flours. Being that gluten is protein, it’s very low-carb. It’s what gives bread its structure. My thinking was tracking down some ancient (non-modern, non-modified) gluten might be something worth adding to low-carb treats! My hope had been to benefit from some of the physical characteristics of the dough, but … without the crazy CRAVINGS it seems to pull from many folks. If, in your travels, you happen to run across any High Gluten Emmer or Einkorn … I’d LOVE to know about it! Thank you! 🙂
I will, DJ. And thanks for being supportive instead of critical. I’m expecting some of that today from this post. Oh well, they’ll get over it. 😉 I ate 2 biscuits this morning so I plan to see if I experience cravings today. If I do, well then I’ll likely suspend my experimenting. Even I can read the writing on the wall when it’s big enough. LOL I’m not actually a person who experiences “cravings” like most starting out on a low carb diet talk about. I didn’t even suffer from them badly my first few weeks of low-carbing. I kept potential tempting foods out of sight and was just fine. I’ll sing out if I come across Einkorn or Emmer gluten.
I wrote to him because a year ago upon starting out my WB journey I thought I would use Einkorn for the occasional pizza, but he said no. Wheat is wheat.
I don’t have anything to ‘get over’ and I don’t consider myself being critical, just concerned.
I did not say YOU personally were critical, Katie, as you were most gracious in stating your view. I meant merely that I am expecting some criticism from those eschewing wheat re: this recipe containing wheat. And please forgive my poor choice of words “getting over”. What I meant was “”get used” to the fact that I plan to do this experimenting and will be regularly posting bread recipes with Einkhorn wheat in them.
I asked Dr. Davis about consuming Einkorn wheat and this was his response: “For ideal health, I would not. While einkorn lacks the most deleterious modern genes introduced by human efforts, it still has potentially somewhat destructive components, such as less destructive form of gliadin and wheat germ agglutinin.”
And I am aware of his position.