Diabetic Flour Mix

When I set out to create diabetic baked goods, I knew I had to do something about the flour mix. All-purpose flours contain 22 carbohydrates per 1/4 cup- far too many carbs to allow room for additional ingredients. 

Since I do a lot of experimental baking, I have a wide variety of flours, nuts and seeds. I pulled out everything that had very few carbs and started experimenting. I ground sesame seeds and flax seeds; I tried almond and other nut flours; I tried soy flour (never again), and I could get the carbohydrate count down to only 13 carbs per 1/4 cup, but these mixes typically had an unpleasant after taste or developed an “off” taste when combined with artificial sweeteners. 

I finally resigned myself to working just with wheat and other traditional flours, and then remembered I also had wheat bran and wheat germ. And they are very low in carbohydrates! Plus, wheat germ is high in protein and wheat bran is high in fiber. I needed a wheat flour to “anchor” the mix, so I used whole wheat or sprouted whole wheat flour. Whole wheat digests slower than all-purpose flour because it contains the wheat bran and is higher in protein because it contains the wheat germ. I needed a starch to help hold the flour mix together. I looked at several starches, including cornstarch, tapioca starch and potato starch, but Amaranth was lower in carbs and contained protein. Finally, I needed something to offset the strong wheat taste of my flour mix, so I added a small amount of oat flour. (Please note: I was surprised to find that the carbohydrate count for oat flour differs depending on the manufacturer. Look for oat flours with lower carbohydrate counts.)

The result is a flour mix with a slightly “rustic” texture, but a pleasant taste and it contains only 13.8 carbohydrates per 1/4 cup!

To create a finer texture, place the flour mix, a few spoonfuls at a time, in a coffee grinder or a grinder specifically for grinding grains, and pulse for a few seconds to cut the grains into a finer texture. Food processors are too large and will not do the job adequately. Be sure to clean your coffee grinder thoroughly afterwards.

Diabetic Flour Mix

Ingredients                                                 Carbs        

30.0g./ 4T Sprouted Whole Wheat
         Or Whole Wheat Flour             21.0g. 
27.5g./ 5T Wheat Germ*                             12.5 
16.0g./ 4T Wheat Bran*                                7.0 
   7.0g./ 1T       Amaranth ***                          4.75
 11.0g./ 2T      Oat Flour**                              10.0

91.5g  per cup                                              55.25 carbohydrates per cup 

* Grind in a coffee grinder or a grinder specifically for grinding grains

** Look for oat flours with lower carbohydrate counts

***Amaranth can be found among gluten-free flours or at health food 
stores. If not, substitute cornstarch, potato starch or tapioca starch, although the carbohydrate content is slightly higher.

Nutrition Information Per Cup:
Total Carbs:              55.25 g.
Total Fat:                     4.75 g.
Total Fiber:              16.13 g.
Sugar and “other”: 23.00 g.
Protein:                    17.10 g.

To make a larger batch to store for future use:

Ingredient x5

Sprouted Whole Wheat
           Or Whole Wheat Flour 150.0g.
Wheat Germ                              137.5g.
Wheat Bran                                  80.0g.
Amaranth                                     35.0g.
Oat Flour                                       55.0g.
Total weight for 5 cups:         457.5 g.