What Is Carbalose Flour?
There’s nothing quite as comforting as the smell of cookies, pastries, bread, or cakes baking in the oven.
But what if you are trying to keep your blood sugar balanced? Does this mean you have to swear off baked goods forever?
Luckily, there is an answer to this in the form of a product called Carbalose!
This flour is incredibly popular amongst diabetics, people eating a keto diet, and folks who are trying to watch their carbohydrate intake. But what IS Carbalose? Is it as good as wheat flour?
So, what is Carbalose flour? It’s a flour made mostly from wheat that is high in fiber and protein and much lower in carbohydrates than regular wheat flour, though the final taste and texture are incredibly similar. It is the main ingredient in Carbquik and is often used as a low-carb alternative in baking for diabetics or people on a keto diet.
Read on to discover more about Carbalose flour, how it’s made, what it’s made from, how it’s different from other flours, how to adjust your recipes for the best results, and more!
What Is Carbalose Flour?
Carbalose flour is a low-carb alternative to regular wheat flour, but unlike other brands on the market, it is mostly made from wheat.
That means its final taste and texture is about as close to the real thing as you can get. It is the main ingredient in the popular low-carb baking mix CarbQuik.
The company that produces Carbalose claims that when used to replace regular flour in baking and other recipes it can reduce the final carbohydrate count by about 90%.
That reduction makes this flour incredibly popular with diabetics or people following a keto or low carb diet.
This flour is made through a unique process (likely a trade secret) and contains Enzyme-Modified Wheat, which has most of the non-fiber carbohydrates removed.
What Is Carbalose Flour Made Out Of?
One of the main reasons Carbalose works so well to mimic regular flour in baking and other recipes is because the main ingredient is still wheat.
That gives the product a great elastic texture and very similar flavor to regular wheat flour, without all the extra carbohydrates.
The other ingredients in Carbalose are:
- Enzyme-Modified Wheat
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Oat Fiber
- High Protein Patent Wheat Flour
- Soy Fiber
- Wheat Starch
- Canola Oil
- Salt
- Emulsifiers
- Enzymes
- Ascorbic Acid
As you can see, this flour isn’t just ground-up wheat berries, and contains a bit of soy and oat, which is something to keep in mind if you have allergies to either.
With that said, most reviews of Carbalose say that it works incredibly well in most recipes, though some folks did find it had an aftertaste that was ever so slightly bitter.
Though I think if you’re making something flavorful like cake or cookies it’s unlikely you will notice.
How Is Carbalose Flour Different From Other Flours?
Most flours on the market, whether they be made from wheat, soy, almond, millet, teff, rice, oat, and so on are typically made from one single ingredient that has been finely milled into a powder.
Sometimes the bran and fiber are removed in the case of white flours, whereas whole grain flours are made out of the entire grain (or nut or seed).
A whole-grain flour will contain carbohydrates, protein, and fiber (and maybe a very small amount of fat).
A white flour typically has most of the fiber removed, though some protein is left behind since these proteins are what typically help give baked goods their structures.
Carbalose is different from regular flours because instead of merely milling and possibly processing out some of the bran and fiber, it goes through a special enzymatic process to remove most of the carbohydrates.
Carbalose also contains additional fiber from oats and soy, plus extra wheat protein.
Even though Carbalose is chemically quite different from regular flours and goes through a completely different process, it has been tested successfully in artisan bakeries, so it should work perfectly in your own home kitchen.
How Do You Use Carbalose Flour
When using Carbalose in baking, you can replace flour in a 1-to-1 ratio, however, there are a few small tweaks you will need to make depending on the recipe that you are using in order to have the best possible results.
- You may need to use a little more water or other liquids in your recipe since it is higher in fiber. High amounts of fiber can absorb liquid and dry out the final product, so have a little extra on hand just in case.
- You may need to add up to double the amount of yeast or leavening agents. Again, this is likely due to the higher protein and fiber content, which makes doughs a little heavier and in need of an extra boost to get that perfect rise.
- You will have to reduce baking temperature by 25°F.
- You may need to slightly increase your baking time by a few minutes. The best way to do this is to check at the regular time and see how raw or cooked it still is and adjust accordingly.
What Is The Difference Between Carbalose And Carbquik?
While Carbalose is the main ingredient in Carbquik, this product also has some additional ingredients so that you can use it quickly and easily in your baking recipes. In addition to the Carbalose flour, it contains:
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Partially Hydrogenated Soy Oil
- Buttermilk Powder
- Egg White Powder
- Lecithin
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
These additional ingredients make Carbquik super simple to use in recipes. You can typically use it 1-to-1 in almost any baking recipe, though I suggest searching for specific Carbquik recipes for the best possible results.
Is Carbalose Gluten-Free?
Since Carbalose is made from modified wheat flours, it is not a gluten-free product. It also contains soy, so people who are allergic to wheat, gluten, or soy should not use this flour as a baking alternative.
How Many Grams Of Carbohydrates Are In Carbalose?
Generally, there will be about 48 grams of carbohydrates in 100 grams of Carbalose.
However, 29 grams of the 48 are fiber, which means the product contains about 19 grams of net carbohydrates per 100-gram serving. When finding the net carbs always subtract fiber from total carb content.
