I have been wanting to write The Low Carb Baking Bible for a very long time. Then a few weeks ago I started gathering all the recipes scribbled on the backs of envelopes and receipts and started testing them. Trialling them on my trusty (and brutally honest) taste testers and typing them into a legible format. Probably not the greatest of times, given everyone is trying to keep their ovens turned off. But, I hope that this e-book is one that will be loved all year round for a long time to come. It’s amazing what can be achieved in such a small amount of time with a sprinkle of self belief.
As a young girl, I adored baking with my Mum. But I lost all love for it as soon as I was diagnosed (nearly 18 yrs ago). The problem being that no matter what I made, there ended up being no enjoyment in it because my blood sugars would just go high. The carb counting / insulin to carb ratios were, no matter how hard I tried, never manageable. I never felt in control of my diabetes. I was always correcting a high, or treating a low.
I remember one day baking with a friend and the icing sugar going absolutely everywhere; the air tasted so sweet. Having not eaten a thing to that point and knowing I started with a stable sugar, suddenly I was feeling cross, thirsty and very very high. I checked my sugars and it said HI….. no, not Hello (!) but “YOU ARE HIGH”. On my meter, this means over 30mmol. So, off I went, frustrated, to inject a sufficient amount of insulin to bring me back into normal range…. No such luck though. It went straight past normal range and straight down into the LOW territory. Too many finger pricks (no CGM back 17 yrs ago!) and a very frazzled me! By this stage the cupcakes had been baked and I was sat eating all the sugar filled decorations to bring myself back up. Needless to say, my passion for baking vanished.
It was when I had my own daughters and baking came back on the agenda that I realised just how creative I could be with the lower carb ingredients. Neither of my children are diabetic and of course nor is low carb just for diabetics but it meant I was able to enjoy the start [making and baking] to finish [eating] process with them. It astounded me just how much my children loved baking and how much happiness it brought us all. By making such small changes to the usual sugar and grain packed cakes / cookies etc, meant that I was still able to make and enjoy them whilst achieving normal blood sugar results.
Sometimes it feels a little like witchcraft! Especially when I have eaten a cinnamon roll (see page101) and achieved a flat line blood sugar. The enjoyment that comes from eating with my family and them enjoying it too is joyful. Because isn’t that what food is all about?? Sharing, uniting, enjoying. We are all bound, worldwide, by food. It really is something that crosses all language barriers and age barriers. I will never forget Clemmie, aged 10 months, trying my chocolate muffin for the first time. She couldn’t speak but the eyes wide, mouth eager for another bite, huge smiles of delight and gurgling “mmmmm’s” meant more than any words could. Diabetes or not, I love food and I love cooking for others and I love cakes and cookies and bread, so the creation of a baking book was a no brainer really.
We deserve decent blood sugars because my word t1d (any diabetes) is jolly tough. No two days are the same and if I can make even the smallest bit of difference to you feeling better / more in control then what a wonderful job I have.
Who is the baking bible for ?
EVERYONE. I can’t scream that loud enough. I have written it (of course) with people living with diabetes in mind, but that extends to their families, friends, work colleagues. It is a book of recipes to help keep blood sugars balanced….. whether you have diabetes, a functioning pancreas or not. It’s a book that unites everyone, it means no one needs to miss out or be worried about the impact of high carb / added sugars. Indulgence but without the spikes.
Why did you write it ?
I speak to so many people week on week who frequently ask me for recipes such as bread, cake, brownies, sausage rolls, puddings, etc. It’s the first thing people say they “miss”, especially those with insulin resistance / type 2 diabetes… I realise what the struggle is like when you live with diabetes and I also know how much food plays a part in people’s lives and how good it can make you feel, so having to suddenly count everything completely takes the enjoyment away (for me anyway).
I know how frustrating high blood sugars are and how the feeling of “why bother” eat cake etc can be brilliant for blood sugars, but also make you feel like you are missing out. I never want to miss out. I love food. I love sharing food and food is a celebration. So, I wanted to draw as many recipes as I could together to give people an option. I would never tell anyone not to eat carbs, everyones body is there own and it’s not up to me. I have no opinion on how you eat, I just want to help those (like me) who struggle.
Are there complicated ingredients?
There are a few ingredients you might want to source if you are making the gluten based recipes. Vital wheat gluten being one, oat fibre another and if you need sweetener you’ll need that. For oat fibre I do explain in the book what I use but this is the brand I recommend most for anyone on Amazon. For vital wheat gluten I recommend SUMA as it is by far the best quality I have tried and the cheapest – I get it in my local health food store and it is £2.99 for 500g but as you will see it is a little more on Amazon.
I am able to pick up all the ingredients I require from my local health food store without the need to go online. However online will give you better offers and you have the option of bulk buying. Most recipes use supermarket ingredients and are very straightforward as per my usual recipes. Happy to always take any questions.
What does the baking bible contain?
A lot. 129 pages to be precise.
There is an intro, my story, 24 recipes, pictures, nutritional info for each recipe, testimonials, information on equipment used, a chocolate section, sweeteners vs sugar, oven conversion etc.
Do your recipes contain gluten?
Over the years I have created well over 1000 recipes. Shared on my own channels, in books, on apps , in magazines and newspapers. Until The Low Carb Baking Bible I had never used gluten or grains! However, there are 4 recipes (out of a total of 24) in it that contain vital wheat gluten. So if you are coeliac then you will not tolerate those 4 recipes. The other 20 are gluten (and also grain free) free.
Which is your favourite recipe?
Tough question. Love the white bread rolls. They are just divine and hard to believe they contain 1.5g carbs per roll! I also adore the cheese straws, celebration cake and Florence’s “Cloud puff berry swirl” which is just like a roulade. It’s such a beautiful and quick pudding to make. 2g carbs per slice (including the filling!). It is a total show stopper and perfect all year round. It will definitely be appearing at our Christmas lunch.
The celebration cake (grain and gluten free) was made by a lovely follower a few days ago and she sent me the most glorious message explaining that her daughter hadn’t had cake in a long while as she just couldn’t tolerate it (she is also coeliac) and high blood sugars made her so poorly. She had just turned 11 and her Mum made the cake for her as a surprise. All the family had enjoyed it together and her blood sugars flatlined on her CGM. No spike! To know that something so simple as a cake had brought such joy to a little girls day and given the family such hope was magic to read.
What are your recipes measurements?
As with most of my recipes I use grams (g), millilitres (ml), tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp). There are some brilliant online conversion tools should you require conversions.
What other books have you written?
In 2018 I co-wrote The Low Carb Diabetes Cookbook with the brilliant Dr David Cavan. It was published by Penguin Random House. In 2019 I wrote my first e-book Mrs P’s Low Carb Christmas to help those especially with diabetes during the festive period. The Low Carb Baking Bible is my most recent e-book.
There are lots of my recipes on the Primal Living app too and of course all the content on this blog.
Will you get The Low Carb Baking Bible printed?
I would LOVE to get it published. My dream would be to add another 50-60 recipes to it and have it published. A pipe dream at the moment but one I will continue to pursue!
In the meantime I know people have been printing it at home and some have had it printed at print shops. I am looking online in the hope of finding somewhere to get it printed at a reasonable price. If I do find somewhere I will link for you. I would love to get it bound in hard copy!
What sweetener do you use?
I talk about this, in depth in the book. The sweetener I use (personal choice) is NKD powdered erythritol . I do also believe that there is a place for sugar in baking (whether you use coconut sugar, brown sugar, raw honey etc) if you so wish. My job is to just give options and explain different outcomes. For eg. In the cookie recipe you could just use sweetener, but you will end up with a different texture than if you used sugar. Sugar helps give you that glorious caramelised chewy texture, but it also spikes your sugar levels. So I try and balance it out. A small amount of sugar + sweetener and you have a delicious, ticks all boxes cookie!
I get a lot of can I use messages. If it is a sweetener or sugar then yes. Sweeteners you have to be careful with as some are much sweetener than others. Read THIS post. Unfortunately I haven’t tried everything but included with the book is access to a Facebook group so those that buy it can discuss things like this with each other. Things they have tried / done differently. A community of support and teamwork, I hope!
How can we help you?
SHARE! Comment and engage. I am so grateful for you all. I have been so fortunate to have built up the most supportive audience and I never want that to change. Trying to reach people is so hard, especially as this is just me and me! I don’t have any help behind the scenes, so everything you see, read and engage with will always be me. If you are on diabetes groups / forums then just a little mention would be so appreciated. To steer people in the direction of my content and this e-book would be amazing!
How can we get in touch with you?
There are lots of ways you can reach me and please do because I love keeping in touch.
For cooking classes: Click here
For my cookbook: For 100 low-carb recipes, meal plans and lots of info as to the benefit of a low-carb lifestyle (especially for those with diabetes), then you can order a copy of our book here.
Email me [email protected]
Lifestyle coaching here
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