Cloud Bread, anyone?
Bread lovers need not despair. The Cloud Bread is here to save the day, writes Aiman Ahmad Anuar
3 eggs, separated
3 tbsp cream cheese, softened ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
1 pinch fine salt
BREAD has been getting some pretty bad ‘rep’ these days. In fact, people are getting downright hostile towards anything containing any traces of carbohydrates. And for good reason. Large amounts of carbs is said to be bad for your system. It causes weight gain, increased blood sugar levels, and some people even say it feeds cancer cells.
While most people are now busy lobbying for a healthier lifestyle — one that’s devoid of delicious carbs — it’s also
not the most sustainable way to live. How can anyone in their right mind believe that they can go their entire lives without having any bread?
Enter: the carb-free bread.
It seems impossible but like most things, it’s now a reality. Having said that, it’s nowhere near perfect. People have tried everything, from using coconut flour to almond meal to replace wheatbased flours, but the results are usually disappointing.
To understand why, you have to understand the make-up of wheat flour. Without getting too deep into the science, you just need to know that it contains gluten and a lot of carbohydrates.
The gluten in the flour helps provide the structure of the bread. It also holds a lot of air. By kneading the dough and developing the gluten, you get your nice fluffy bread. Meanwhile, the carbohydrates provide that addictive quality.
Now, without the gluten and the carbohydrates you’re essentially left with a stodgy loaf that doesn’t taste nearly as good. But there have been improvements in recent years. The addition of xanthan gum has helped. It gives carb-free breads more structure by acting as a thickening and stabilising agent and thus giving it a more “bready” quality. The drawback is that the bread will end up with a slightly “gummy” texture, which not everyone
will like.
Unlike other carb-free options, the Cloud Bread doesn’t use any The meringue needs to reach stiff peaks.
3. Beat egg whites with a clean whisk until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture in three parts until fully combined.
5. Using a ½ measuring cup, scoop and pour five portions of the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until brown.
7. Leave to cool completely before serving. So, can you have your bread and eat it too? Probably not quite yet. But after many years of experimentation, most people have come to terms with the fact that the best carb-free bread you can have at the moment is Cloud Bread. flour at all to replace the wheat. It’s truly a carbohydrate-free bread.
Instead of depending on flours, this concoction utilises eggs and fat as its structure. It takes a bit more technique, but the great part is that it’s rather easy to do and doesn’t contain so many ingredients. Only four ingredients are in the mix, namely eggs, cream cheese, cream of tartar and salt.
So how do you make it? You need to separate three eggs into two bowls. The first bowl will contain the yolks and the second, the whites.
Now, for the hard part. Unless you have a mixer in your kitchen, you’re going to be in for a little elbow grease. You need to whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar until a stiff meringue forms. This could take anywhere between 10-15 minutes. As a side note, please ensure that your bowl and whisk are completely free of grease, or the process will not work.
Luckily, the other parts are not so hard. You just need to mix softened cream cheese and salt with the egg yolks and beat them with a whisk until well combined. Just ensure that the cream cheese is completely softened, and your eggs are not too cold, otherwise your cream cheese will just harden when it touches the cold yolks.
Then, fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in three parts. This ensures that you don’t deflate your meringue completely. The air that’s incorporated into the meringue is the key to getting you the fluffy texture for your final product.
Other important things you should know about this recipe is that you can’t bake too many at one time. Another downside is that you can only bake one tray per time to ensure that it turns out fluffy.
While the world still seeks more options for carb-free food items, you now at least have access to one. It’s far from the perfect bread because it does taste a little like chiffon cake. But the bright side is that it does its job and it’s simple to make. It also makes for a rather interesting pizza base!
Why don’t you give this recipe a try!