Maria Emmerich's Protein Sparing Modified Fast bread has been very popular on YouTube, with lots of creators coming up with their own variations of the basic recipe. (If you're not familiar, it's made with egg whites and egg white protein powder.) I have had a dreadful time making the stuff. My first batch was an abysmal failure. Abysmal is being kind. It was closer to being memory-foam than it was being bread.
I followed the recipe, to the letter. As we all know, recipe creators are incensed when people do not follow the recipe exactly as written. This recipe called for 12 egg whites and my carton indicated that 3/4 cup = 4 egg whites. That meant that 12 egg whites = 2 1/4 cups liquid. It whipped up extra fluffy and stiff (with the assistance of cream of tartar and salt). I was feeling pretty full of myself and filled a silicone bread pan and a twelve muffin top pan, and baked per instructions. I even got a little fancy and sprinkled the muffin tops with some herbs an shredded cheese.
It. Was. Awful.
First, everything stuck, even with being greased. The "loaf" of bread stuck so fast to the bottom of the pan that soaking overnight did not dislodge it! Elbow grease and Scotch Brite pad to the rescue. I considered cubing the concoction to create croutons, but after tasting it, chose to scrap it and start over. Three. More. Times. ...before reading that 2 cups of egg whites = 12 "real" egg whites. That explains a lot.
So many creators were raving about this recipe! They made it sweet, savory, muffins, buns, hot dog buns! What in the heck did I do wrong?? I was ready to hang up my apron on this recipe.
Then, I discovered the "new and improved" PSMF bread that used only egg white powder, cream of tartar, salt, allulose, and water. This just might be "the one." It looks like bread, smells like bread (ok, I added nutritional yeast for flavor) and after it cools, I will know for sure. Non-keto Hubs even said that he is looking forward to trying it this evening, with our stone crab claws and drawn butter. (Thinking of you, Gigi Varnum!) I'm pulling some corn muffins out of the freezer, just in case it goes the way of the earlier versions.
Has anyone else had experiences with this bread?? Thanks for letting me vent!
I made burger buns with the original recipe, using this cool burger bun mold I have. The texture reminded me a lot of angel food cake. They didn't stand up to a burger, but they worked alright for some deli salami and provolone. Still, I found the texture a bit offputting.
If you have success with the modified recipe, please let me know. Chris from Keto Chow shared a recipe with me that uses Keto Chow. I haven't tried it yet.
Illegitimi non carborundum
@ketoadmin the texture is dense, like heavy angel food cake, without sweetness. It has no flavor. It was good dipped in butter we had used with the stone crab claws. But, hey, what doesn't taste good in crab flavored butter?? I will make grilled cheese with it tomorrow. I am just frustrated with all the YouTube creators who "love" this recipe, and hail it as the best thing since the development of indoor plumbing. Why are they having all these "amazing" results and I am not?? There are people who are making bagels and all sorts of stuff out of this batter, and raving about it. I watched a YouTube Live with Maria Emmerich and her kids tonight. They made pizza from this egg white dough. They signed off before the kids got to eat it. Perhaps with good reason.... It definitely would not hold up as burger buns. My vote for the best bread still goes back to Deirdre's Bread recipe. I add herbs de Provence and it is divine, as bread or rolls.
I would be happy to give the Keto Chow recipe a go if you'd like to share it.
Here's what Chris Bair sent me (direct cut and paste):
Blend the egg whites and tartar until stiffed peaks. Take everything below the first two items in recipe and mix together in a separate bowl. Make sure to thoroughly mix the drops and extract into the dry mixture. After stiff peaks are formed, make a well and gently fold in the dry ingredients. Blend on low JUST until combined; which should take about 30 seconds. The sweetner can be reduced to desired taste. I added 28grams of crushed walnuts to my mix. Doesn't increase macros that much. Place in a oiled small spring form or loaf pan.
350 degrees for 20 to 22 min and then turn off the oven and let stand in the oven for 10 minutes
Illegitimi non carborundum
I too have had very little success with this bread even with all the add-ins. I did make a passable pizza crust this past weekend though. Used the pizza toppings to stand in for flavor, lol!
My issue isn’t so much with the flavor as it is with the fact that it falls no matter what. I’ve heard that humidity has an effect on that and since I’m in FL, maybe I can blame it. But 2 Krazy Ketos also live in FL and don’t seem to have a problem.
I got a stand mixer over Black Friday so maybe I have a shot with that. If not it was a wonderful excuse 😂
I don’t know if I’m willing to waste a serving of keto chow on this bread. That stuff is way too expensive to waste on bread just yet. Gotta find a way to keep the loaf from caving in on itself after baking first.
I think I have found a winner. 2 Krazy Ketos posted a recipe and video using a scoop of Keto Chow Savory Chicken Soup powder. This one has enough texture to maybe stand up to burgers and dogs! Here's the link: https://2krazyketos.com/2022/01/05/protein-bread-with-keto-chow/?unapproved=16605&moderation-hash=329460da8fc83cc53d7156955499053c#comment-16605
I tried to add a photo, but not sure that it posted. The loaf is quite beautiful!
Full disclosure: I didn't have a dozen eggs so I made it with egg white protein powder (120g + 1.5 C water) and whole egg powder (20g) added in with the KC at the end.
My results have been, well..., not so great. Most recently, I tried adding the keto chow chicken soup and 3 egg yolks after achieving stiff peaks. The flavor is great. But I just keep chewing with the hope of not choking - it's like the stuff turns into sawdust in my mouth and then requires a cup of water to wash down each bite.
However, I do find I like this batter WAY better as a hot dog bun over a slice of bread. But if you make a grilled cheese with loads of butter and cheese, then the slices are totally doable as well.
Anita at Ketogenic Woman recently added beef gelatin and says the texture has improved. Of course, that's what I heard about adding egg yolks. Adding the egg yolks, I believe, keeps the sides from caving so much. Not sure if it changed the edibility though.
More research is needed IMO - I will try the tablespoon of gelatin next.
OMG!!! Finally! An egg white bread that I didn't choke on. And it didn't turn to sawdust in my mouth either. This is it - this is the ONE!
I used the basic recipe from ketogenic woman's recent protein bread for carnivore and BBBE with the following slight variations:
I used 3 eggs - separated and then made up the difference with carton egg whites - about 3/4 cup total. Let them come close to room temp (around 60F). I also used the 22g of Keto Chow Beef soup plus a TBS of gelatin, but I added these at the end after beating the egg whites to stiff peaks (which included egg white powder & salt) and then lastly added the egg yolks one at a time. I added the melted butter with a little season salt toward the end of baking as well.
Made 6 small hot dog buns and a short loaf of bread. Hot dog buns are an important thing to me and I've been able to eat those no matter how bad the recipe turns out. But this one, I was able to eat, chew, and swallow a slice of unbuttered, untoasted, plain old piece of bread. And it even tasted good!
...And now all my egg white powder is gone. That's how long it took to find perfection for me. But worth it!!!
@krism GOOD JOB!!! I figured that, eventually, someone would come up with something that worked! While the 2K2 version is good, even my husband liked it, it's not something I want to eat every day. (But, then bread is something I have been living without for a long time....) I, too, am out of egg white powder, so when I get more I will definitely try your recipe. Thank you so much for persevering!
