How Seriously Low Carb is rethinking bakery norms | Interview

The phrases low carb and bakery are rarely used together – but Seriously Low Carb is hoping to change that.

As the name suggests, the business specialises in low carb products with a low carb loaf, fruit loaf, not cross buns, wraps, super seeded artisan rolls and pizza bases among its line-up alongside brownie and cookie mixes as well as raspberry jam, sauces, and pickles to name a few.

“Developing low-carb food that actually delivers on taste, texture and appearance is no small feat,” explains NPD manager Colette Warren. “Low carb baking however is a whole different ball game and a whole new science which has taken us three years and six generations of bakers to figure out.”

We want to launch a low-carb version of every higher carb category that is not compromised in terms of taste or texture

The loaves typically contain about eight ingredients including wheat gluten, flaxseed, and oat fibre, resulting in a loaf with around 6% carbs compared to the typical 45%, according to the firm.

Reduced carbs, in this case, comes with a significant increase in gluten meaning Seriously Low Carb’s loaves have around 60% gluten. This means the production process must be carefully controlled.

“If we over mix for even 30 seconds too long, the dough becomes too tight to work with,” Warren elaborates. “Where gluten provides stretch and elasticity at lower percentages, working the dough for longer at higher percentages has the opposite effect and it becomes too…