I’ve been baking with a flour blend called Fiber Gourmet, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite pantry staples. This isn’t a sponsored post. Additionally, I have no affiliations with the company. I’ve just been using this flour so much I figured it was time to share some honest thoughts. This is especially relevant for anyone looking to cut calories and carbs without sacrificing flavor.
So What Is Fiber Gourmet?
Fiber Gourmet is a flour blend with about 53% fewer calories. It also has a dramatically higher fiber content than standard all-purpose flour. It's pretty much a one-to-one all-purpose flour replacement. This means you can (usually) use it in your favorite recipes without changing the ratios. The ingredients include wheat flour, modified wheat starch, wheat protein isolate, and prebiotic fiber. While it is not 100% carb-free, it is very low net carb, thanks to all the fiber. So if you follow a keto diet, you may be able to fit it into your baking.
Fiber Gourmet Appearance, Density
Fiber Gourmet looks just like all-purpose flour. The weight on the nutrition label says it's 30 grams per ¼ cup, but my ¼ cups weigh more like 40 grams. A cup weighs 160 grams due to settling. For best results, weigh it and use 125 grams of flour for every cup. If following a recipe that lists weights, use the weight in the recipe.
The Baking Test
For my first test, I used Best Ever Banana Bread and swapped in 230 grams of the Fiber Gourmet. I was tempted to cut the sugar. However, since I was only testing the flour at this point, I kept the full amount of sugar. The bread baked up denser and heavier and with a flat top, but still tasty. I then used it in my One Banana Banana Bread and it worked perfectly. So for banana bread, it really depends on the recipe you use.
Fiber Gourmet in Chocolate Chip Cookies
The second thing I tried were some Fiber Gourmet chocolate chip cookies. I tried it in a few different chocolate chip cookie recipes and found it made them crumblier. Best results were with recipes that included a little honey or syrup to help retain moisture. The one in the photo is a recipe called Melted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, but I used cornstarch in place of pudding mix.
In Bagels
Next was bagels. I'd heard that Fiber Gourmet didn't work well with yeast bread but ignored that and just added a little vital wheat gluten. To be honest, I spent a couple of days obsessing over this recipe and ended up with some really good 100 calorie bagels. I'll post this recipe one day, but it requires a lot unusual ingredients. I'm not sure how practical it is, but it was interesting being able to make such a low calorie bagel at home.
Works So Well in Muffins!
Fiber Gourmet works extremely well in muffins. I tried the Blueberry and Zucchini Muffins from Fiber Gourmet's site, and used it as a 1:1 substitute for all-purpose flour in some other muffin recipes. Again, it seems to work the best when combined with moisture retaining ingredients such as maple syrup or banana. It also partners well allulose, since allulose locks in moisture.
Brownies
Fiber Gourmet makes more of a nutritional impact in recipes where wheat flour is the main ingredient such as muffins, quick breads and pancakes. I felt compelled to try it in brownes, so picked two recipes that had a decent amount of flour -- Hershey's Honey Bear Brownies and in Michael's Fudge Brownies. I was happy with the results. The brownies were a little stiffer, but not in a bad way. That is, not dry, just stiffer.
Thumbs Up!
There are so many more things I'd like to try with the Fiber Gourmet blend, so yes! I definitely recommend it if you're trying to fit more fiber into everyday baking.
Where to Buy
You can order Fiber Gourmet through various sources. As an Amazon affiliate, I of course recommend buying it there! Especially if you are a prime member with free shipping. They sell it in a double pack, and I think you'll be glad you bought two bags.
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