Lo-Dough – The New Found Sensation!

Many of you old timers to Bariatric Cookery (and some of you new to the website) will know that I don’t make a fanfare of many products that come my way. Especially if they promise great taste with low calories, low fats, low sugar and ease of use (a very big ask). Coupled with the tease of making great quiches or flans with crusts, crispy and thin pizza bases (without cauliflower!), a fabulously soft wrap, great toasted sandwich, mind-bogglingly good burrito or wonderful pastie or pie, I tend to roll my eyes, give a sceptical shrug and sigh with a ‘been there but haven’t seen that work’ attitude.

Then this little gem came my way – Lo-Dough

What is it?

Well the lightest, lowest calorie bread (and pastry) alternative I come across that truly does what it says and delivers on it’s promise. It’s a kind of light and soft universal flatbread that contains only healthy fibre and natural protein. It has the convenient taste of bread but with 90% less carbs and more fibre than the healthiest wholemeal loaf. It’s …

only 39 calories per 28 g/1 oz piece
it virtually fat-free with 0.1 g per piece
high in fibre with 9.3 g per piece
incredibly low carb and low sugar with 2.3 g (of which sugars are 0 g) per piece
high in protein for this kind of product at 2.6 g per piece
suitable for vegetarians but not vegans (since it contains egg white powder)
paleo friendly
dairy free
has no yeast
not severe wheat allergy free but certified gluten free
nut and soy free

So what is it made of?

I asked that question and it’s a unique product formulation of fibres and proteins, all of which have been used in food production for years. It has a shelf life of 6 months and comes sealed in packets of two pieces. There aren’t any nasty artificial preservatives in them. The long shelf life comes from a completely natural, but time-consuming (I’m told up to 6 hours), production method that eleminates all pathogens so that no preservatives are required. Each piece measures 22 cm/9 inches in diameter and makes the perfect sized pizza for 1 normal appetite (and about 2 WLS portions depending upon appetite). It can also be frozen if liked.

How can it be used?

I have trialled and tested it by making a number of quiches, pizzas, an egg custard tart, folded over and baked pastie, toasted sandwich and even a kind-of ‘steak and kidney pudding’ where the suet crust was replaced with Lo-Dough, and I have been most impressed. The bread when used straight from the pack is extra light and hasn’t presented any of our usual ‘bread intolerant eaters’ with any problems. You may well be different but even our most tricky taster found they could manage a small piece – which was a revelation to her.

Baking takes it to a new level – in pizzas and quiches it was exceptional – so good to find a great alternative that doesn’t have a time consuming method and makes a very welcome change from the usual tortilla or crustless quiche or base-heavy pizza. It cuts well for portioning (so good for accountable portion control).

I haven’t as yet tried it in a sandwich press or George Foreman type grill (mine were seconded to the storage room a long time ago) but will now be dusted off and put back into action.

I have been showing some of the ways I have been cooking with it on my social media sites – Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Where do you get it from?

To date Lo-Dough can only be purchased on-line and delivered to the UK and Europe. Free shipping is available if you’re not in a hurry but there is a faster service (Royal Mail 1st Class which is 1-2 days from dispatch) for those who wish to pay extra. For the free shipping you do need to allow 4-6 working days (and up to 10 … mine took that long) for delivery.

European rates depend upon weight so see details on the website here

I tested initially with a 1 packet (2 piece) trial pkt with free delivery (see website for details) but have re-ordered several times since. It’s available as:

1 packet (2 piece) trial pack at £5

3 packet (6 piece) pack for £14

7 packet (14 piece) pack for £26

For more details and to buy see here

My Recipes:

I have given 3 of my recipes below for a quiche, a pizza and a sweet custard tart. I intend to expand this repertoire and have a Lo-Dough Recipe Gallery soon.

First out of the traps is a quiche – how welcome this was to have a quiche with a crust that was gorgeous warm and so tasty the following day in the lunchbox cold. The instructions are pretty straightforward and whilst I used bacon, eggs and a little cheese with herbs and tomato (a traditional Quiche Lorraine) you can add other ingredients like roasted vegetables, fish, mushrooms or fridge-clear out items just as you like.

Lo-Dough Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray

1 x 28 g/1 oz piece Lo-Dough (see details here)

4 cooked bacon medallions or 2 large rashers/slices cooked bacon, chopped

3 medium eggs

125 ml/½ cup reduced-fat crème fraîche, reduced-fat cream or semi-skimmed milk

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp grated low-fat hard cheese

1 large tomato, sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 C/325 F/gas 3.
Spritz a shallow 20 cm/8 inch quiche or flan tin with low-fat cooking oil or spray and line with a circle of greaseproof paper if liked to ensure easy release.
Take the piece of Lo-Dough and roll out gently between two of the thin pieces of paper found in it’s packet – you are only aiming to flatten the dough a little. Push the dough into the prepared tin evenly, taking care to push it into the corners and to create an upright edge (it may pleat a little in places but this is fine). Arrange the bacon over the base.
Beat the eggs with the crème fraîche, cream or milk then stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the bacon, sprinkle with the cheese and top with the sliced tomato. Try to avoid over-filling the quiche – egg sizes and tin depths vary so only use what you need (there may be just a little leftover).
Cover loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 25-35 minutes until cooked and set.
Allow to cool slightly before serving hot or warm with salad. If you wish to serve cold then allow to cool then chill until required.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½-1

CALORIES PER PORTION: 115

PROTEIN: 9.1g

CARBOHYDRATE: 3.1g

FAT: 6.8g

Lo-Dough Quiche perfect for a picnic

Quarter slice of Quiche on Bariatric Portion Plate with Bariatric Portion Control Cutlery

Next up is a pizza. We didn’t think our Bariatric Tortilla Pizza could be bettered in terms of taste and convenience but here’s a new kid on the block that is a winning contender! I have used ham, red onion, mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes and basil for mine but again try out your own favourite combos – the basic instructions hold pretty true for most options.

Lo-Dough Ham and Mozzarella Pizza

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

1 x 28 g/1 oz piece Lo-Dough (see details here)

3 tbsp passata or tomato pasta sauce (I used passata flavoured with garlic and basil)

1 x 125 g/4 oz ball reduced fat mozzarella ball, sliced

50 g chopped or torn ham

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

salt and freshly ground black pepper

basil sprigs to garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/gas 4. If you like your pizza base crisper rather than soft and fluffy then spritz a frying pan with low-fat cooking oil, heat, add the Lo-Dough and cook for about 20-30 seconds on each side. Check frequently because it does brown and crisp very quickly.
Place the Lo-Dough on a non-stick baking tray and top with the passata or tomato sauce spreading to the very edges. Top with the mozzarella, onion and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until cooked to your liking.
Serve hot, cut into wedges garnished with basil sprigs.

SERVES 1

WLS PORTION: ½

CALORIES PER PORTION: 370

PROTEIN: 40.6g

CARBOHYDRATE: 12.6 g

FAT: 15g

The ideal size for 1 normal appetite or halve a pizza for a WLS portion

Finally I wanted to try Lo-Dough as a sweet alternative and opted to make a Egg Custard Tart – a bit like my Vanilla Egg Custards (in ‘Return to Slender Cookbook’ Bk 1 – ideal for the soft/Amber stage of eating). This would be a good alternative to have something with just a little more texture to eat a little further out. It was very, very good and all the better for serving with some soft berry or poached fruit. See it below and at the top of the page.

Lo-Dough Egg Custard Tart

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

1 x 28 g/1 oz piece Lo-Dough (see details here)

3 medium eggs

125 g/4 oz Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat Fage)

100 ml/½ cup semi-skimmed or other milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)

2 tbsp granulated sweetener (I used Truvia)

1 tsp vanilla extract

about ½ tsp grated nutmeg

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F/ gas 4.
Spritz a 20 cm/8 inch shallow pie tin with low-fat cooking spray or mist and add the piece of Lo-Dough, pressing in around the sides and base to fit. Top with one of the sheets/discs of paper from the packet (or a piece of greaseproof paper or foil if preferred) and weight down with baking beans. If you don’t have cooking beans then use a smaller round metal tin or several pieces of metal and ovenproof cutlery to weigh down the Lo-Dough and help to hold its shape. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the beans or other items used. You will be left with a well-shaped tartlet shell.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the yogurt, milk, sweetener and vanilla until smooth. Pour the mixture over the Lo-Dough and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.
Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook until the custard is lightly set. This may take from 10-25 minutes depending upon the temperature of the ingredients added (chilled taking longer than room temperature), the depth of the tin, and how your oven performs. If the crust starts to brown too much then cover with the foil again until the custard filling is cooked to your liking.
Allow to cool before serving cut into wedges.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½-1

V suitable for Vegetarians

CALORIES PER PORTION: 95

PROTEIN: 9.3g

CARBOHYDRATE: 10.9g

FAT: 4.7g