Queen Keto Pandoro is my new Christmas creation and a WORLD FIRST!
There’s NO GLUTEN and NO YEAST. It’s light, spongy, and tastes exactly the same as the original Italian Christmas favourite.
But the best thing is that one serving of this wonderfully festive treat contains just 0.6g carbs. Sounds impossible but it’s absolutely real. I even checked the macro calculations three times, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
My Queen Keto Pandoro has just made Christmas perfect. So read on, my dear friends, and start baking this beautiful Italian delicacy.
Pandoro or Panettone?
Both Pandoro and Panettone are soft, sweetened breads. They inevitably appear in shops at Christmas time and are always present on Italian Christmas tables. But do you know the difference?
Pandoro is light and plain, and you serve it dusted with vanilla icing sugar. Its iconic shape is a tall, eight-point star.
Panettone uses a more enriched dough to which candied peel and sultanas are traditionally added, although modern versions include chocolate, nuts or pastry creams. The shape is a domed cylinder.
My favourite has always been Pandoro. Every Christmas, despite my long-standing Keto lifestyle, I have indulged in a slice – and suffered the consequences later. I couldn’t help myself. That aroma… that texture… that taste. Pure heaven! So why bother to finally create a keto version? Ahh, well… so I can have more and with no regrets, of course!
Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time and ingredients following recipes by Italian keto bloggers and even a YouTube one that seemed promising. All turned out as CAKES. Way too dense, stodgy and almond-y. Not even close to Pandoro texture.
So I started from scratch. Initially by experimenting with a yeasted dough. But despite several attempts with different ingredients, different ratios, and various oven temperatures, the rise wasn’t right, the smell wasn’t right and the texture was disappointingly dense.
Then I ditched the yeast, and the results got closer and closer, until I achieved what I was aiming for: light, soft, bread-like and beautifully risen.
How to Make Queen Keto Pandoro
Confession time: using a classic Pandoro mould hasn’t yielded as good a result as when I bake MINI PANDORI using an Italian silicone mould. I will keep on testing the full-size recipe, but, so far, that pesky 8-point star aluminium thingy has let me down every time. Never mind, though, because these individual Pandori are perfect for one serving.
Plus they make excellent Christmas gifts or decorations for the festive table. They are super cute inside Christmassy treat bags (U.S. option HERE).
Therefore, before you begin, get the silicone mould that is essential to create 6 delicious Mini Pandori (U.S. option HERE).
I also cannot stress enough that you need to use METRIC SCALES. The quantity of each ingredient has to be precise, so forget cups and spoons and ounces.
Finally, check the ingredient list, buy what you don’t already have, and make NO SUBSTITUTIONS. I have tested myriad ingredient variations, with much disappointment. I can absolutely guarantee that swapping this and that WILL NOT WORK. You might create something edible, but it will be dense (if swapping milk for cream), dry (if you use erythritol instead of allulose), won’t rise properly (if you use different ‘flours’), and flavour and texture will be a million miles away from Pandoro.
What you can do, is omit the vanilla custard flavouring, although I strongly recommend you do use it, as it enhances the flavour to mimic real Pandoro. The U.S. alternative I found is THIS. Should you decide to leave it out, add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.
I do not recommend that you replace the vanilla icing sweetener. Real Pandoro is ALWAYS coated with a generous dusting of intensely flavoured vanilla icing sugar.
N.B. My U.S. readers may be unable to source a keto version of vanilla icing sugar – in which case, powdering allulose together with pure vanilla powder will do.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this recipe is going to be plagiarised and monetised all over the internet, much like my Lupin Pasta, and either copied entirely or re-published with small changes here and there, without even giving me the deserved credit (sigh). Nothing I can do about it. But I’ll be consoled with the thought that my creation will forever remain the WORLD’S FIRST AND BEST KETO PANDORO.
Buon Natale!
Queen Keto Pandoro
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 80 g allulose (U.S. option HERE)
- ⅛ tsp pure stevia powder (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract (U.S. option HERE)
- 20 drops vanilla custard flavouring (U.S. option HERE)
- 100 g whole milk - Arla Lactose Free (UK) works best
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 20 g whey protein isolate - must be isolate (U.S. option HERE)
- 25 g lupin flour (U.S. option HERE)
- 15 g bamboo fibre (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 tsp fine psyllium husk powder - 3g (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 TBSP baking powder - 8g
- ¾ tsp xanthan gum - 3g (U.S. option HERE)
- ¾ tsp baking soda (U.S. option HERE)
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar (U.S. option HERE)
- 1 pinch fine himalayan pink salt (U.S. option HERE)
- vanilla icing sweetener - or powdered allulose + pure vanilla powder (U.S. option HERE)
Instructions
- separate eggs: put yolks into a medium glass mixing bowl and whites into a large one with the salt.3 large eggs, 1 pinch fine himalayan pink salt
- weigh and place your dry ingredients (EXCEPT sweeteners and cream of tartar) into another medium mixing bowl; make sure to sift the baking powder; mix well using a fork or small wire whisk.20 g whey protein isolate, 25 g lupin flour, 15 g bamboo fibre, 1 tsp fine psyllium husk powder, 1 TBSP baking powder, ¾ tsp xanthan gum, ¾ tsp baking soda
- using a hand-held electric whisk, whip the whites until frothy, add cream of tartar, and continue to whip to soft meringue stage.¼ tsp cream of tartar
- put the milk and butter into a small Pyrex jug or similar, and heat in the microwave until butter has melted.100 g whole milk, 25 g unsalted butter
- pre-heat oven to
170 °C static. - add sweeteners and flavourings to egg yolks and whip briefly with the same electric whisk (no need to clean it up first); slowly add milk as you continue to whisk for about 10 seconds.80 g allulose, 1 TBSP vanilla extract, 20 drops vanilla custard flavouring, ⅛ tsp pure stevia powder
- tip dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture and immediately whip again for a few seconds until combined; take 3-4 TBSP of whipped egg whites and stir them in to loosen the dense paste.
- pour yolks mixture over whipped egg whites, detach the balloon whisk and combine manually while retaining air. N.B. the best way to do this is to tilt the bowl towards the whipping hand, then - starting at the farthest point - use the balloon whisk to swipe down > across towards you > up above the mixture > over the far end and down again; this circular motion retains and injects air, and can be done quite fast once you master the action.
- with the help of a flexible spatula, pour the mixture into the mini pandoro cavities, filling them equally and smoothing the tops, then bang the mould several times over your kitchen counter to remove any air pockets.
- put the mould on an oven rack (check that they're straight) and slide into your pre-heated oven, at centre level.
- bake for 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to150 °C and continue to bake for another 20 minutes.
- place the mould on your kitchen counter, melt a little butter and brush it over the tops to prevent a crust from forming.
- when completely cool, blot excess butter with kitchen paper towel, and extract the pandori gently.
- place them star-side up on a plate or tray, cover loosely with a tea towel, and transfer to a cupboard.
- although they can be eaten as soon as they're cold, leaving them to air-dry for 24 hours improves both texture and flavour.
- after 24 hours, store them inside cellophane bags and, just before serving, dust generously with vanilla icing sweetener (see NOTES).vanilla icing sweetener
Notes
Nutrition
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