The Rising Trend of Protein Desserts
Low-carb and high-protein baking is the next big fine dining thing: it's the end of “sweet” as we know it, turned into a new gourmet food model.
Oh for the good old times when "carbohydrate" was not a dirty word, when the bread basket was not perceived as an apple in the garden of Eden and cake recipes always began with flour, sugar, butter, eggs…
Today’s rule is no flour and more protein, in everything – desserts included. The protein obsession is certainly no novelty; it's been a topic of discussion since the late nineteenth century, and it could even be argued that it dates back to the Paleolithic Age. The real novelty is that Atkins or Dukan-type diets have influenced consumer purchasing patterns and have become global food trends. As well as becoming the new gourmet food model.
Proteins have become a positive value, synonymous with muscle mass and good physical shape whilst gluten is the arch enemy. In fact, according to one survey, 55% of Americans state that they are cutting down their consumption of white bread and similar products. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Low-carb and gluten-free are in fact the minimum common denominator of sweets in which 00-type flour and castor sugar have disappeared from the list of ingredients. Together with self-indulgence.
The trendiest sweets today upturn the very concept of dessert to make it functional and nutritionally acceptable. The new trend from the United States is spreading to the rest of the globe with protein bakeries and paleo restaurants.
THE NEW ERA OF PROTEIN SWEETS
The first to open in New York in 1999 was a personal trainer, Stephen Charles Lincoln. He's the owner and creator of The Protein Bakery. His brownie, blondie, cookie and mini recipes are “delectable, guilt-free bites-- high in dietary fiber, gluten-free and deliver up to 5 times more protein than the average baked treats.” They can be bought in his Chelsea store or ordered 24/7. As people do, around the country and around the world.
Judged to be “Genuinely delicious” by Oprah and appearing on her O List, these snacks epitomize today’s most sought after combo: a satisfying mash-up of fresh-baked goodness and nutritious protein-packed ingredients.
Lincoln's applying his mission statement to protein cakes and shakes as well.
