The one item that most individuals diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity
dread "giving up" is bread. Whether it’s toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch or
burgers in a bun for an on-the-go meal, most people find bread is a regular feature in
their every day diet. The same can be said of many other flour-based foods such as
pizza dough, pancakes, muffins, cakes and cookies, all typically made with wheat flour
and therefore off the menu – or are they ? The answer is, no. Practically any food that
can be made with regular flour can also be made with gluten-free flour so giving up
gluten does not have to mean giving up every thing you enjoy
Gluten-free bread
Any grocery store that stocks gluten-free products will undoubtedly have a wide
range of gluten-free breads on offer. It might take a little trial-and-error to find the
right brand for you but once y ou do, you can carry on having y our toast and
sandwiches whenever y ou choose without giving it a second thought.
You can also make y our own gluten-free bread at home. There are gluten-free
recipes for just about every kind of bread imaginable and once again it’s a matter of
trial-and-error to find the flavors and textures that best suit y our needs. A blend of
gluten-free flours is the most common substitution for regular flour with white and
brown rice flour, sweet sorghum flour, and tapioca starch providing a popular mix.
Xanthan gum and guar gum are added to the dough to give it a sticky , workable texture
in the absence of gluten to bind it all together. Lots of gluten-free breads can be made
quickly and easily with no lengthy kneading necessary but y ou may find yourself enjoy ing the end product so much that you invest in a bread maker in order to try out
an even greater variety of tasty gluten-free bread recipes.
Gluten-free pizza dough
Ready made gluten-free pizza bases are available to buy in stores stocking glutenfree
products and they can also be frozen, making them a handy stand-by for a quick
and easy homemade pizza with any topping y ou choose.
Like bread, pizza dough is also very easy to make at home. A blend of brown rice
flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, and potato starch creates a base that suits most
preferences but the bonus of making y our own is that you can experiment with
different recipes and make it as thin or as deep as you like.
Pancakes
Gluten-free pancake mixes are generally available in supermarkets with a glutenfree
range in stock and they are widely available on-line. However, making y our own
mix at home couldn’t be simpler. All you need is your favorite gluten-free flour mix,
some eggs and milk and y ou’re ready to cook up a stack whenever you need a
pancake fix!
Muffins
You can buy ready -to-eat muffins in gluten-free bakeries and gluten-free muffin
mixes are also available. However, like pancakes, it may be simpler than y ou think to
make y our own mix at home and store it in airtight containers ready to use whenever
y ou want to bake up a batch. A blend of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, amaranth
flour, and quinoa flour with potato and tapioca starch is a popular combination in
many gluten-free muffin recipes but once y ou discover how easy it is to make y our
own, you’ll find yourself experimenting with lots of delicious combinations and
flavors.
Cakes and cookies
As with muffins, gluten-free cakes and cookies can be found in bakeries or in the
gluten-free section of your local health food store or supermarket. Of course, making
y our own is the most cost effective way to satisfy y our sweet-tooth and with a
growing number of gluten-free recipe books dedicated to baking, y ou might be
surprised by just how easy it is to make all of your favorite treats at home.
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
Gluten-free flours are generally denser than regular flours and this means that weightfor-
weight measurements are best when substituting recipe ingredients. For example,
one cup of almond flour weighs more than one cup of regular wheat flour so it’s best
to weigh the contents of the cup in the original recipe and then substitute with the same
weight in gluten-free flour.
The coarser grind of most gluten-free flours can also lead to a drier texture and
for this reason additional liquid may be required to create a moist end product. Fruit
juices are ideal for this purpose and they can add subtle differences in flavor to give
y our baking a unique twist. However, using recipes designed especially for gluten-free
baking is the best way to get the results y ou want first time around!
