gluten....meh.

MagicalLeopleurodon
MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
in Food and Nutrition
After fighting a skin rash on and off for months, dealing with headaches that come out of nowhere, bad knees suddenly getting so much worse without warning, severe bloating after eating-to the point i struggle to inhale... a lightbulb clicked on.

These things only flare after crackers. Or pasta. Or bread. Cinnamon buns. Rolls.

So i want to cut out gluten. Just to see. Here's my dilemma-i make all my own breads, pastries, and other yummy things. Someone say yeast rolls? Let me break out the big bowl. Want a grilled cheese? Ill unwrap the homemade Texas toast.

I dont intend on switching to store bought, mass produced cookies, crackers, or crusty bread any time soon.

I know almond flour, coconut flour, etc are safe. But you really want bread flour for bread or you end up with a heavy lump that is too dense for even croutons. Cookies should be chewy and soft, not dense and grainy.

So, my lovelies-i have to relearn 100 year old recipes for all my gluteny goodness, and im stumped. So, what types of ingredients and flours work best for certain things? Can i make a delicious cake from coconut flour, or will it be dense and flat? Shhould i try nut flours,or is there a better type? Any good recipe sites? Any lists of "do nit eat this"

Replies

  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Also? Im starting this during the holidays, so i need a pie crust recipe that is pie shell, not graham cracker.

    In a fun twist, my cousin is prediabetic so im making all of my gluten free foods with stevia. Because southern families are not goingto alter recipes for two people, lmao
  • kathystrauss1
    kathystrauss1 Posts: 142 Member
    My sister has Celiac disease so although I am not gluten free I am very familiar with it and have learned a lot about gf cooking, You can learn to do some great things gluten free but baked goods are just never as good. Since you sound like a fabulous baker before I would give up on the gluten I think I would get officially tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance first.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    I don't sub flour often, but for cookies, I've actually found chickpea/fava bean flour to be a good substution. Almond flour does tend to be pretty dense and it's really high calorie. But it tastes fine in muffins, pancakes, etc. I can't tell you much about bread.

    Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it's the gluten that makes bread so doughy, fluffy, and yummy. So I don't know that you'll ever find another flour that's quite the same.

    My symptoms aren't quite as bad as yours, so if I really want bread on occasion, I'll have it. Day to day I just avoid it all, though. Even the alternate flours. I thought I'd really miss it, but I don't.
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Without going into *ahem* politics, i find myself one of the people who cannot afford getting tested. I couldnt even go if my arm were severed, id just have to break out a sewing kit. >.<
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Search Amazon for "artisanal gluten free cooking" and you will come up with some good cookbooks-- I have one by Bronski and Bronski that is fantastic! It starts with a recipe for a baking mix that you then use in the rest of the recipes. Everything I've made out of that cookbook has been great.
  • KMPowell1980
    KMPowell1980 Posts: 7
    I recently went gluten free myself due to migraines and a host of other issues. I have made bread once. I did this recipe: http://alittleinsanity.com/soft-gluten-free-sandwich-bread-recipe/ and it came out pretty good. Not the exact same as gluteny bread but closer than anything else I've tried.
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Maybe if i just sub in half where bread flour is needed? Surely, with all the gluten free bakeries appearing, there would be info somewhere? (Im looking up bakeries to call, since the internet is still sadly underwhelming on things like this when you need an answer yesterday)
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
    I have actually found rice flour keeps the light texture.... It's still not quite the same, but it is really good!
  • Unknown
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  • H1L5
    H1L5 Posts: 55 Member
    My mum has coeliacs disease so I am familiar with a gluten free diet. First though I think it would be worth asking your doctor for an official diagnosis. This is easily done. Here in the UK you can then get products on prescription eg cake mixes, flours, pasta, biscuits (they are truly horrible) If you have coeliacs disease you have to avoid cross contamination of your food as even a small amount of gluten can have an adverse effect.
    A lot of brownie recipes use ground almonds instead of flour, so they are OK
    Glutafin for example make cake and bread mixes. You can also buy Doves Farm flours for various baking. Can you get these in the US?
    http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/gluten-free/gluten-free-flour-and-baking/?productOffset=all&amp;
    http://www.glutafin.co.uk/product/glutafin-gluten-free-fibre-bread-mix/
    Basically though as another poster said gluten free baking just does not work as well as normal baking.
    Good luck
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Im definately not expecting exactly the same red velvet cake ive had my whole life, lke i never expected soymilk to taste like 2%. I just dont want to be disappointed (like the time i made banana egg pancakes. Eew.)
  • Howbouto
    Howbouto Posts: 2,121 Member
    My sister has Celiac disease so although I am not gluten free I am very familiar with it and have learned a lot about gf cooking, You can learn to do some great things gluten free but baked goods are just never as good. Since you sound like a fabulous baker before I would give up on the gluten I think I would get officially tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance first.

    Also regardless of testing, if you have the problems after they will likely tell you to so a 30 day trial anyways. There are many false negatives in the testing. The testing does nothing but give a piece of mind of an official diagonsis.
    *
    As for baking, I found the more flours you mixed together the better the outcome. Xanthan gum will be used to replace the gluten. I found don't be stingy with it. If it calls for a teaspoon, I use a heaping teaspoon.

    Here is link that I have found helpful.
    http://glutenfreegirl.com/a-guide-to-gluten-free-baking/
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    Also, i dont even have a dr. I make my own cough drops-its that bad. ve lived with this for months now, so if gluten free doesnt solveit, i just go back and reread my food journal to see what was common on flare days :)
  • Howbouto
    Howbouto Posts: 2,121 Member
    One other thing, if it calls for rice flour and milk. Mix the two together and let sit for a couple of minutes. This makes the rice flour consistancy less gritty.
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
    You can find a lot of free baking cookbooks on Amazon (or heavily discounted) if you have a Kindle - you can download Kindle books to your PC/Mac as well.

    I try to avoid gluten containing foods, but I don't do a lot of baking. Mostly just muffins and the like. A cookbook I have is Paleo Indulgences (it's gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, etc and would be great for both you and and your pre-diabetic family member) that has been a proven winner in the baking department.

    Good luck to you and I hope your gluten free experiment gives you the answers you seek, but keep in mind, it could be other food allergens as well - eggs, dairy, etc.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    My sister has Celiac disease so although I am not gluten free I am very familiar with it and have learned a lot about gf cooking, You can learn to do some great things gluten free but baked goods are just never as good. Since you sound like a fabulous baker before I would give up on the gluten I think I would get officially tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance first.

    Also regardless of testing, if you have the problems after they will likely tell you to so a 30 day trial anyways. There are many false negatives in the testing.

    False negatives in a biopsy?
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
    A great website I've found for the occasional baked good I DO make is www.ibreatheimhungry.com. She has a red velvet cake there, if I remember correctly. Most of her stuff is gluten free - some items are not, but about 95% of them are.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Well, as for bread, gluten forms the structure. You're never going to get a "great" loaf of bread without it. You might get an "ok" loaf with different flours, but it's the gluten structure that gives bread it's texture. For other baked goods that don't rely on gluten as much for structure (cookies, cakes, brownies and the like) you should be able to swap out flours relatively easily.
  • sabified
    sabified Posts: 1,035 Member
    Bump for ideas....


    Sorry I'm no help but good luck, OP!
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
    My sister has Celiac disease so although I am not gluten free I am very familiar with it and have learned a lot about gf cooking, You can learn to do some great things gluten free but baked goods are just never as good. Since you sound like a fabulous baker before I would give up on the gluten I think I would get officially tested for Celiac or gluten intolerance first.

    Also regardless of testing, if you have the problems after they will likely tell you to so a 30 day trial anyways. There are many false negatives in the testing.

    False negatives in a biopsy?

    She is correct. False negatives with allergen testing, blood testing and biopsy testing. The only way people have been able to confirm if gluten is a problem for them 100% of the time is to give up gluten, and to give up gluten throws off the tests. Most people decide to take a trial break away from gluten to see if it's an issue. They find that it is, so they decide to see their doctor and find out if they're just intolerant or full blown allergic. Little do they know at the time is that they need to be fully immersed in a diet full of gluten to have an accurate test result. There's tons of literature out there about it. The biopsy is used to show damage to the celia in the gut lining. The gut is a very effective healer when irritants are removed, and by the time people confirm by their own experiments that they have a gluten allergy, the gut is healed enough to throw off biopsy results.
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
    As far as bread... I have yet to find a store bought bread or a recipe that makes nice fluffy bread. It unfortunately will be more dense. The texture actually kind of reminds me of pancakes lol. It is still tasty but not sandwich worthy. I find the same with cake, but it not nearly as bad. You can make some pretty friggin yummy cake but it will be somewhat heavier that normal. I would totally avoid any store bought cause it is always dry.

    Chickpea cookies are a good option. They are flourless altogether.


    I find almond meal/flour makes a pretty good pie crust.

    Robinhood now has a nutriblend flour option that is gluten free. I wouldn't use it for everything, but I have made pizza crusts with it in the past and it wasn't bad at all.
  • dgbrash2
    dgbrash2 Posts: 16 Member
    My wife was diagnosed with Celiac Disease about 6 months ago. For starters, always read/investigate your questions by going to reputable websites, like the Mayo Clinic website, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/MY01140. I would recommend this one as well: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/features/gluten-intolerance-against-grain. My wife is still 'experimenting' with recipes, but generally speaking, she has found that a combination of flours seems to work best. The rice flours, almond flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour combos seem to work out pretty good. She has determined that by ordering the flours online (amazon.com), she has gotten the best prices for the flours, and it doesn't take long to qualify/accumulate enough product for a 'free shipping' order. And don't forget the Xantham gum! That, I think, is the most expensive ingredient, although none of these flours are cheap. If you need the ingredients soon enough that you can't order them/don't have time to order them online, we have found that our local Kroger and Publix have the best assortments/prices for the flours and for the products, depending on whether you want to buy baking ingredients or out-of-the-box mixes. :( Remember, ALL of the gluten-free ready-made flours & products are going to be 150-200% higher cost than regular products. We have also 'invested' in 2 non-stick hamburger bun/bread pans, and a bread machine. My wife bakes her own bread loaves and slices the bread, then freezes the sliced loaf, so that she can take out just what she needs for a meal.

    *We live in Alabama, USA
  • sidcianicliff
    sidcianicliff Posts: 17 Member
    We use the Pamela's gluten free Pancake and Baking mix for baked goods, pancakes etc. We love it. It's cheaper to buy thru Amazon thru subscribe and save. For bread we use the Pamela's bread mix, it's delicious! We make it in our bread maker. We buy that thru Amazon also.
    Also Pamela's has a website with scores of different recipes. I actually prefer the flavor of the pancakes better than regular flour pancakes. The Baking mix has almond meal incl it really adds to the flavor. The pie crust is awesome as well.

    I also have some gluten free cookbooks. Gluten free on a shoestring is a nice cookbook. She uses a different flour blend but the recipies are recreations of gluten rich foods. I have enjoyed her recipes. Hope this helps.......

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