About This Blog

"Look again. Are you sure? Is it really gluten free? ..........Read the label again, or call the 1-800 number on the back!.... Is tapioca flour the same thing as tapioca starch? Well if it is, then why isn't potato starch the same thing as potato flour?!?! Does 'glutamate' contain gluten? What the heck is Xanthan gum? Gluten Free...Gluten Free...Gluten Free...."

Welcome to the inside of my head ladies and gentlemen. This is what consumed my dreams all last night. Dreaming about the three little words: Going Gluten Free.

I am the wife of a farmer who has been diagnosed with celiac disease. I had never even heard of the disease let alone what the heck it meant! How was I supposed to completely change our lifestyle and eating habits while dealing with the last three months of my pregnancy. It just seemed to much to handle. All of the new weird lingo, the confusing labels, the millions of new flours and starches I had never even heard of before, are now the main product I had to bake with. Here is our story of the trials, successes, and failures of going gluten free.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

FINALLY SUCCESS!

I finally had a loaf of gluten free bread that my husband loves and that turned out well! Be sure you read the manual to your bread machine first and follow the instructions it gives on what order to place the ingredients in the pan. (For example, my machine called for the butter to NOT be melted and added with liquids like the recipe called for, but instead, called for the butter to stay solid and be place on the top of the flour blend.) Also I did not use egg substitute and I did not use any of the optional items at the bottom. 
Here is the recipe I found online and used:


3 Variations of a Gluten Free Bread Recipe - Bread Machine

RECIPE TOOLS

Ingredients:

Yield: 1

WHITE
2 cups rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (or guar gum)
2/3 cup powdered milk (or 1/2 non diary substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons egg substitute (optional)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 2/3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast, granules (or Bread Maker yeast)
4 tablespoons butter, melted (or margarine)
1 teaspoon vinegar (or dough enhancer)
3 eggs, room temperature

Optional
1 tablespoon linseed, and (optional)
1 tablespoon of cut up sunflower seed (optional)
Directions:

1. Most of the ingredients can be placed straight into the baking pan of the bread maker in the order suggested in your manual. (Some place yeast on bottom, flour mix next, then sugar and liquids; other suggest the reverse order.).

2. Place 1 & 1/2 tablespoons yeast in bread pan.
3. Add all the flours, xanthan/guar gum, milk powder and salt.
4. Add the sugar.
5. Beat the eggs.
6. Combine all the water, the butter, vinegar, and eggs. (If your bread machine manual recipes call for warm water, use that. If it has a pre-heating cycle, put in at room temperature.).
7. Use the white bread setting at medium crust (if you have this selection). Alternatively 3-4 hour setting.


Be careful reading tablespoon and teaspoon (I have read it wrong on occasion and achieved a 'not so good loaf').

I recommend that you always go back to the ingredient list and check you have included everything (that isn't optional) before cooking.

This bread freezes well, for convenience slice before freezing.


Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/3-variations-of-a-gluten-free-bread-recipe-bread-machine-308592#ixzz1Z5gUCBAz

Monday, September 26, 2011

Gluten Free Peach Cobbler Failure.

The other day my husband and I tried a GF peach cobbler dutch oven recipe I found. It was a disaster. I took one bite and could not eat the rest. It tasted like play-doh. We threw out the rest. But using the dutch oven and sitting out side enjoying the evening was fun =)

Here is the recipe I found online and used:


2 large (or 4 small) cans peaches in pear juice, quartered
1/4 cup tapioca pearls
1 cup gluten free flour blend (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose)
2 TB coconut palm sugar (you can use brown sugar if you want)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup milk/dairy replacement
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 cup cold butter/butter replacement, cut into small cubes


1. Pour one can of peaches with juice into the dutch oven. Drain the other can of peaches. Discard the juice and add the peaches to the dutch oven. Sprinkle the tapioca pearls over the peaches.

2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Whisk in the milk. Pour/drop this batter over the peaches. Sprinkle the sugar over the batter and then dot with butter. Cook with coals/briquettes on top and bottom for 25-30 minutes, or until the batter is set and golden brown on top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.


Some people say it was great! Maybe I messed up, but I followed the recipe exactly. But if you give it a try let me know it turns out for you!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Happy Birthday My Dear Farmer!

It's my husbands birthday and I had planned for months to make his favorite Lazy Lady cake, but sadly a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with Celiac's. I quickly had to switch some of the plans I had made for his birthday (such as his birthday dinner and birthday cake.) I felt so sad as I watched him drool over all the cakes he couldn't have at the store (he was especially drooling over the pound cake) and I was determined to make him an even better cake! A cake that was gluten free and DELICIOUS! So I got to work looking online for a killer recipe. I finally found a pound cake recipe that I wanted to try out. I made the batter last night and baked a small portion just to be sure we would have a scrumptious cake not a yucky one. Turns out it was a HUGE success! It was perfectly moist, tender, and sweet. My husband said he thought he had died and went to gluten free heaven!  Here are some pictures of that fabulous pound cake.

Here is the link for the recipe: http://www.landolakes.com/recipe/1312/vanilla-pound-cake-gluten-free-recipe




2 cups sugar
1 cup melted
4 eggs 
4 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
3 cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend (see below)
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1 cup milk



Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 12-cup Bundt® or 10-inch angel food cake (tube) pan; sprinkle with gluten-free flour blend. Set aside. 

Combine sugar and melted butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until well mixed. 

Stir together gluten-free flour blend and baking powder in small bowl. Gradually add flour blend mixture alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating at low speed until well mixed. 

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. 

Gluten-Free Flour Blend: To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using. 

The Good, The Bad, The Gluten...Free

So my Zojirushi bread machine came in the mail today! It works beautifully! My first loaf turned out so-so, but hey, practice makes perfect right? It tasted great but I found out that the yeast I used had expired so it did not rise all the way. And so my friends here is the result: Half risen gluten free bread ------>

I was not disappointed but I wasn't thrilled with the result either. I went into this telling myself I would fail a few times before I succeeded and so I wasn't crushed when it didn't come out how I wanted. But I was happy that the taste was not grainy, soggy, or gross; it was quite yummy! (Warming up gluten bread makes it taste better, just a tip I learned somewhere. Try warming it up in the microwave 10-15 seconds or pop it in the toaster!) Next time I will be sure to use fresh yeast, learn from my mistakes ladies! =)

Here is the link to the recipe I used: http://www.zojirushi.com/recipes/gluten-free-brown-rice-bread


Ingredients (for 2-lb. breadmaker):
  • 1-1/2 cups milk or water
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 3-1/4 cups brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1/4 cup potato starch
  • 1 Tbsp. xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
This recipe was developed for the Home Bakery Supreme® Breadmaker (BBCC-X20/BB-CEC20). Adjustments may be required for baking this bread in other models of the Home Bakery.



1In a large bowl, mix the flour ingredients (brown rice flour, corn starch and potato starch) well with a whisk.
2Make sure the kneading blades are properly attached, and add the liquid ingredients (milk (or water), beaten eggs, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil and honey).
3Add the flour mixture from step 1, the xanthan gum and salt to the baking pan. Make a small indentation in the flour with a spoon, and place the yeast there.
4Place the baking pan in the breadmaker, and set the HOME MADE course to the following cycle time: Preheat 15 min, Knead 25 min, Turn OFF Rise 1 and Rise 2, Rise 3 55 min, Bake 55 min, for a total of 2:30. You may also use the BASIC course if preferred.
5Set the crust control, and press START. When add beeps sound, use a rubber spatula to push down flour that may be stuck to the side. Once the bread completes baking, remove immediately onto a cooling rack.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

I Want to Eat a Dinner I Can Pronounce Please!

When I first found out about my husband having celiac's, I kinda freaked out and searched for ANY and ALL gluten free recipes I could find online. The result? A shopping list full of strange foods I could hardly pronounce! I also noticed that almost all the recipes were Indian dishes or Thai food dishes. This may not be everyone's experience but for me it was. All the gluten free recipes that came up online when I searched for them were strange and I didn't even feel confident cooking them because they were so new and had many ingredients I had never heard before.

It wasn't until I had a few days to calm down that I realized that the recipe does NOT have to say gluten free in the title for it to be GF. In fact, it hit me that I could still cook ANY recipe I wanted, I only had to tweak or alter it a bit to make it safe for a GF diet! Lets say I wanted to make a pasta salad or spaghetti. All I would need to do is alter is the pasta noodles and buy a GF brand. Or lets say I wanted to make gravy, instead of using the flour it calls for to thicken it up, I could use corn starch or sweet rice flour. 

So anyways, my point is if you are at the stage were your mind is trapped in a box and you are to afraid to try any recipe unless it has gluten free in the title like I was, I give you permission to step out of that box and don't feel confined by GF recipes, instead be adventurous and tweak any non-gluten free recipe you want!

Ah, isn't freedom sweet?

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

We are parents-to-be dealing with the struggle of going gluten free.

A frazzled mess. That's what I was a few days ago. I was just beginning my third trimester and on top of all that coping with a new strange disease my dear husband was diagnosed with. How was this possible? How could we cut out crackers, pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, cake, cookies, brownies, pastas, and the millions of store products that contain gluten such as soy sauce, bouillon cubes, and various brands of popular condiments, and marinades!? 
We were doomed. Just doomed I tell you. 

It felt so overwhelming it wasn't even funny. I tried to be brave, but knowing the huge lifestyle change this would take was a daunting and scary task. I was fearful because I knew nothing about gluten(1) ( look at the bottom for the footnotes) and celiac disease(2) and I was so afraid that I would some how overlook the gluten in a product that I wouldn't suspect to have gluten(3)  and that I would buy a cross contaminated product(4)  therefore my lack of knowledge would damage my poor husband with out us even knowing it. *Deep breath*  
Phew that was a mouth full!

This is a problem because even the smallest amount of gluten causes permanent damage to the inner surface of the small intestine.

It was also hard because unlike many people with celiac disease, having symptoms of gastrointestinal distress in the form of diarrhea and abdominal pain, my husband showed almost no signs of  gastrointestinal distress (except for some gas, but I thought all men were like that.) So some people will know if they eat something that contains gluten because their body will physically react with unpleasant symptoms, whereas my husband could eat the same thing, receive the same intestinal damage, but never realize it because of the lack of physical symptoms. This terrified me because over time he could develop cancer in his intestines from the repeated damage.

Now that I completely confused you with the rat race and maze of fears and questions that were taking place in my brain, let me reassure you that if you are experiencing these emotions and feelings of being scared and overwhelmed, you are completely normal and this step needs to be a part of your process of going gluten free.

Take it one step at a time.

When I first found out about my husband having celiac's, I buried myself in studying all about it online. This can be very helpful, unless taken to far. Don't expect to learn it all in one day like I was trying to. This caused me major stress (which is never good, especially when you are pregnant!) This is a LIFE STYLE CHANGE so expect it to take quite some time to learn it all. I mean this is just your LIFE we are talking about here. 

But if I may, let me give you some helpful tips that saved my life the first week.
First, going gluten free will have to be a gradual shift. When you first come home from the doctors you are not automatically going to know and have all of the foods required for you to completely make the switch in one day. Allow your self some time to learn about it and stock up on the necessities and snacks.

Second, learn about what you still CAN eat! It may not seem like it at first, but there are millions of things that are still available to you, it is just a matter of learning what those things are. 
ALL fresh meats are safe (if they are processed be sure to read the label to check for gluten) 
ALL unprocessed cheeses are safe (if they are processed just read the label) 
ALL fresh produce, fruits and veggies
Rice
and sea food are safe

Third, Breads, pastas, cookies, and cakes are still available as well, they just have to be made differently. But as I have found (and you have probably found too) Gluten free products, like bread, can be very expensive!  Try investing in a bread machine that has a gluten free cycle. I bought the Zojirushi BB-CEC20 off of amazon.com. I read thousands (Or so it felt like) of reviews and looked at hundreds of different types of bread machines and found this one to be the best. But if you do decide to buy store-bought bread, even though it is pricey, Udi's is a great brand! See if a store near you carries it!

Fourth, Learn the most popular flours and ingredients that you will need to make these tasty new treats and breads: 
Tapioca Flour (which is the same as tapioca starch) 
Brown Rice Flour
White Rice Flour
Fava Bean Flour
Garbanzo Bean Flour
Potato Flour (which IS different from potato starch)
Corn Starch
Corn Meal
Sorghum Flour
Xanthan Gum (which is a natural sugar derived from corn and can be found at a health food store) 
Masa Harina
and Soy Flour
(That is not all that is just to list some of the most commonly used)

And for my last tip today, I will post the top most helpful articles and blogs that saved my life and helped me to cope the first week.
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com (tons of Gluten Free recipes and tips!)
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ (she did one gluten free recipe each day for one full year!)
http://elizatkinson.blogspot.com/2009/01/gluten-free-tip-candy-bars.html (lists a few popular candy bars that are gluten free!)
http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/us-products-not-containing-gluten-ingredients.html (Popular chips that contain gluten and popular chips that are gluten free!)

I hope this was a helpful start! Good luck! 
-The Wife of a Gluten Free Farmer




Footnotes:
1. A substance contained in wheat, rye, and barley.

2. An intolerance to gluten

3. Such as baking powder, I mean who would ever suspect baking powder to have gluten!? But various brand of baking powder do contain it, while other brands do not. It can be very tricky. So be careful.

4. When a product that does not contain gluten comes in contact with a product that does and therefore contaminates the other product.