| Celiac disease affects the digestive system, making it | | | | they are as good as any wheat muffin - and they |
| difficult to process food and absorb nutrients. It is the | | | | wouldn't just say that - they're not that nice! |
| result of continued exposure to wheat gluten, in a body | | | | My attentions now, are on adjusting a recipe for basic |
| that has an intolerance, or "allergy' to it. Symptoms | | | | bread and hamburger buns: a bread that you can |
| vary a lot, and long term damage can take years to | | | | actually use on two sides - for the real sandwich or |
| reverse - but it usually is curable - and the treatment is | | | | burger experience. Most wheat-alternative breads are |
| always the same: remove all wheat, and | | | | just too crumbly or heavy to do that with, and you end |
| wheat-derived products from the diet. | | | | up with an open face sandwich on a plate with a fork |
| This is a huge challenge for most people, since wheat | | | | ... it just isn't the same. |
| is a fundamental, and often hidden ingredient in our | | | | The big challenge in creating gluten-free baked goods, |
| Western diet. And it can leave a big, gnawing hole in | | | | is getting a light and airy result that holds together. |
| the diet - and in the stomach: an unrequited appetite | | | | Gluten is the substance that allows this to happen so |
| for bread, and all of those other wheat-based goodies | | | | impressively in the wheat bread we're accustomed to. |
| we are accustomed to. | | | | In order to create a rice bread that emulates this, I use |
| Health food store alternatives tend to be hard, dense, | | | | a lot of egg. (that makes it high-protein too.) |
| and expensive. I did find a good gluten-free bakery - | | | | Brown rice is my flour of choice, for the wholegrain |
| but it isn't local, and is really expensive. It inspired me to | | | | health value, but using white rice flour can give you an |
| start baking though. | | | | even lighter result. And after testing a lot of dairy |
| The recipes I found for gluten-free breads had an | | | | ingredients, I found yogurt to be the best in most |
| awful lot of ingredients - some of which I was not | | | | cases. I'm guessing you could also use non-dairy |
| familiar with, and left me feeling uneasy. (Is it good for | | | | alternatives, but I haven't tried that. |
| me to put a lot of this stuff in my system on a regular | | | | I use honey in my recipes - again for the health |
| basis?) And again, I would have to go to a special | | | | benefits - and the great taste. Sugar and other |
| store, and spend more money. | | | | sweeteners would also work though, with a little |
| I figured there had to be a simpler way to create basic | | | | adjustment. I also like to use concentrated fruit juice in |
| food for myself and my family. I used to bake my own | | | | some muffins. |
| bread (even ground my own whole wheat flour - hah! | | | | I think a recipe should be simple and flexible. Baking on |
| Who knew I was up to my elbows in poison!) And I've | | | | the fly, as an essential part of the diet, substitutions |
| really missed baking birthday cakes and special treats. | | | | often have to be made, based on what's available in |
| So I started throwing things together. The first results | | | | the kitchen at the moment. But this keeps it creative ... |
| were pretty rock-like, but with a teenage son around, | | | | you never know what new delights you might come |
| no food goes wasted. My test muffins got better and | | | | up with! |
| better, and at this point, the family assures me that | | | | |