| People newly diagnosed with Celiac disease have a | | | | agar-agar or whipped egg whites, which create a |
| lot of changes to make, and a lot of new dietary | | | | similar matrix of trapped air within the food, and |
| restrictions follow. One of the hardest things for a | | | | replicate the behaviors of gluten trapped gasses. |
| lot of people to overcome is a passion for gluten | | | | You obviously cannot use wheat flour, but there |
| rich baked goods, breads and cakes. Thankfully, | | | | are a great variety of milled grains that can serve |
| although gluten free baking does require a bit of | | | | as acceptable substitutes. Corn, rice (rice is a very |
| creativity, it can be done, and there are all sorts | | | | nice mild tasting flour) barley, soy...lots of great |
| of substitutions and tricks out there to make | | | | alternatives. |
| baked goods that are great on their own | | | | There is nothing stopping you from great |
| merits...not just good for gluten free food! | | | | creations except your imagination, and a |
| Gluten is a protein in wheat and other flours, and | | | | willingness to learn and to experiment. My |
| gluten forms strong protein strands in batters and | | | | mother's gluten free lemon loaf recipe is fantastic, |
| dough's that allows gas to become trapped within, | | | | and better than any "regular" lemon loaf I've ever |
| and allows for leavening with cooking. The | | | | tasted. |
| problem with gluten free cooking...is that there is | | | | We all miss certain foods when we change our |
| no gluten! There is nothing strong enough to really | | | | eating habits for better health, but we don't need |
| trap those expanding gases, and nothing to allow | | | | to stop enjoying our favorites, we just need to |
| for light airy cakes, breads, muffins... | | | | use our ingenuity to get back in the kitchen |
| So we have to get creative. Instead of leavening | | | | whipping up a great cake, bread, batch of |
| agents such as yeast or baking soda, we use | | | | cookies...all gluten free! |