The quest for gluten free.
I have had a number of requests from friends and customers for gluten free products. I am finding developing products is not an easy task to do. When it comes to grain products, there are few choices available and it takes a long time to source out suitable products that are definitely gluten free.
The most valuable information comes from people who are on a gluten free diet already. Fortunately they have shared some recipes with me and that’s the easy step. Finding products to use is the challenge. I have spoke with people who have celiacs disease and found out that many of the products labelled as gluten free do infact contain gluten. Many companies process grains in mills that also mill wheat flours, and there is often cross contamination unless the line is meticulously cleaned or they use a seperate milling system.
There are products that are not clear where they are milled, even though they say gluten free. There are many imported products such as pototo flour that make no claim as to whether they are gluten free or not, but come from areas where wheat grains are not grown. But what else runs through their mills? There is one health food store I found that re-packages thier own flours and claims that they select products from companies that are careful about where they buy the products and cross-contamination and they say that people with celiacs disease by thier products such as rice flour, tapioca flour and potato flour. I’ll have to check with my clients on that one.
The largest stores out there have the lowest number of products available. There are some stores that carry some of “Bob’s Red Mill” products, but they don’t carry enough of the product line to complete the recipes listed on the packages of products they do carry! I’ve searched for products for about 12 hours now, and I have found very few products that can be considered for use in a gluten free pie, but I think I have found enough.
This week I will make some pies with no gluten with some of the limited products I have found, and I’m fortunate to have good recipes to work with. I will be making the doughs and pies on days when regular pies are not being made so eliminate cross contamination. And I”m making the products in the other end of our facility to further reduce any risks of cross contamination.
I have one friend who has celiacs disease and she said it’s tough cause they can’t eat out, they can’t go to bakeries and they have to make every meal they eat. This quest has been time consuming but it’s worth it because it’s educating and has allowed just a glimpse of insight into this terrible disease and how frustrating it must be for those people affected. It’s been a quest for sure, and how hopefully I’m able to create a number of tasty products for customers that will allow them a bit of a break from doing all the cooking.