Gluten-free baking and other thoughts

teff muffins with apples and carrots

Initially, I don't think it's any secret that gluten-free cooking scared the heck out of me.  I couldn't imagine a life without bread, not being able to fall back on eating out occasionally, and I thought I was going to miss "easy" meals-like frozen pizza- for difficult nights.  I'm not going to lie, it's not all fun, but now at 2 1/2 months into the mission it's already becoming second nature.

I've become very dependent on a couple of recipes that I feel work out pretty well for us, Elizabeth's sandwich bread and pizza crust. I use a boxed muffin mix if we decide to make muffins, but I'd like that to soon change. Everything I've made so far has been very dependent on brown rice flour, which has fiber but isn't the powerhouse I was hoping for. Just scanning the aisles at the grocery store turns up some interesting flours I'd bet most people haven't heard of before- Garfarva, teff, sorghum, arrowroot, quinoa to name a few. Did you even know flours could be made from beans or nuts? Before going gluten-free, I had no idea! Bean flours are really high in fiber and protein!

So my question to the world is why don't we make healthier breads?  Why is all-purpose white flour the standard when we could be receiving nutritional benefit from using other flours?  I know the answer... It's easier and usually cheaper.  For our family, I'm glad to be introducing so many rich flavors by using different kinds of flours, and providing learning opportunities as we bake together.

I've come to the conclusion (through my own experience in addition to reading lots!) that gluten-free food is never going to taste the same as gluten-filled food.  That's okay for me.  I've stopped trying to find the perfect substitute and have embraced the different flavors and textures, and am now just trying to find what we like.  Beth and Luke devour the sandwich bread I make!  I like it fresh out of the bread machine but don't prefer it just plain out of the pantry, I like mine toasted with some peanut butter or almond butter spread on top!  There have been a couple of times when I've craved a crusty, fresh loaf of French bread but that's just not going to happen at our house.  That is also okay for me.  Since my celiac blood test came back negative and I have no symptoms, I will enjoy an occasional treat when I'm out alone without the kids. :-)

If you decide you'd like to try something new, brown rice flour is an easy taste transition, but for baking it's generally not as easy as switching a gluten-free flour for white or wheat flour.  Gluten-free flours have different textures, consistencies, blending abilities, absorption rates... Everything I've read says it's best to blend several flours to achieve the best texture. Corn starch makes breads springy, xanthan gum is the glue that keeps breads together, and various flours and other starches each have their place.  Going gluten-free won't necessarily benefit anyone other than non-celiacs or people who have wheat intolerance (although some people believe it helps lessen children's ADHD symptoms-don't ask me, I don't know much about this), but mixing in a little gluten-free foods every now and then will definitely open your taste buds up to a new realm of eating experiences.  Overall, I think it's better for us because we're getting more health benefits from the foods we eat, maybe that's why gluten-free diets have become trendy?  In any case, I have so much more to learn!  After the next 16 years of watching Mommy cook gluten-free, I expect one day Miss Beth will have her own recipes to share with you. :-)