The latest gluten-free recipes include white bread

(NC)-People who are diagnosed as 'gluten intolerant', or with Celiac's disease, are generally forced to pass up a whole world of delicious baked goods, especially those made with wheat, barley, or rye. Non-gluten recipes, however, are improving all the time.

Celiac individuals can hardly remember the pleasure of a sandwich made with soft white bread, for example. Most breads and sandwiches represent digestion discomfort and even debilitating pain. Non-gluten flour substitutes, like those made with rice, soy, and corn, have great baking potential, but most recipes have been unable to make bread rise in a way that completely replicates the light and tasty gluten-structure of wheat.

"It might surprise you to know that approximately one in 200 North Americans have Celiac's disease, a condition that is characterized by the lack of enzymes necessary to digest gluten," explains Diane McElroy at ACH Foods. "So our research and development labs tested countless recipes using gluten-free corn starch. When combined with the other non-gluten flours, corn starch makes all the difference in the texture and taste of baked goods, especially in white bread."

Recipes by Bette Hagman have proved invaluable. At 50, Hagman was diagnosed with Celiac's disease-and since then, she has championed the cause by helping others eat much better. Corn starch white bread, plus many other tantalizing recipes are presented in her book, The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy, published by Holt Paperbacks.

"Recipes with gluten-free flours-like white rice, brown rice, soy, corn, tapioca, fava bean, and potato starch - produce great bread when corn starch is an ingredient," says McElroy. "Of course, when baking Celiac foods, it's also important to have less common ingredients in the pantry like xanthan gum or guar gum to mimic the elasticity of wheat gluten. But the good news is: this is bread made from batter and it requires no kneading."

Gluten-free melba toast is a natural spinoff when making white bread. Just cut off the crusts thinly and bake for an hour or so. Desserts with corn starch, like Butter Brickle Pudding, are gluten-free too.

"It's a pudding that is rich and nutty with a mild vanilla undertone," McElroy said, "and it creates a virtual taste sensation with its crunchy toffee chips and chopped pecans." For more gluten-free recipes, you can visit the recipes section of www.achfood.ca and enter "gluten" in its search window.

Tell your friends you saw this article on Taste of Whatcom.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- News Canada ©2008 Article & Photo

-----------------------------------------------------------

(03-2009)

We would love to hear your comments on this article.
Make your comments using our Feedback Form. Thank you.

The information presented and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Taste Of Whatcom™ and/or its /subsidiaries/partners. Please read our Privacy/Disclaimer Statement.

TOP OF PAGE