I’ve been reading a lot about the gluten-free diet lately and I’m constantly amazed by how much bad press it gets. I really enjoy talking to people who think that it’s bad for you. I like to ask them where they get their information and what they are basing their opinion on. Most say they’ve purchased something or were served something in a restaurant or cafe and that it lacked flavour. Ok fair enough, but not all gluten-free things are created equal!
My answer to people who think gluten-free food lacks flavour and is usually dry is “you haven’t tried mine.” Alternative flours used in gluten-free baking require mixing. You can not use just one! Baking, in particular, is quite challenging because the more flours you use, the more expensive it gets. So as a result, the store bought items that are less expensive are usually made with white, white and more white. This is why they are dry, tasteless and turn people off gluten-free living.
Mixing flours allows you to create moist tender products that are, in some cases, just as nice as their gluten counterparts. We use tapioca and arrowroot starches for leavening only. They are lighter in texture and therefore help products rise well. But to say that they are not “good for you” is leading you down the garden path. Gluten-free products are so advanced these days that even commercially made products have similar nutritional panels as their gluten containing cousins. I follow a blog that recently did some research and wanted to share their recent post:
http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.ca/2012/10/excess-fat-and-sugar-are-gluten-free.html
I say kudos to Peter and Kelli Bronski for posting this blog. It’s great! So before you go saying that gluten-free is not good for you, take a look at the nutritional panels of your favourite items and compare them to the gluten-free equivalents. Blending flours is crucial and allows you to incorporate more fibre and protein in your items thus making them better for you while avoiding the harmful effects of gluten. Take a look at our menu items and see that we use a variety of flours designed to get the best product and one that gives some nutritional value as opposed to one that just spikes your blood sugar. We pride ourselves on our flour blends and encourage you to ask our repeat customers about how tasty our baked goods are! So before you go “dissing” the gluten-free lifestyle, I just have to say to you “try it, you’ll like it”.