nutritious & delicious (and gluten-free)
Have you ever noticed how gluten-free products are often loaded down with starches, gums, and other "empty calories"? The argument is that it is impossible to make anything gluten-free without these products. Well, that's what we were told about making great-tasting 100% whole wheat bread... and opening our restaurant/bakery without a fryer... and countless other things. "It's impossible. It can't be done." Yet, as so often in the past, we proved the naysayers wrong. You CAN make gluten-free breads, cookies, cupcakes, and other baked goods WITHOUT empty fillers, starches or gums. And that's not all. You can make things that are Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, and Corn-Free without using empty fillers, starches or gums! We know, because that's what we do. Here is a list of things you will NOT find in any of our baked goods or breads: potato starch, tapioca flour/starch, xanthan gum, guar gum, and arrowroot powder.
Another thing we noticed is that the most common gluten-free flour used - by far - is rice flour. Of course, white rice flour was out of the question for us. White rice is just way too processed. Brown rice flour posed a different problem. Although the nutritional value of brown rice is very high, there were some concerns regarding reports of brown rice picking up traces of arsenic from the soil where it is grown. Also, a few people reported allergies to brown rice. So, we decided to steer clear of rice flour. Corn is another thing we avoid; many people with gluten allergies are also allergic to corn. But there are still plenty of other gluten-free seeds and grains that are packed with nutrients and work great for baking all sorts of delicious breads, pastries, etc. Here are the gluten-free grains we use in our allergy-friendly products: organic sorghum, organic millet, organic quinoa, organic buckwheat, and organic amaranth. For thickeners we use: organic flaxseed, organic chia seeds, and organic psyllium husk.
We also grind all our flours fresh. We have two grain mills on the premises (as far away from each other as possible to avoid cross-contamination). One mill is set aside exclusively for grinding gluten-free grains. We have found the difference between freshly-ground flour and pre-packaged flour to be immense. Not only is the nutritional value of freshly-ground flour much higher, but you can also notice a big difference in the look and taste of a product made with freshly-ground flour versus pre-packaged.
Another thing we noticed is that the most common gluten-free flour used - by far - is rice flour. Of course, white rice flour was out of the question for us. White rice is just way too processed. Brown rice flour posed a different problem. Although the nutritional value of brown rice is very high, there were some concerns regarding reports of brown rice picking up traces of arsenic from the soil where it is grown. Also, a few people reported allergies to brown rice. So, we decided to steer clear of rice flour. Corn is another thing we avoid; many people with gluten allergies are also allergic to corn. But there are still plenty of other gluten-free seeds and grains that are packed with nutrients and work great for baking all sorts of delicious breads, pastries, etc. Here are the gluten-free grains we use in our allergy-friendly products: organic sorghum, organic millet, organic quinoa, organic buckwheat, and organic amaranth. For thickeners we use: organic flaxseed, organic chia seeds, and organic psyllium husk.
We also grind all our flours fresh. We have two grain mills on the premises (as far away from each other as possible to avoid cross-contamination). One mill is set aside exclusively for grinding gluten-free grains. We have found the difference between freshly-ground flour and pre-packaged flour to be immense. Not only is the nutritional value of freshly-ground flour much higher, but you can also notice a big difference in the look and taste of a product made with freshly-ground flour versus pre-packaged.