Wheat/Gluten Allergy - Baking Advice

I am a baker and have developed gluten-free recipes for a small store here on Whidbey Island. The book I started with is Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly. This has some great recipes. The Coconut Raspberry Muffin is very tasty and the Peanut butter cookie is also good. I substituted cashew butter for the peanut butter and found that to be tasty. The best part is to just start with the basic recipe in this book and tweek it as you go along. The master mix in this book is a good one. I would also not bother with trying to make gluten free bread, it just does not work well. There are some good gluten free breads on the market. There are also some good recipes on the internet for focaccia, that is an alternative to bread for sandwiches. Good luck.

Bob's Red Mill has several mixes that are GF and very good. I often have to add more liquid to the recipes though. My son is also allergic to wheat and gluten. New Seasons has a GF section that has lots of different brands. New Seasons and Bob's Red Mill both do Gluten Free cooking classes on occasion.
Good luck.

New Seasons Market in Portland has great classes you can take and show you different receipes. They have it on there website also you can schedule a free consultation with a nutritionist. We go to new season or Wild Oats and get their gluten free line of products. They have pizza dough and cakes that I think taste very good!

Hi L.,
We are going through the same thing. My son who is 4 and I have found out that we are allergic to gluten, dairy, eggs, etc...

Go to New Season's or Whole Foods. They have tons of great gluten free products that taste great. You can go on a tour at New Season's of the gluten free things in the store. It is a free tour. Whole Foods has tastings for gluten free foods every once in a while. The best things is that if you try something that is bad tasting or whatever both stores will refund you just keep your receipt. For receipes I just google the reciepe and add gluten free and i get a ton of choices. Bob's Red Mill has a good all purpose gluten free flour. Also make sure you buy gluten free vanilla for baking too and gluten free baking powder. You can get those at New Seasons or whole foods too. Also Freddies has a good selection but higher prices on some stuff.

You are such a wonderful grandma for wanting to do this for your grandson. My mom didn't want to bother and doesn't understand what a huge difference it makes in his health to avoid gluten and other foods he is allergic to.

Let me know if I can help you with anything else. here is my email. ____@____.com

G.

Hi,
It's great that you are working hard to support your grandson like this. He's lucky to have you.

There is a great site that may be a good resource for you.

It's called Gulten Free Eugene
http://www.glutenfreeeugene.org/

I don't have personal experience with this issue but I have seen that site and there are a lot of good resources there.

Good luck,
E.

Hi L.,
My son is GFCF (gluten and casien free), as well as other allergies. I know of a WONDERFUL bakery that is gluten free, called Options Baking Company she is fantastic!! Her name is Andrea and her number is ###-###-####. She could send you some yummy stuff and give you some tips too.
Which grains have you tried? Quinoa is a truly wonderful alternative grain, better nutritionally than rice. Your local health food store may also have some ready mixes for gluten free baking; Fred Meyer has a nutrition section that has some GF stuff, including cookies and baking mixes. The ready-made mixes will likely be a LOT easier than trying to balance everything from scratch; or order from Andrea; her stuff is awesome!! Best of luck!!
E.

M 5 yo is gluten free. I've converted a lot of my recipes to using new, gluten free flour. It's a combination of white and brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch and garbanzo bean flour (all 1 c except the garbanzo and that's 1.5 cup). I've also recently learned to add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum for every 1.5 c of flour. this acts as a binding agent and helps the lightness of baked goods.
another resource I use is the celiac website (green background) sorry I can't remember the website to link it here. others include gluten free momma, gluten free girl.
Like another responder I simply google 'gluten free ____' and see what comes up.
Other GF flours work wel too, like potato flour.
We've had great sucess w/cookies and pizza dough. In fact I sent GF cookies to his church group and EVERYONE loved them!! didn't even notice they were any different.
Oh, be careful of the rice crispies being gluten free and Kellogs has made a statement that NONE of their products can be considered gluten free.
It may be hard reading labels, but has been so worth it for our family.
ingredients to be careful of include 'modified food starch' (could be wheat or corn based), malt flavoring, any 'natural flavoring' could be a potntial gluten source. even some deli meat is infused w/gluten....why?...go figure.
anyway, gluten free baking is different but w/the added xanthum gum (or guar gum..just haven't tried it personally ) it is possible to make it taste much closer to the real thing. xanthun gum is expensive per package but as you use teaspoons not cups of it, it really does go a long way and makes a huge difference.!!
M.

Hi L.,
I am a cake decorator and recently hired to bake a birthday cake for a 16 yr. old boy who is allergic to wheat. The cake mix I am using is one of Rob's Red Mill mixes. A tip I was given for this mix is the how water listed on the baking instructions. I haven't baked the cake yet but apparently that is the trick to making the cake mix work, make sure the water is "hot" as described on the package.
He also has a website of his products and store finder to find the location nearest to you to get the products.
Good luck and have a great week!
Jennifer Sisco

We use SPELT flour and just substitute it in any recipe that calls for flour. We buy it at Winco in the bulk foods section! I think you can use brown rice flour in the same way, but we like the taste of the spelt as it's similar to wheat, you can hardly tell the difference!

We are a gluten, csssine, and sugar free house sue to some sensitivities to some family members. The best advice I can give you is to not replace items for something that it isn't. If you are trying to exactly replicate soft white bread you will always be dissapointed. We learned to substitute wraps: Here is the recipe I came up with. I'm not really sure of the real amounts as I just throw things in the bowl - so experiment until you get it right for you.

1/4 cup Tapioca flour
1/4 cup Amaranth flour
small amount of salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup rice milk (try soy, almond, or water for variations)

Wire whisk it all together. I a 8-10" non-stick heated pan put 1/8 - 1/4 cup of mixture. Tilt the pan until the bottom is covered and you have a round looking wrap. Think crepe - not pancake. Cook until the bottom looks done and flip to cook some more. They will be stiff when first done but will soften as they cool stacked together on a plate.

Use whatever you would use in a regular sandwich, roll them up like a burrito and enjoy!

I sometimes add baking powder or soda, an egg, or spices depending on what I am doing so experiment. Try adding some basil, onion powder, and garlic powder if your are using egg salad as the filler. Have fun!

Also: Bob's Red Mill makes a gluten free pancake mix that our family likes. I have used it as a base to play around with when making muffins and the like.

I don't know if spelt is gluten free but i think it is. And it's close enough in consistency to regular flour that you don't really have to alter your methods, I can't really taste the difference when i make bread with wheat flour or spelt.

Hello L.,

My son was diagnosed at 13, & we began the adventure that you are now beginning. First, you may contact me with any questions directly at ____@____.com. I would be happy to network with you, it's not an easy acclimation, however, once you learn it, it's not so bad. I bought all the flours, and other things, & did a bunch of baking in the beginning. I have cook books & other things that you might find useful, which i would be glad to give you. First recommendation is to get (if you don't already have one), the kitchen aid or comparable free standing mixer. You have already discovered that the consistency of things will be very different. There are many package mixes available, if you don't want to stock the flours. They have already done the chemistry for you. I'll have to look for our favorite receipes, (cornbread was our favorite), I have many in my computer, and could send them to an e-mail address. Feel free to pick my brain.
A.

Congrats to you for trying!! Once you get the hang of it you will find it is not hard at all. Most stores are carrying all gluten free products in their natural section. Fred Meyer carries "Bob's Red Mill" products and his baking mix is my favorite for substituting in all of my old favorite recipes. www.bobsredmill.com is also a wonderful site for recipes. PCC is also one of the best places for gluten free products. Pamela's baking mix comes in huge bags and can be used for any kind of baking you can imagine. www.pamelasproducts.com and this is my second favorite site for gluten free recipes from her mix. Safeway is also starting to carry some of the mixes for pancakes and pizza crust in their natural section. Good luck and happy baking!
p.s. My daughter was four when we found her gluten intolerant. She is now nine and rarely feels left out of activities. (Don't forget homemade rice krispy treats are gluten free)

My two favorite "cheats" is anything by Gluten Free Pantry, they have the BEST mixes, spice cake (that I don't share because it's so good!) pizza dough/french bread that I just bake regular (don't share that either ;-)

For a tasty Treat, Bob's Red Mill has a rather addicting brownie mix, (wasn't too fond of their bread mix though)

Here are some links I use

the basics
http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs06.htm

Bob's Red Mill (great because you can buy bulk flours too)
http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten_free_info.php

For salad dressing Drew's is clearly labled what is GF, makes life nicer.
http://www.chefdrew.com/Pages/products/dressings/dressing...

I think the best bit of advice I can give is this, please don't be offended if those who watch out for your grandsons health are cautious about trusting food for him to other people. Gluten is in SO much and by so many different names. It's more than "no wheat flour". I once had someone suggest I eat a flourless bread, it was made from sprouted grains instead of flours. They thought because it didn't have flour it was okay. If your family seems overly cautious it's because they have to be. The thing that puts me to ease is when the person asks ahead of time (tells me the brand they want to serve) or tells me all the ingredients and/or makes a point to ask me about choices I make. Be careful when shopping too, if the label on the SHELF says GF doesn't mean the PRODUCT is. (I came upon this the other day in fact)

A lot of things now include gluten free labels making it easier and quick, a side note though, "wheat free" doesn't mean GLUTEN free, you can't have wheat without gluten but you CAN have gluten even if there is not wheat. (barley and rye have gluten)

Also, (sorry this is so long) I find that it is very easy with most basic recipes, to substitute white rice flour for wheat. Gravies, sauces, crepes, thickening for soups.

For meals, the easiest way to cut the gluten is to make things from scratch. Don't buy frozen meals or seasoning packets, salad dressings, etc.

I have to go, but I hope this helps some.

c.

My mother-in-law is gluten intolerant and has shown me a bunch of great resources. "The Gluten-Free Gourmet" has a couple cookbooks, including dessert. She says these are good. Also, Pamela's and Gluten-Free Pantry make good baking mixes. The Pamela's brownies and GFP's angel food cake are both excellent. They have them at Top Foods and Fred Meyer as well as the Olympia Food Coop. Happy Baking.

You can also look on-line for resources related to celiac disease. Yes, I know this isn't what your grandson has, but celiac disease is an inability to digest wheat/gluten, so you're likely to find resources and recipes that way as well.

i too am a grandma who has grandbabes with alleries. my daughter has had quite a life change. but has over come it all and deals with it all. here. is her e-mail, ____@____.com she has to make all their food for preschool ect. god bless you are very luckly to have them close.lynn

I have been baking with no wheat for years and have it down pretty good. I use a very fine white rice frour and for every cup I add 1/2 teas cream of tartar and 1/2 cup fine almond meal (Trader Joes sells a good one) This works in almost every recipe I have run across. It is hard to make things that need to be kneaded due to the lack of gluten. I usually press pie dough in to the pie plate instead of rolling and make small individual pizzas instead of large ones that tend to break easily. Good luck!

Hi,

I just switched my son and I to gluten/wheat/dairy free. There are a couple really good websites for recipes they are:

Glutenfreegirl.com
Elanaspantry.com
Glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com

I have found some awesome recipes here and they are all very tasty. Also if you have a Trader Joe's where you live they have a gluten free brownie mix, pancakes (frozen), peanut butter cookie dough. They are all really good. But most of all you are just cooking with different flours. Tapioca, blanced almond, rice, coconut, potato starch etc. Also Bob's Red Mill makes a few different gluten free mixes such as pancake, waffle, cornbread etc. Most healthfood stores such as Co-ops have a section for gluten free items. One of my son's favorite cereals is the Enviro Kids cereal and they are gluten free. Good Luck and what a lucky little boy to have a Grandma like you.

M.

There is a gluten free bakery in Greenwood at I think 100th and Greenwood called DaVincis. They even have frozen pizza dough. You could stop in there and talk with the owner. I think her name is Kaile. She seems like she is always happy to talk gluten free. My husband also uses a mix called Breads from Anna. You can get it at www.glutenrevolution.com . It is a mix of gluten free flours and you add sugar, warm water, yeast, olive oil, eggs and milk or non-dairy drink to it and bake it in your oven. It tastes and looks the most like regular bread I think. It is quite good and toast and makes cheese sandwiches perfectly. It can cause gas though because of all of the bean flours in it. If you are a grandma that likes to bake. This will be perfect. Good luck. S. P.

Hi L.,

I was at Safeway (26th in Pearl St.) and on their baking isle they had a Gluten free section. It was down on the bottom shelf but they had pizza dough mix, cookies, cakes,etc. Try there and see if your grandson likes it or not.

H. - North End of Tacoma

Bob's Red Mill located in Milwaukie, OR holds cooking classes, but I am not sure if any of them pertain to gluten free cooking.

They have many products that are gluten free - an all purposes flour that is gluten free, etc...spelt flour.

They have published a baking book - in it are many gluten free recipes.

Best wishes

We have done this pizza dough several times for my dad and we've all tasted it and think it's pretty good. It's time consuming, but you can always do it ahead of time and have the dough sitting in the refrigerator for when you want it (sometimes we found we had to cook it a bit longer than recommended, play with it).

Also, Market of Choice on 29th has a lot of boxed mixes for cookies, brownies, cakes, etc. that are gluten free. They also sell spelt bread for sandwhiches, etc. that is pretty good (Trader Joes sells this too).

From: http://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=1077

Ingredients:

1½ cups brown rice flour
½ cup amaranth, buckwheat, or teff flour
2 cups tapioca flour
2/3 cup instant non-fat dry milk powder (dairy-free: 2/3 cup ground almond meal)
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1½ cups water (105-115F.) or less
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 egg whites at room temperature (egg-free: see "flaxseed" in tips section)
Olive oil for spreading pizza dough

Grease two 13-inch pizza pans, using organic shortening. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flours, milk powder, xanthan gum, salt, yeast, and sugar. In a measuring cup, combine the water and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add olive oil-water mixture to dry ingredients, then egg whites, mixing well after each addition. Beat on high speed for 4 minutes.

Divide dough into two (or four) equal portions. Place each portion on a prepared pizza pan. Cover your hand with a clean plastic bag. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over your hand and one portion of dough. Spread the dough out evenly over the pizza pan, forming a ridge around the edge to contain the pizza toppings. Repeat process for second portion of dough. Let dough rise for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400?F. Bake pizza crusts for 7 minutes (until lightly
golden) and remove from oven. At this point you can either cool the crusts, wrapping and freezing them for future use, or you can spread tomato sauce on the crust and top with your favorite toppings.

good luck.

-D.

We avoid gluten as well with our family and have lots of great raw pies we make that are easier, health, and take less time to make. Oh, and are delicious! I make the pie crust with pecans, dates, almonds. Loook for Raw Family by Boutenko. It will change your life, and my girls love it. Call me if you need at my clinic for handouts of recipes ###-###-####.
A.

My little guy actually grew out of his wheat allergy, but I know what you are going thru. I found the best resources at New Seasons. They have a whole section of gluten and wheat free baking mixes. Bread, cake, brownies, pizza dough, muffins, cookies...You'll have to try a few to see which ones you like best. They also have a class you can attend on how to eat wheat and gluten free. Check their schedule. I also serve my kids rice pasta from Trader Joe's. It's in the regular pasta section. It tastes like wheat pasta. It cooks a little differently, the water will turn milky white and you need to keep stirring it, but it's good.

Good Luck!

There are a handful of mixes at Winco, Fred Meyers, and other grocery stores.

Another great place to try is a local bakery that specializes in Gluten Free goods. They have fresh made items as well as ingredients to purchase. It is owned by a fun & friendly lady named Gayle. The store is called Giggles Gluten Free Bakery. ###-###-####) www.glutenfreebakery.biz/home.html

There is also a website (run by a Tri-Citian who's entire family has Celiac) that posts many recipes and has mixes that you can order. That have just finished putting together a recipe book that you can order from their site. www.eatingglutenfree.com

I hope these were helpful!
~M.

Hey there, I know you've gotten a lot of responses already but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents....
My husban'd Aunt is/was a competition baker. She discovered after winning lots of money and prizes in baking contests that she has Celiac. So, she had to re-learn how to bake all over again. These are a few of the recipes she has sent to us. (Our middle son is sensitive to wheat)
BREAD STICKS

makes 10

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

½ cup white or brown rice flour

½ cup tapioca flour

1 tablespoon dry milk powder

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder

2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F)

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Nonstick cooking spray (optional)

1 egg white, beaten to foamy (optional)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off. Grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

While oven is preheating, in a medium bowl, blend the yeast, flours, milk powder, xanthan gum, Parmesan, salt, onion powder, and gelatin with an electric mixer on low speed. Add the water, sugar, oil and vinegar. Increase the speed to high and beat for 2 minutes. The dough will be soft and sticky. For easier preparation, add all the ingredients, except the egg white and Italian seasoning, to a food processor and blend until the mixture forms a soft ball.)

Cut a diagonal ½ inch opening on one corner (this makes a 1 inch circle) of a large, heavy-duty, resealable plastic freezer bag and place the dough in the bag. Squeeze the dough out of the plastic bag onto the prepared baking sheet in 10 strips, each 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. For the best results, hold the bag of dough upright as you squeeze, rather than at an angle, and position the seam of the bag on top, instead of at the side. For a glossy crust, spray brush with the egg white, if desired, then sprinkle with the herb seasoning.

Place the bread sticks in the oven with the heat off; let rise for 20 to 30 minutes until doubled in size.

Turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake the bread sticks for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown, switching the position of the baking sheet halfway through baking to assure even browning. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Gluten Free Yellow Cake

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 ¨ö cups flour blend (any of the ones sent previously)

1 ¨ö teaspoons xanthan gum

¨ù teaspoon baking powder

¨ù teaspoon baking soda

¨ù teaspoon salt

¨ú cup buttermilk or 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus enough milk to equal ¨ú cup

Preheat oven to 325¢ª. Grease 11x7 nonstick pan.

With electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low and blend in eggs, the lemon zest. Sift dry ingredients together. On low speed, alternately beat dry ingredients and buttermilk into butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Add vanilla. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack and cool completely. The cake can be wrapped in foil and frozen for 1 month.

Here is one of Donna’s favorite recipes. She gave me a yellow cake recipe that she likes, but she has tried several other cake recipes that didn’t turn out too well. I also got recipes for bread sticks, pizza crust, and corn bread if you are interested in those. Tell Adam I haven’t forgotten about editing the pictures he sent me, I just haven’t had time. I will try to work on them tomorrow.

BROWNIE MIX

4 1/2 cups rice flour

1 1/2 cups soy or bean flour

8 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons salt

6 teaspoons xanthan gum

1 8-ounce can unsweetened cocoa

Sift all ingredients together. Put into large airtight container and label. Store in a cool dry place. About 7 cups.

BROWNIES

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups brownie mix

1 cup honey

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup chopped nuts, divided

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 8-inch square pan. Combine egg, vanilla, honey, oil, and brownie mix. Beat until smooth. Stir in nuts, reserving 1 to 2 tablespoons. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle reserved nuts on top of batter. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool. Cut into 2-inch bars.

Hi
Some of the best gluten free recipes are in gluten free cookbooks by Carol Fenster. You can get them at Vitamin Cottage or Whole Foods or most book stores. The three most common flour mixtures are:
Sorghum-Corn Flour blend:
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch or cornstarch
1 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup corn flour
Bean Flour Blend
2 1/2 cups garbanzo/fava bean flour
3/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
Rice Flour Blend
2 3/4 cups brown rice flour
1 1/4 cups potato strach or cornstarch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
The gluten free recipes are different than regular recipes. Gluten is what holds stuff together, so you have to have xanthan gum or guar gum to hold stuff together. Also soy lecithin and unflavored gelatin are used in addition to xanthan gum in lots of recipes. You can't just use a regular recipe and substitute gluten free flour. What category of recipes and you looking for?
Donna

Hope these help!

One book I have used with good recipes and flour mixtures that can be substituted with a fair amount of success into other recipes is The Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman.

This is great that you are a baker! I think once you learn a few tricks you will be able to create your own recipe solutions...

I am gluten free, and bake a lot for my family. Most of the time they don't even notice that they are eating gluten free! I think the best way to help your grandson eat well is to make tasty food everyone likes & will eat - so that it isn't "special" food for just him.

Some of the best resources for this are online. My favorite sources are 2 blogs: Gluten Free Girl <http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/&gt; and Gluten Free Mommy <http://glutenfreemommy.com/&gt;. GF Mommy actually links to quite a few GF blogs that post weekly menus, and they all experiment with different flours to get the "right" consistency.

In general, I use a mixture of flours. For most things, I use 4 flours in equal parts to substitute for wheat flour: Sorghum, Brown Rice, Tapioca, and Teff (an Ethiopian grain). This makes a nice combo for pancakes, muffins, etc. I also sometimes add almond meal. This makes the mix a bit more sticky, moist and nutty - good for banana bread and dense cakes. You can find all of these at Natural Food stores (PCC or Whole Foods in Seattle). They can be expensive, but so worth it!

For cakes, I try to make cakes that don't require flour. Flourless chocolate cakes are easy to find, and I also make an almond cake that is basically just almond meal, egg whites, and sugar. Tasty!

I don't often do bread, but the blogs I listed both have nice bread recipes.

Happy baking - your grandson is lucky to have you!

Feel free to message me privately if you'd like to talk more about GF cooking.

-H.

Bob's Red Mill, has a line of gluten free products, bread's muffins brownies etc. I've made some bread and it was pretty good

Hello!
My mother-in-law has the same allergy. I have found it to be quite a challenge as well, but have found that some mixes that can be purchased at the grocery are wonderful. I am a full time baker myself, so I understand how difficult/crazy the chemistry can be from some of the recipes in books. A couple of the mixes (if you are willing to go in that direction) I have found are from The Cravings Place and Namaste foods, as well as the Arrowhead Mills products. I have also heard good things about the Bob's Red Mill gf products, especially their "flour" blends. The Cravings Place has a delicious crumb cake and a good pancake mix. We just tried the Namaste brand for the first time today, and as a non allergic person who loves food, they were really good! Both of those brands have pizza crusts and other yummy items like brownies and chocolate cake. I hope that helps!

Good luck!

L. in Seattle

Just to clarify some advice that a few other people posted, SPELT IS NOT GLUTEN FREE! (Sorry for the shouting, but I want to make sure that is heard). Spelt is a specific type of wheat, it is basically a subspecies and does contain gluten. People who are sensitive to common wheat can sometimes use spelt instead, but those with gluten sensitivity still need to avoid it. You should also be aware that quite often oats contain barley contamination which contributes gluten.

I have found a mix of brown rice flour, teff flour (fluffy grind, not course) and some potato starch to be pretty good for most baking. The addition of xanthan gum really makes a difference too. I personally do not tolerate garbanzo beans well (they make me gassy) and really don't like their taste in my baking so I have had better luck making my own flour mixes.

Look for resources for gluten and casein free diets for children with autism, there is a lot of good information out there. It is a real process changing your cooking to meet the dietary needs of your family, I commend you on your efforts!

A.

L.,
I have the same allergies and then some. Soy, Eggs, Yeast, Dairy, Beef, etc... I am practially allergic to everything. I purchase pre-made foods from Ener-G Foods. Every product they sell shows all of the ingredients that are in them. I especially like the Brown rice english muffins with sweet potato. They are really good. They also have pizza skins made from rice that are pretty good too. It is very difficult to make something gluten free because the ratios are different. Gluten gives rise to breads and pastries so in gluten free products you have to use something else for rising which can be difficult. I have been doing this for over 14 years, and I still haven't mastered ratios. I have found some good books though. E-mail me back if you would like the names of the books. The website for the company is www.Ener-G.com
New seasons carries some of their products and that is where I get everything that I don't purchase online.
I'm glad that you are looking out for your grandchild. It's difficult to have to stay away from things that you love and that everyone else is eating. (I love chocolate, but can no longer have Hershey's or Snickers because of dairy, soy and gluten. I had to find alternatives and I don't do carob. Yuck!)
I saw that somebody suggested coconut flour, be careful with coconut, it can be harmful if eaten too much.
Things always work out and you'll find what works.
-A.

I feel your pain! I'm not officially allergic to wheat or gluten, but they sure cause me trouble :) I don't do much baking so I don't have advice for that. However, I have found a line of granola products (Bear Creek, I think they're called) that taste just like peanut butter cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies, just without the wheat! Good luck in your quest ;)

I know coconut flour is supposed to be really good in baking as an alternitive to wheat or even other grain flours. It has TONS of fiber also and is way more nutritious. I haven't been able to find it at a store, but I have ordered some through Mercola.com and they sell a really nice coconut flour. I think you have to use less to equal the quantity of wheat flour, but I think there are directions on the bag. I made a pizza crust last night using almond meal. I have to say, it turned out pretty good. The flavor was good and the consistency wasn't quite like pizza crust but is filled the purpose for me. I am allergic to ALL grains (not just gluten) so I have had to really figure out different ways of using nut flours and bean flours rather than wheat, rice, corn, soy, etc. I do like the coconut flour though. :-)

-B. S.
www.multiplemomsrock.com

I second the recommendation for http://www.glutenfreegirl.com Her husband is a chef and together they come up with some great recipes. Also, she is local to the Seattle area and you can comment on her blog if you have difficulty with a recipe.

Good luck! I have pretty much given up on baking for me, since I don't need to be eating baked goods anyway, but it must be very difficult for a little one.

If you are ever looking for suggestions on where to find products or take them out to eat in the South Sound, I have a section on my blog for Gluten free resources.

My husband and I are both gluten free. The best mix we have ever found is Pamelas baking mix. You can find it at health food stores. I have found that we can substitute it in most recipes. The only difference is that you have to leave all baking soda, powder and salt out of the recipe. This is explained on the back of the bag. The mix is pretty expensive but well worth it. Beats trying to mix up a mix yourself!! JB

Hi L.,

My best friend's fiance has Celiac disease. Let me see if she has some good recipes. They shop for him at Trader Joe's. and buy the rice flour and other flours from "Bob's Red Mill" products.
As far as the baking goes, if you solely cook gluten free it is better for your health. It may be a good idea for everyone, including me, to eat that way. Greg (her fiance) has lost so much weight since he has been diagnosed.
Give me your personal email address and I can send you the recipes when I get them.
Good luck,
H.

Yeah, in my experience, "gluten free" cook books aren't a good resource because they aren't looking for good recipes, just a repertoire to make the book good to buy. I've used said cookbooks and have had failures at recipes when I'm pretty good at following instructions...so...

One of my absolute favorite resources for gluten free food is: http://glutenfreemommy.com/.
She sends out a e-newsletter and her site is full of baking/cooking ideas for a gluten/wheat free diet. She's not professional but she has two toddlers, a husband, and a readership who love her recipes; that makes her an expert in the field to me! :) The site also has links to other gluten/wheat free pages.

I also make a habit of looking up recipes Google with the terms "gluten free" in the descriptions. If I find a good recipe for something I am sure to print it out and put it in a folder in my kitchen for ease of use. That folder is my life! :)

Hope all your baking and cooking adventures for your grandsons new diet go well!

I have a son with a life threatening peanut allergy. I can't give you any gluten free baking advice, but I can suggest you join the Washington FEAST Yahoo group. They have been a lifesaver for me with all kinds of wonderful ideas. They have files with recipes and you could post your question there. You would get plenty of responses and suggestions for cookbooks.

I think if you go here - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WA_FEAST - you can join and get access to all the information. (Your son/daughter would likely get a lot from them as well. I didn't discover them until about 2 years into David's allergy and I wish I had found them much earlier!)

Also, not sure if you are familiar with DaVinci Bakery on Greenwood, but it is a gluten free bakery. I've bought many things there for a gluten free friend. www.wheatlessinseattle.org

Good luck!
C.

hi you could try baking with spelt. I buy mine at the Co-op. It is a grain but not of the wheat family. It either has a very low gluten content or none at all...I can't remember. It works great for baking anything that is unleavened. You can try to make a yeast bread with it, but it is very difficult to get it to rise. There is a very fine window for over and under kneading it. Also there is a support group at the Success by 6 building once a month I think. If you are interested their contact info is ###-###-#### Rachael. Hope that helps and good luck

I've seen postings at Whole Foods for a 'class' for gluten free cooking etc. I've got celiacs as well. I've been meaning to go do that for a while but haven't yet. It sounds informative.

Bless you, L., for being willing to work so hard for your grandson. I discovered a gluten-intolerance in myself and it's definitely a challenge to face, but so rewarding when you persevere! Okay, so here are some ideas ...

My favorite website is http://www.glutenfreegirl.com because she is not only a real person, but she's realistic about the ups and downs of living gluten-free. Enjoy her blogs and recipes -- I've tried more than one and they're divine! Also, be sure to search around for her suggestion for the "perfect" flour mix. I am sure you'll be in heaven!

One more thing: there's a wonderful gluten-free bakery in Kent called Haley's Corner and you should at least go once (with grandsons in tow, of course) to sample Janet's delicious delights! You can find them by going to http://www.haleyscorner.com and once you visit, you'll be hooked! By the way, the longer you pursue this change for your grandson, the more used to it you'll become, and therefore it will seem less like a burden & more like a part of daily life ...

All the best!

Buy the book,
Little Vegan Monsters Cookbook. This is a wonderful and simple book full of deliscious and healthful recipes. Many of which can be adapted to gluten free if they aren't already. Lourdes, co-writer of the book, prepares gluten free food for Anthony(her partner) all the time.
I love this book....try it... You may like it too. She also has a nice section on supplementing.
Good luck,
T.

I have a friend that owns a bakery dedicated to food allergies - it's amazing. Sunny Valley Wheat Free in Maple Valley. I think she also ships items. Her website is www.SunnyValleyWheatFree.com if you want to check it out. I'm not sure if she offers classes - but it's worth asking! Good luck! She does pizza dough, and all items you mentioned!