In Print » July 2010 » Features » Recipes for Success

For serious bakers, especially bread bakers, gluten is an essential component, without which their airy baguettes and country loaves, their brioche and light, fluffy cakes would likely burst and crumble somewhat on the order of the Icelandic volcano that recently disrupted the whole European continent. In other words, if yeast is the component that gets the party started when baking with wheat flour, gluten is the glue that holds everything together. Increasingly, however, we are finding that more and more people are sensitive to gluten, or rather, to the problems that gluten can cause. It is estimated that 1 out of every 133 Americans has celiac disease (although as many as 97 percent remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed), a digestive disease in which no amount of gluten can be tolerated. Additionally, there are estimates that 50 to 70 percent of the population is sensitive to gluten and/or wheat. In fact, wheat is on the top ten list of allergens alongside foods like peanuts and shellfish. Needless to say, this is problematic because ours is a wheat-based society and many of our most cherished and traditional foods are based on wheat. Anyone who has walked the aisles of a trade show, supermarket or specialty food shop lately knows that gluten-free food products are one of the fastest growing segments of the market. Unlike many fickle food trends that revolve around weight-loss or a generally healthy lifestyle, for people who have problems with gluten or wheat, it is a lifelong problem and consequently, this is a trend this is here for good.

Gluten on the Rise
Gluten is a protein found in all types of wheat, barley and rye. It is particularly valued for its binding capabilities, whether it is keeping a loaf of bread from exploding or holding together processed foods. For most people, rye is relatively easy to avoid since it is usually consumed in the form of rye bread. Barley can be tricky because it appears in processed foods often in the form of malt and malt flavoring, and of course, beer, America’s favorite alcoholic beverage (although several gluten-free beers have emerged in recent years). Wheat, then, is the primary offender, especially for those who are allergic to it beyond the gluten. Also, wheat comes under many names, including bulgur, semolina, spelt, triticale, faro, kamut, graham, and others (confusingly, buckwheat is not actually a form of wheat and contains no gluten). Wheat is the main ingredient in many of our favorite foods like pasta, couscous, bagels, matzoh, breakfast cereals, pancakes, and a broad array of packaged foods. But it also shows up in less obvious places, like soy sauce, licorice, many marinades and sauces, imitation seafood (especially imitation crab), and even in products that are named for a principle grain other than wheat like cornbread, and various multi-grain products. And although oats don’t contain gluten per se, they are usually processed in facilities that also process wheat and can therefore be contaminated. Gluten-free eaters must look for oats specifically labeled “gluten-free” (Bob’s Red Mill has excellent gluten-free oats).

No wonder then that eating without gluten is such a problem for those who must avoid it. It is particularly difficult when eating out, whether it’s in a restaurant or a friend’s home. With symptoms such as gastric distress, low energy, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, inability to concentrate, joint pain, weight loss and a whole litany of other maladies that range from the merely irritating to actually life threatening, avoiding gluten outside of the home can be an all-consuming worry. And while those that are gluten-sensitive can occasionally indulge in gluten-bearing foods, anything containing gluten is strictly forbidden to those with celiac disease as the consequences can be dire.

A host of new gluten-free products that are available is a great boon to gluten sufferers. These products include baking mixes, soup mixes, flours, pasta, cereals, cookies, crackers, assorted baked goods, dairy products, candy, beverages, a dizzying array of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook packaged foods, and just about any snack variety you can name. Additionally, there are many delicious grains that do not contain gluten, such as quinoa, buckwheat, teff (an ancient and delicious grain from Ethiopia that makes a great hot breakfast cereal), corn, amaranth, millet, soy, tapioca, and of course, rice in all its mutations. The only danger is that for people who have been living in wheat deprivation for many years due to their condition, when suddenly faced with a tasty array of gluten-free snacks, they tend to go hog wild and find themselves gaining weight. This is ironic because most people who adhere to a wheat-free diet usually lose weight in the first few weeks and months. Giving up gluten and/or wheat can have other happy results too. For example, my wife, who suffers from a variety of food allergies, decided to give up wheat for an extended period and within about a week she noticed that her usual morning joint pains disappeared, as well as several pounds and a couple of inches from her waist, all without changing any other facets of her diet.

The best advice for someone who has a problem with gluten, and this is especially true for those with celiac disease, is to start cooking their own food at home, supplemented by reputable gluten-free products from the gourmet food world. We have found in our house that once you begin to cook without gluten it becomes easier and easier to do so. We have found wonderful gluten-free brown rice pasta, corn pasta, pastry flour, all-purpose flour, and even a couple different brands of g-f mayonnaise, as well as the above list of g-f foods. Cooking your own food is a good idea at any time but particularly when there are food issues involved, and it’s fun to try and replicate your favorite foods in a gluten-free form. The more you do it the easier it gets to come up with substitutions and altogether new dishes. Because we like to include whole grains in our diet whenever we can, we have enjoyed getting to know the various other grains that are sans gluten, whether they are used in baking or simply cooked for their own sake in grain salads and side dishes. Baking is the most difficult but you may find, like my wife and I did, that with a little experimenting and an open mind you’ll have the enticing aroma of delicious baked goods wafting through your house again in no time.

Living without gluten and/or wheat brings great relief to those who are sensitive, and can also bring several unexpected benefits even to those are not. It’s unlikely that wheat will be supplanted in the nation’s culinary lexicon anytime soon, nor should it be for the millions who can tolerate eating it. But for those who have a problem with it, living without can be the beginning of a whole new healthy, and pain-free lifestyle. Below are a couple of recipes to get you started.

Correction
My mother always said I was a day late and a dollar short. Apparently I don’t listen either. In my report on Hodo Soy Beanery in last month’s issue there were some factual errors in my story, to wit, I offer the following corrections and my sincere apologies:

1) Dean Ku is one of the original founders of Hodo but Minh Tsai was the only one who quit his day job to make tofu full time. Minh was the one who grew the company from its rented space and one farmers’ market booth to the point where demand exceeded capacity. He teamed up with CFO John Notz to secure investors and advisors like John Scharffenberger and Sue Conley, locate the current factory space and build it out to their specs. Dean re-joined the company in late 2008 as Co-Founder and Marketing Director. Minh is Founder and Tofu Master.

2) While Minh is ethnic Chinese from Vietnam, Dean is Chinese-American who grew up on the East Coast. His family is from Taiwan. His sister is married to Minh and their parents are microbiologists who have worked for food companies and advised Minh on the build out and are the reason why Hodo’s food safety standards are so high.