Celiac Disease, Gluten, and Gluten-Free Baking

1. Celiac Disease, Gluten, and Gluten-Free Baking

2. Celiac Disease – What is it? • Is it a disease? • Yes – celiac disease is an autoimmune disease • It is not an allergy Gluten proteins Immune Cell VILLI

3. Gluten-Free Diet • Avoid wheat, barley, and rye and any derivatives of them. • Sounds easy right? • WRONG • Wheat is the basis for most American foods • Obvious sources • Bread, Pasta, Beer • Not so obvious sources • Soy sauce, broths, spice blends, candies, medications, deli meats, imitation seafood, imitation bacon, meatless products • PLAY-DOUGH!!!

4. Baking like a Pro • All is not lost • Gluten-Free baking produces products just as good as the original • If you do it right • Two main properties of flour and their role in making baked goods • Gluten – Provides net for leavening, provides elasticity, structure • Starch – provides crumb, texture, structure

5. Gluten-Free Baking • One single Gluten-Free flour does not have the same properties as wheat • Combine flours to create all of the properties needed • Gluten in flour provides elasticity • Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, or Bean Gum provides elasticity in Gluten-Free products • Help provide structure for leavening and binding for a stable product

6. Gluten-Free Baking • The starch in flour creates structure and crumb • Tapioca starch, potato starch, or cornstarch does the same in Gluten-Free products. • Also create chewy texture and encourage browning and crisp crust Gluten-Full Gluten-Free

7. Gluten-Free Flour Mixtures • Just like “gluten-full” flours, different gluten-free flours/starches may be used to create certain results. • Sorghum Flour – provides a slightly sweet flavor, produces a flavor closest to wheat • Teff Flour – provides a sweet, nutty, almost malt flavor – not good in yeast breads • Chickpea flour – provides a rich flavor and a delicate crumb • Oat Flour – (must be certified GF oats) provides flavorful, moist, cake-like crumb

8. Gluten-Free Flour Mixtures • Basic Flour Blend • Sorghum Flour – adds our slightly sweet, “wheat” taste • Potato Starch or Cornstarch – lightens the dough, creates a smooth crust • Tapioca starch – helps with browning and creates crisp crust • Xanthan Gum – holds it all together, prevents crumbling and gives us elasticity • From there, you may have to add different flours, starches, sugar, yeast, baking soda, etc. depending on what you are baking.

9. Gluten-Free Products A lot has changed! Companies are jumping on the GF bandwagon and producing GF products at record speed.

10. Is a Gluten-Free Diet Healthier? • It Depends • For those with Celiac and Gluten Intolerance – YES! • For those that think it will help them lose weight… • Not necessarily • Meat, Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy are naturally gluten-free • However, a gluten free diet is at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies – Iron, calcium, b-vitamins and Folate • Processed GF foods are still processed and too much can cause weight gain

11. Let’s Chat • What questions do you have?