Gluten Free Baking - You Need To Substitute!

People newly diagnosed with Celiac disease have a lot of changes to make, and a lot of new dietary restrictions follow. One of the hardest things for a lot of people to overcome is a passion for gluten rich baked goods, breads and cakes. Thankfully, although gluten free baking does require a bit of creativity, it can be done, and there are all sorts of substitutions and tricks out there to make baked goods that are great on their own merits…not just good for gluten free food!

Gluten is a protein in wheat and other flours, and gluten forms strong protein strands in batters and dough's that allows gas to become trapped within, and allows for leavening with cooking. The problem with gluten free cooking…is that there is no gluten! There is nothing strong enough to really trap those expanding gases, and nothing to allow for light airy cakes, breads, muffins…

So we have to get creative. Instead of leavening agents such as yeast or baking soda, we use agar-agar or whipped egg whites, which create a similar matrix of trapped air within the food, and replicate the behaviors of gluten trapped gasses.

You obviously cannot use wheat flour, but there are a great variety of milled grains that can serve as acceptable substitutes. Corn, rice (rice is a very nice mild tasting flour) barley, soy…lots of great alternatives. There is nothing stopping you from great creations except your imagination, and a willingness to learn and to experiment. My mother's gluten free lemon loaf recipe is fantastic, and better than any "regular" lemon loaf I've ever tasted.

We all miss certain foods when we change our eating habits for better health, but we don’t need to stop enjoying our favorites, we just need to use our ingenuity to get back in the kitchen whipping up a great cake, bread, batch of cookies…all gluten free!

John Lee is the chef owner of The Salsa Kitchen and The Jerk Island Caribbean restaurant in Chiang Mai Thailand.

For the best gluten free lemon loaf recipe ever, visit: http://hubpages.com/hub/Gluten_free_banana_lemon_loaf_The_best_ever_gluten_free_recipe