Gluten Free foods are a growing sector for food manufacturers and bakeries. While on the outside this movement might look like a trend, the number of people who could benefit from a gluten free diet is large, including those suffering from celiac disease to folks with eczema (a very common skin condition).
Gluten is a protein found in wheat. It helps make dough rise, keep shape and gives your dough elasticity. However, According to the National Library of Medicine, Celiac Disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine by not being able to process gluten and prevents your small intestine from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found primarily in wheat. With roughly 1 out of every 100 people in the US having this disease and that number growing constantly, how can you not help serve this growing community?
Now that we understand what gluten is and the risks of exposure to gluten for those with this disease, we must figure out a way to bake and manufacture goods that do not include gluten. There are a few different types of gluten free wheat, here at Bremer we have yellow cornmeal and buckwheat flour.
Yellow cornmeal is made from ground corn and is generally heavier than cornflour. Though it is not interchangeable in cornflour recipes, there are many great pastries and pie crusts that can be made with cornmeal. The buckwheat flour is actually not a flour as the name says, but is actually related to rhubarb with the small seeds of the plant used to make the flour. Buckwheat flour has a great nutty flavor and is often used in muffins.
There are a lot of different gluten free recipes and ways to replace certain flours with gluten free flours. Let us know if you have any questions and please share any recipes you have!