Gluten Free

[chookmike]

Hello all. I am being investigated for gluten intolerance and while no conclusion yet I feel much better for avoiding it, which is harder than it might seem as some of you will know. What I really miss is decent bread. The stuff in the Free-From aisle in the supermarket is just about ok as toast but a sandwich made with it - especially the night before for a packed lunch - is just hopeless.

We have tried GF bread flour from the supermarket both hand made and in the bread maker but not much better. We have used Xanthan Gum too, but it is still dry and crumbly and not hitting the spot.

Anyone out there - perhaps a fellow sufferer - with a suggestion?

Thanks in advance

Mike

[HensAloud]

I don't eat much bread, what I have done in the past is made a thin omelette let it cool and add fillings as you would a sandwich.

[Bollybarb]

Hi, i too am trying to go gluten free. My mum and sister are gluten free so i'm use to the diet. I'm trying different things, for lunch tomorrow i've got pasta with tomato sauce. Rice cakes and soup. It's an chance to try new things. I had sushi for lunch today.

[Maggie1]

My cousin is celiac and thats the only thing she really misses is a doorstep with butter. She said the rice bread is disgusting.

[chookmike]

Maggie - a doorstep of lovely soda bread with some salty butter from my mother's country - that would hit the spot - and mean a day off work for me!

Bollybarb - why are you trying to stop gluten if you don't need to - or do you? The gluten free pasta isn't too bad and I do sometimes take it to work but it gets very boring. Bread is like beer - 55 years old and still look forward to the next one! The problem is that beer contains gluten too, but sometimes I can't remember that.

Hens aloud - thanks for that idea - nice one. If you also suffer, have you tried Gram flour flatbreads? This is ground chickpeas which you just make into a pancake with water and a bit of salt. Takes a few attempts to get right and a good quality pan but very nice for a few mins after cooking; made the night before for lunch and it's like eating chipboard. Costs very little and you might find it in the specials aisle in the super, or pay less at the Asian store. I did whizz an egg into the mix the other day which turned out half way towards a crepe but no shelf life again. An omlette wrap sounds edible with dirty hands if wound with paper - ham, cheese, onion and tomato would be good, but having recently got hens I am aware that I shouldn't eat ridiculous numbers of eggs. Having said that, the traditional side effect of eggs is to.........., which would be nice!

Thanks all - keep 'em coming

Mike

[davina112]

My disabled BIL is a celiac sufferer, he eats the bread with no complaints, but I don think i Could it looks terribly dry. I have learned that brown bread Contains less gluten than white if you are able to tolerate any gluten. I know a lay who cannot manage any, whilst another friend can tolerate small amounts.

[HensAloud]

Hens aloud - thanks for that idea - nice one. If you also suffer, have you tried Gram flour flatbreads? This is ground chickpeas which you just make into a pancake with water and a bit of salt. Takes a few attempts to get right and a good quality pan but very nice for a few mins after cooking; made the night before for lunch and it's like eating chipboard. Costs very little and you might find it in the specials aisle in the super, or pay less at the Asian store. I did whizz an egg into the mix the other day which turned out half way towards a crepe but no shelf life again. An omlette wrap sounds edible with dirty hands if wound with paper - ham, cheese, onion and tomato would be good, but having recently got hens I am aware that I shouldn't eat ridiculous numbers of eggs. Having said that, the traditional side effect of eggs is to.........., which would be nice!

Thanks all - keep 'em coming

Mike

The chickpea combo sounds nice. I do have problems is I eat too much bread, I do find Hovis ok in small amounts, as it uses British wheat, a lot of intolerances come from the high gluten content in foreign wheat.
I may be corrected on this one but I think the excess egg consumption and cholesterol have no link as previously thought. All things in moderation.

[chookmike]

That's interesting re Hovis, Hens Aloud. Can't say Hovis was ever a favourite of mine but would probably be heaven now. I am going to find a mill that grinds local wheat and maybe even try and speak to them about your feeling that gluten levels may differ according to the local conditions and 'strain' of wheat. Thanks for that - really interesting and I'll go to google right now!

Thanks for that too Davina - another thing I had never heard, but kind of lines up with what Hens said. My bread was always a wholemeal from a proper baker which for some reason I thought might be the highest in gluten as it was less processed.

Others say it is the 'flour conditioning agent' that causes the problem. This makes it last longer etc and I have often thought that french bread in France which only lasts a couple of hours would be a good experiment, but haven't been there of late. Good excuse for a lunch in Calais perhaps!

Thanks all

Mike

[sazchops]

Hi Mike.
I am allergic to wheat so not gluten free but I follow the same diet.
Have you tried Genius bread, it is redicuously expensive but looks, tastes and works the same as " normal " bread, I.E you can make sandwiches with it, I have bought it in Booths and Sqwainsburrys.
Other than that packet mixes and sauces are full of thickener which is basically flour, You learn to cook from scratch.
Gram flour is great, onion bahjis are made with gram flour, and other lovely indian recipes, can't say gluten free is taste less.

[chookmike]

Thanks for all your help everyone

Yes, I have tried 'Genius' bread which again is fine for a lovely fresh poached egg or my favourite toastie which is strong cheese with really sharp marmalade or stewed rhubarb (don't knock it until you've tried it folks) I don't use a sandwhich maker - just two slices of toast and make like a sandwich. Add a glass of freezing milk for a heavenly elevenses.

More and more GF stuff is appearing and I notice more and more shoppers in that aisle so as it sells in bigger volumes I imagine the food technologists will get it better and the prices come down.

GF pastry is pretty hopeless though. I would love to hear the onion bahji recipe if you think that would make something still ebible cold for lunch the next day. I am a sort of builder and no sandwiches or pastry savouries makes lunch difficult as I don't want the fish and chip shop or cold pasta salad, although chicken and tarragon mayo etc is good. Mr Morry and his sons have re-fitted two stores here and do a hot baked potato with chilli or baked beans for £1.50 which is a bargain to my mind and also some pretty good things on the salad bar with something from the hot counter although you really do have to wonder what on earth you are eating at these prices. After the horse meat debacle this week a writer in my paper was going on about how common it is - I have eaten it many times - and describes asking why the 'frites' were so good in a Belgian Moules and frites place. 'because they are fried in horse fat' was the answer.

Cheers