I am really considered going all in with gluten free and early was paging through: http://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/139/gluten-free-baking-for-your-bakery.html - and was wondering in addtion to: Almond, Rice, Tapioca, Teff, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Coconut, if there was any other good ones? thx.
You obviously don't have coeliac disease so unless you're running a commercial bakery, why?
-Gordon
I missed the part when you became my doctor? No need for trolling here, Gordo. Just asking a question
Yeah, Gordo
You troll you. How dare you?
;-)
Facetiously yours,
dobie
and I'm not trolling, I'm also asking a question.
I'm genuinely curious as to why you want to make GF products.
It's a lot of effort to do gluten free in a way that makes it appealing and appetising. I have a small range of GF cakes that I've developed over the past few years and supply to local shops, but they all come with the caveat that they're made in a bakery that handles flour - I only know of 2 people (in a town of 3000) who are genuinely coeliac who go into those cafes. The rest are yoghurt knitters who are "a little bit gluten sensitive" - which is something that as far as I can find, there is no medical evidence to suggest is a real thing.
Still.. people are willing to pay and its a free market, so why not...
-Gordon
Gordon
That's a new phrase for me. I mean, I get 'yoghurt', but what's a knitter? The makers 'of'?
You know, UK/US language differencial.
Regardless, you troll, you.
;-)
dobie
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=yoghurt+knitters
Also see: TQ9 & Narnia.
-Gordon
Thank you Gordon (you troll)
That link was very informative, and I never would have guessed it.
A bit 'in the way' I suppose (not that I have anything against treehugging liberals, but to each their own, myself included). But politically, socially, I understand (from both sides).
That was a very active link, that took me to google and then re-directed me to a specific answer, which I had not experienced before (apparently, I'm not so 'tech savy' any longer). It was cool tho. Thank you.
Anyway, point understood (which is the jist, after all).
Not sure about 'TQ9 & Narnia' but I will google it shortly.
Now, quit being such a troll, would ya?
;-)
dobie
The tq9/narnia thing isn't returning what it used to in searches. Basically tq9 is a post code (zip) in england referring to a town called Totnes. I live near there. it's a fairly alternative type town full of hippys, hipsters and coffee shops. It's often said that people who live in my town (6 miles away) are the ones who can't afford to live in Tq9... Make of that what you will, however the area is full of alternative types. People who think carrot cake is "healthy" while quietly ignoring the sugar content it has. (My Gluten-free carrot cake has even more sugar than the regular one - go figure) Totnes was twinned with Narnia for a while, but is now twinned with Area 51.
The one good thing about this part of the world is that it's (arguably) the organic capital of the universe. (See Riverford, etc.) we have an abundance of excellent organic (and a few biodynamic) farms for both livestock and arable. Sadly not much wheat though, but the neighbouring county of Somerset grows spelt and on the other side in Dorset there's Maris Wigeon wheat.
-Gordon
Thank you Gordon
Well, cake is cake.
I couldn't find too much either about tq9/narnia, but I wasn't sure what I was looking for. Thanks for clearifying. Damn Hippies (just kidding). There's always the organic upside, even if little wheat.
But still it seems that there is at least some wheat grown, and I haven't forgotten the dairy farm with the best clotted cream. Not such a bad neck of the woods to be in
I will further check out Totnes, Narnia, Riverford as well as 'Maris Wigeon'. Also, is Somerset where 'Somerset paper' comes from? Flax perhaps?
By the way, we have an 'Area 51' here in the States as well, but it's the grave (or home) of little green men.
dobie
Actually, what we in England call "The West Country", which, roughly speaking, is the bit that sticks out to the South-West, underneath Wales, is many people's idea of heaven on Earth. House prices can tend to reflect this. Gordon lives in a very pleasant part of the world.
The paper comes from St. Cuthbert's Mill, as does the Bockingford Watercolour paper I mentioned a while back.
"By the way, we have an 'Area 51' here in the States as well, but it's the grave (or home) of little green men."
I believe they're known as 'greys' these days. I think the point is that the people of Totnes believe, too, but in a different way.
New one on me too, although I understood it the moment I saw it, so I suppose there must be some cultural nuances at work there somewhere. It made me chuckle, anyway.
A propos of nothing, have you seen Detectorists?
Jon
Good to hear that it was new to you too. However, culturally, I think having an idea of what 'knitters' meant, was the advantage.
I personally haven't seen 'Detectorists', but a couple of my 'metal detecting' friends have suggested I check it out. Still haven't found it tho. Is it worthwhile?
dobie
Depends how you like your humour. If you like it understated, tongue-in-cheek and without a laugh track, then yes.
Something in Gordon's post made me think of the cold open from the first episode.
Thanks Jon
I found season 1, eps 1-6 that I am currently downloading.
dobie
It's always good to stand apart in flooded market areas. There are plenty of "yoghurt knitters" - which is an awesome term by the way, who inquiry about Gluten Free everything. Time to get on board!
I find it hard to take money off people like that. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not jumping on the GF bandwagon with all it entails just to please people who really don't know one way or the other - or who have self diagnosed" and persuaded themselves its coeliac when it's just a simple wheat intolerance. In the 3000 strong town I live in there will be 15-21 people with coeliac disease according to the statistics... (0.5 to 0.7%) I know 2 of them...
You may also not be aware that people diagnosed with coeliac in England (maybe the rest of the UK) can get GF staple foods on prescription via their doctor - this includes flour, breads, pizza bases, pasta, etc. so with that in-mind, it's hard to work out why any sort of GF market actually exists here... (Other than when eating out)
I do make a small number of GF cakes which I've spent time developing and tweaking and these are for 2 local cafes - one who's owners son is coeliac the other full of local hand knitted people who change their minds on a daily basis. GF baking day is usually Sunday eve. The bakehouse gets a more thorough cleaning at the weekend, so less chance of any wheat contamination - but it's still a possibility - make more than a loaf a day and flour gets everywhere. I tend to make a batch and freeze the ones not going out the door on Monday morning. All my GF stuff goes out with the warning that it was made in a kitchen that handles wheat flour.
I've dabbled with GF breads too, but not found one that's anywhere near what might be called bread. There are commercial mixes, but these usually end up very cake-like (e.g. Doves farm - add eggs & milk!) and not tasting of anything special. Or you end up loading it up with stuff like xanthan gum, psyllium husks (laxatives!) or soaked linseeds (frog spawn like) to try to emulate the gluten.
If you want other flours to add to your list, then polenta (corn meal) and brown rice flour are some of the ones I use but they don't have the "boing" factor of gluten. Making a nice cake that doesn't crumble in your hand, or end up a solid brick is the challenge here...
Good luck with it all..
-Gordon
You're hilarious! At this rate, people would be allergic to air.
LoL!! Now please excuse me while I go set up my Festivus pole and celebrate the winter solstice holidays in proper fashion. It's too bad we don't have any stone circles around here. :)
Rube
Considering this was DogLoverWK's first post on TFL, I think he would have been well served to check Gordon's profile before calling him a troll (and 'Gordo' wasn't very polite either).
But yes, Festivus for the rest of us. Funny stuff.
dobie
ps - I'll be trying the Persian Spiced Sweet Potato Pie either today or tomorrow. I will post back on Aw, Rats.
We have the lot here. New age hippys, old age hippys, hipsters, steampunk, and even some plain old ordinary folks... every religion under the sun (& moon) too, crystal shops, healers, every meditation, massage, etc. technique you're heard of and a few you haven't and ...
... standing stones ...
and rows, monuments, circles, antiquities (and legends) galore. e.g. http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/merri_centre.htm
Actually, you may have to go to Glastonbury in Somerset to get some of the odder things... We're also the organic capital of the universe and with a few basic exceptions (e.g. wheat, rye) my Christmas meal food mile radius is about 5.
:-)
-Gordon
I'll visit Devon, UK just to visit Saveurs restaurant. I've watched so many of their videos online and would love to have lunch there.
Nice place - I've not had lunch but have had a few coffees and the odd croissant or 2... It's about a 45 minute drive from me.
-Gordon
you may also wish to consider sorghum flour, potato flour, potato starch, amaranth flour, corn meal, and corn starch. Oat flour, if you can find a certified GF brand, is another option (oat flour is generally considered safe for most persons with coeliac disease but there is a risk of cross-contamination if it is processed in a facility that also handles gluten-bearing grains).
Paul
No offense to anyone intended.
its a long time I have not visited The Fresh Loaf and I was not surprised to find a lot of bloggers talking about GF. Im living in australia and here it is the same thing... people with Celiac are surely not more than a few in every town, but people want GF . Why ? it's a mystery for me. Although I think they believe it is more healthy . I was doing a nice Rye SD dark bread with caraway, and was selling some to the tourist coffee shops in my town ' but the wind changed and they asked for GF... I have to learn a lot about this subject and I ended making a bread which is tasty not crumbly and fit the demand. I do a SD of Buckwheat I mix GF that everyone can buy at the supermarket. I add Amaranth, Polenta, Besam Flour and Chestnut Flour . It is expensive and hard work.Without some xantham and some organic dry yeast the result is not good. the baking is a slow and long process as they want a big and high loaf to propose large slices they are toasting and topping with the choice of the client...I also do a pastry for little tarts made of GF flour and Almond meal butter and egg like a normal one and they are going very well. People are ready to pay for something they dont really need. I do not like to deal with this kind of stuff. The time invested into it, the special needs that are around all these preparations are taking the pleasure of dealing with bread and pastry making.
GF baking, whatever the reason you do it, can be delicious, so don't go all "Poor me".(Or "silly you" to the trolls who hijacked the thread). Of course it won't be like a wheat based product-it's a different set of ingredients that will have their own characteristics, flavors and uses.
A lot of our food culture developed around the characteristics of wheat products- sandwiches, noodles, light cakes, etc. When you switch to GF, you have to either adjust your expectations (like the fact that GF breads/cakes can be denser and crumblier) or find new ways to enjoy the food experience GF provides. Kind of like visiting a foreign country.
As far as baking, it is no more difficult-just different. Sometimes easier. Another learning curve to become familiar with a new set of ingredients. Many ingredients! One of the reasons I believe wheat became so popular is the simplicity it offered. One flour-simple. Difficulties arise when you use GF ingredients and try applying wheat-based techniques to develop a wheat-like product equivalent.
One of the difficulties for people trying to learn to become GF bakers (for WHATEVER reason) comes in when there is no forum to collaborate, ask questions and learn from other baker's experience. It was for this reason that Floyd-with input from Fresh Loafers- developed the "Special Needs" baking aspect of the forum. There, bakers with special needs can ask and discuss any aspect of their craft just like all the other bakers on TFL. I hope DogLoverWK will persist and continue to ask questions and share experience and get civil questions and responses in return. This forum is known for its civility and support. Let's continue to build a world class site that joins all people in the simple process of breaking bread - of any kind.
Bake some delicious GF fun!
Maybe the resources cited in this post by drogon and others will be helpful.
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/48765/looking-gf-cake-recipes