So, you find out you’re gluten intolerant. Your first thought was probably “Hallelujah! An answer to all of my medical woes! Mystery solved!”. And then your next thought was probably some variation of “Oh no…I can’t have pizza/doughnuts/bagels/cookies/cake/insertfavoritewheatbasedbakedgood here!”. Well there’s good news for you! You do not have to go without. While living a gluten-free lifestyle may make it a little more inconvenient to eat your favorite foods (since you’ll likely have to make it yourself), brilliant bakers across the U.S. have spent the last 15-20 years perfecting the art of gluten-free baking. Two decades ago, your grain options were limited to breads that were often mistaken for bludgeoning objects at weapons shows. Now, your options look a little more like this*:
There is a catch: Unless you happen to live near a gluten-free bakery (and if you’re very sensitive, an exclusively gluten-free bakery), you won’t really be able to enjoy high-quality baked good unless you make them yourself. Sure, you can find pre-made gluten-free cookies and other sweets in the freezer sections and health food aisle at your local grocery store or super market, but they simply don’t compare to the quality of brownies, cookies, and doughnuts you can make in your own kitchen (not to mention they’re often heavily processed).
However, gluten-free baking is about 6 times more complicated than traditional, flour based baking. I’m writing this guide to make the basics easy to access. Once you understand these basic elements of gluten-free baking, you’ll really be able to asses the strengths and weaknesses of certain recipes and understand why some things work and some things don’t. If you like bread and/or baked goods, trust me: you’ll want to learn these basics (even if you don’t end up baking). You’ll spare yourself some crumbly cookies and rock hard bread. Click the links below to learn about the basics of gluten-free baking.
Other Ingredients
Equipment
Tricks and Tips for Gluten-Free Baking
*Photos from http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/
BUCKWHEAT 