Gluten-Free Baking
by Judy Campbell-Gordon, R.D.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a general name given to certain proteins (prolamins) present in wheat, rye, barley, triticale and oats. The prolamin in wheat flour, gliadin, is part of a complex that develops in bread dough, particularly during kneading, to produce long sheets of what is referred to as gluten. Gluten thus forms the structural network that traps gases formed in the bread dough during the fermentation and rising periods. The gluten network allows the gases to expand the dough's volume resulting in bread's incomparably wonderful texture.
What is Celiac Disease?
Approximately 1 in 200 persons in Canada have gluten intolerance, a digestive disorder, also called celiac disease or celiac sprue. To avoid symptoms, which include nausea, cramps, bloating, weight loss, fatigue and irritability, all sources of gluten must be avoided for life. The symptoms of this long-term disorder result from the immune system's reaction to gluten being in contact with the lining of the small intestine, the bowel immediately following the stomach. Blood tests and intestinal biopsy confirm diagnosis. If left untreated, nutrient deficiencies result because the damage to the surface of the small intestine interferes with normal absorption of essential nutrients such as fat, calcium, magnesium, fat soluble vitamins: A,D,E,K, folate, iron and vitamin B12. Lactose intolerance can also result.
The following grains include gluten: wheat (including durum, einkorn, emmer, faro, kamut and spelt), rye, barley and possibly oats.
Gluten-free grains include: amaranth, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, millet, rice, sorghum.
Gluten-free flours or starches to use in baking include: amaranth, arrowroot, bean flour (e.g. chickpea, soy bean), buckwheat, carob, cassava (manioc), corn, cornstarch, quinoa, millet, potato, rice, sorghum and teff.
Since gluten is the backbone of, and reason form, the familiar, crumble-free texture of bread as we know it, it is very challenging to make a gluten-free bread of comparable or acceptable texture. However, with some preparation modifications, the aid of texture-modifying ingredients, such as gelatin or xantham gum, and the addition of other flavourful ingredients to distract the senses, an acceptable replacement can be created.
Valuable and informative resources, for all those afflicted with, or cooking for those with, gluten intolerance, are available from The Canadian Celiac Association at www.celiac.ca and the Celiac Disease Foundation www.celiac.org.
References:
Manual of Clinical Dietetics, Sixth Edition, Dieticians of Canada, American Dietetic Association, 2000.
The Canadian Celiac Association Handbook - Celiac Disease Needs a Diet for Life, 3rd Ed. ,1993.
www.celiac.ca
www.celiac.org
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