Coeliac Awareness Week- Gluten-Free Bread

May 17, 2011 by cafebebemama

Bread. Bread is lovely. Bread represents life. Bread was my friend. Now bread doesn’t like me so much. I still love bread but in a slightly different form. It’s not the same but it will have to do until some genius comes along and makes me a gluten-free baguette.

The trouble with bread is the gluten. Gluten in flour is what causes bread to rise. Bread that doesn’t rise tends to be, well, flat…cakey…heavy…dry. There are ways and means but I need someone to teach me. Until then, I make do with the best gluten-free has to offer. Sigh…

I have had the opportunity to test prescription-only gluten-free bread (Juvela and Glutafin) both in mix form and ready made loaves. The ready-made loaves are teeny and a bit “sproingy” (for lack of a better term) and are best served toasted. A bit of a buzz kill for the sandwich lovers who need gluten-free bread. I have also had the opportunity to test store brand free-from bread. Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s have their own offerings (as do Asda, Co-Op and other brand stores) and again, they are adequate. Not ideal for sandwiches but great for toasting.

I recently gave the Tesco Free-From bagels and crumpets a go, in the interest of science. For the record, the Tesco Free-From bagels are as hard as a rock and dry as the Sahara but the crumpets were a thing of beauty. Unfortunately, the crumpets came in at £1.79 for 4 crumpets which makes each crumpet worth 45 pence! You can buy 8 Tesco-brand crumpets for about £1.00 (13 pence each). This is where I really get cross. Does gluten-free HAVE to cost 2-3x the regular retail price of non-gluten-free items? UNFAIR!

Warburton’s has entered the gluten-free game with their own range of gluten-free breads, tea cakes, rolls and crumpets. Again I was given the opportunity to sample the bread, rolls and tea cakes. I found the bread to be excellent, despite some rumblings in the press about the bread falling apart. Warburton’s addressed issues with quality and freshness and, I believe, have come up with a pretty good bread. I didn’t find the rolls terribly appealing and the tea cakes were very dry and required lashings of butter (and tea) but I would definitely buy the bread again. Part of the challenge is finding it, however, as my local Tesco does not stock it and my local Morrison’s for some reason has it stashed with the “regular” bread and not in the Free-From section.

One of the first store bought gluten-free loaves that I purchased after being diagnosed Coeliac was Genius bread. They’ve taken up a strong advertising campaign and are promoting their bread in magazines everywhere. But the extortionate price of the loaf (£2.89 per loaf) and the dry, crumbly texture of the bread makes it an item I am not likely to buy again. Sorry Genius. You don’t cut it in the Cafe Bebe household.

Finally, I have taken to making my own gluten-free bread thanks to my Morphy Richards breadmaker and Doves Farm Gluten-Free Bread flour. I do have to say that the bread is lovely, if slightly cakey but is considerably cheaper and more convenient than buying store-bought gluten-free bread. The Doves Farm flour is not the cheapest but if you buy in bulk, direct from their site, you can save a great deal. Or check out your local grocery store this week. Tesco has 3 for 2 on Doves Farm flours in honour of National Coeliac Awareness Week. I stocked up!

So, bread remains, a bit of the final frontier for Coeliacs. To find the perfect recipe, the perfect combination of flours and rising and baking…it is illusive. If you’d like to teach me and share with me your keys to success, I will happily welcome you into my kitchen. I’ve got a Salter Scale! Share your favourite gluten-free breads in the comments below. I’m willing to give any bread a try in my endless quest. Now who’s gonna be the first to offer me that gluten-free baguette in the sky??

Before you go, check out some scrummy recipes from TV chef, Phil Vickery who works his magic with some of the Warburton’s Gluten-Free range.