The Organic Bread Baker goes Gluten-Free!

When I went gluten-free, I checked out as many gluten-free cookbooks as I could from my local library. I LOVE cookbooks, but being a frugal mama on a budget, I'm not going to buy them without taking them for a test drive first. Here I will share my results as well as pictures (which a lot of these cookbooks don't seem to have!). Come along and follow me through some of the best (and worst) gluten-free cookbooks out there as well as some recipes of my own.

Why did I go gluten-free?  I wasn't diagnosed with Celiac Disease, although I was diagnosed years ago as having a small wheat allergy (not near as bad as cats or dust mites).  I paid it no mind and went on with life as usual.  However, 8 years ago, after suffering with a variety of maladies that doctors could not diagnose, I began eating raw and never felt better in my life.  Life happened (in the form of a beautiful baby girl) but long story short, I quit eating completely raw and have done well since my "raw" stint until this year when I began experiencing unexplained fatigue and a just overall "yuck" feeling.  Coincidentally, I began baking organic bread for an organic veggie co-op the beginning of this year and have consumed more bread this year than I had in the 7 years prior combined!  We previously avoided bread because of what we believed were issues with yeast.  After doing a bit of reading, I began an eating plan that required you exclude gluten from your diet for 90 days.  Wow!  I could tell a difference within a week.  My energy levels improved, my skin (I suffer from eczema) started clearing up, my thyroid began functioning better, just to name a few benefits.  I decided my kids needed to do this too as they suffer from various issues that are symptoms of gluten intolerance.  My son has quit suffering from canker sores in his mouth, my 5 year old's eczema has cleared up on her face, stomach problems have vanished and my kids aren't starving all the time anymore.  My goal is to make it so they don't miss gluten.  As an organic bread baker, this is no easy feat, but I'm giving it a try, one recipe at a time.  Here is our journey.