MY GLUTEN-FREE LIFE

Lessons I\’ve Learned

by Kathy Cretsinger

The picture you see is gluten-free bread. You will notice it doesn\’t look like bread with gluten. That is the first thing I learned. Bread doesn\’t look like you are used to it looking. The taste may be different also.

I\’m not an expert on gluten-free bread yet, but I\’m learning each time I bake. Gluten-free bread dough with yeast is usually pretty runny. You can\’t knead it like you do regular yeast bread. When I made my first batch, I didn\’t realize how runny it would be, but you do need more moisture with gluten-free bread. The taste is similar to regular yeast bread.

Gluten-free bread still has calories and carbs. Just because it\’s gluten-free doesn\’t mean it is calorie free. Those little calories and carbs still hang around. The best way to watch calories and carbs is with Keto bread. The Keto breads and desserts I have prepared are very good. I do make some gluten-free bread, but I still like the Keto breads.

Yeast breads will not rise up pretty in the middle. You get used to it in time, but I still like a sandwich every once in a while. I will fudge a little and eat a sandwich about once a month. I\’m still searching for a good sandwich bread. The breads I have purchased are dry and hard. Whenever you make any gluten-free bread, follow the recipe exactly. I have found out all measuring cups are not the same. I have some measuring spoons that are 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup, and 1/8 cup. The 1/2 cup always seemed larger, and it is. It\’s more like 3/4 cup. If you have a good scale, measure your flours in grams.

If you have celiac, read the labels very well on anything you buy. You can become very sick if you eat gluten, but you probably already know that. Eat very little or no gluten if you are gluten intolerant. I fall in that category, and I feel so much better if I eat no gluten. There are times when I do, but they are very rare. I don\’t like the way I feel when I eat gluten. I have a foggy brain, no energy, and I become very constipated. I\’d rather feel well, than have any of the above symptoms.

I hope I can encourage those of you who have problems and don\’t know what they are. You could be intolerant to gluten. When I told my doctor, he said I was dehydrated. I don\’t think so. I have kidney disease, and I drink a lot of water and liquids. I don\’t like to be talked down to, so I am looking for another doctor. You know yourself better than anyone. Listen to your body.