I like brown rice pasta. The trick is not to overcook it or it becomes a jellylike mess.
Is spelt ok?
spiritbear
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:38
No, spelt is basically germinated wheat, so it is NOT OK since it is still wheat and contains gluten.
Rice flour will become one of your staples, and substitutes reasonably well when used as a thickener (eg gravy). Doesn't work as well in baked goods, though. For that, eg brownies, bread, etc. you will always need either xanthan gum or guar gum (not a lot, but it's not cheap). A big WC hug to anyone that has a good bread recipe. My wife has a very passable wheat-free brownie recipe and I once made oatmeal cookies by switching rice flour instead of wheat flour. Rice flour doesn't take up water as well, so the batter was a bit runnier than I expected, but they still turned out OK.
I'm told corn pasta works tolerably well (especially if you also have a rice allergy), although we generally use rice. I think corn pasta is the more expensive of the two. Big chains are increasingly carrying more of these products. Look in the organic section if there is one. It's also important to read labels carefully as wheat flour is often added to places you wouldn't expect. Soy sauce for instance (although there are wheat-free brands available. Salad dressing. Yogurt - yep, especially if it says "with fibre" - that's wheat fibre they use).
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:42
She bought brown rice pasta, thanks for the tip not to overcook.
They think celiac, so spelt would be a no-go.
Some people with a wheat intolerance can have spelt, but celiac means no spelt.
Many wheat free recipes I am finding use rice and almond flour, so they do work for celiac.
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:49
The thing they told us to really look for that we would not have spotted was malt and caramel flavouring.
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 17:12
This is the bread recipe a celiac friend swears by... I have yet to try it, so far we are simply avoiding until I find some recipes or look at a cookbook.
Hi StevieG - I keep myself on a mostly gluten free diet - and I sure do feel a lot better for it! Important to recognize that gluten is in MOST grains - not just wheat. And hidden in all sorts of unlikely places!
Namaste started a thread like this a while back ... let me see if I can go find it ... we had some good chats there ...
Excellent StevieG - there does seem to be an increasing number of products out there that do advertise themselves as gluten free - which makes life easier. They surely can be expensive though! I've recently found gluten free bread & hamburger buns at my local Planet Organic store - but I must say, paying about $7 for a small loaf of bread or half a dozen buns makes me really savour every bite of it!!
Namaste
Posted on: 02/24/2010 16:56
Is it rice bread, Carolla? Or have you found some other gluten-free bread? The only stuff I found was made out of rice. I couldn't stand the texture and the bread was way too tiny to make a sandwich with.
carolla
Posted on: 02/24/2010 17:14
I had to run to the freezer Namaste - so now I have to type fast, so the bread on my computer table doesn't thaw!! Usually I eat them toasted - sometimes a girl's just gotta have a crispy piece of toast!
The bread is by O'Dough's - has potatoe starch, soya, tapioca flour, rice flour, chickpea flour, etc. etc. I notice on the package they have a website - www.odoughs.com !
The buns are by Organic Works - organice brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, soy flour etc.
Yes - the texture is definitely different that fabulous chewy, fresh baked sourdough bread - for example! Now I'm drooling!! Back to the freezer!!
carolla
Posted on: 02/24/2010 17:22
Hmmm ... I just got curious when I was in the kitchen & pulled out my breadmaker cookbook. There are quite a lot of gluten-free flours - all with differing properties. I did find a recipe in there for a rice flour bread - I will have to try that & see what happens. I do recall making some of that (different recipe) many years back & it turned out like a brick! Didn't rise at all!
If anybody has a breadmaker & wants the recipe - wondermail me.
The other night my husband made some trout & dredged it in a cormeal mixture (with some lemon zest & garlic I think!) - made a really nice crunchy crust on it which we enjoyed.
Comments
ninjafaery
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:21
I like brown rice pasta. The trick is not to overcook it or it becomes a jellylike mess.
Is spelt ok?
spiritbear
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:38
No, spelt is basically germinated wheat, so it is NOT OK since it is still wheat and contains gluten.
Rice flour will become one of your staples, and substitutes reasonably well when used as a thickener (eg gravy). Doesn't work as well in baked goods, though. For that, eg brownies, bread, etc. you will always need either xanthan gum or guar gum (not a lot, but it's not cheap). A big WC hug to anyone that has a good bread recipe. My wife has a very passable wheat-free brownie recipe and I once made oatmeal cookies by switching rice flour instead of wheat flour. Rice flour doesn't take up water as well, so the batter was a bit runnier than I expected, but they still turned out OK.
I'm told corn pasta works tolerably well (especially if you also have a rice allergy), although we generally use rice. I think corn pasta is the more expensive of the two. Big chains are increasingly carrying more of these products. Look in the organic section if there is one. It's also important to read labels carefully as wheat flour is often added to places you wouldn't expect. Soy sauce for instance (although there are wheat-free brands available. Salad dressing. Yogurt - yep, especially if it says "with fibre" - that's wheat fibre they use).
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:42
She bought brown rice pasta, thanks for the tip not to overcook.
They think celiac, so spelt would be a no-go.
Some people with a wheat intolerance can have spelt, but celiac means no spelt.
Many wheat free recipes I am finding use rice and almond flour, so they do work for celiac.
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 16:49
The thing they told us to really look for that we would not have spotted was malt and caramel flavouring.
SG
Posted on: 02/23/2010 17:12
This is the bread recipe a celiac friend swears by... I have yet to try it, so far we are simply avoiding until I find some recipes or look at a cookbook.
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/02/delicious-gluten-free-bread.html
carolla
Posted on: 02/23/2010 21:35
Hi StevieG - I keep myself on a mostly gluten free diet - and I sure do feel a lot better for it! Important to recognize that gluten is in MOST grains - not just wheat. And hidden in all sorts of unlikely places!
Namaste started a thread like this a while back ... let me see if I can go find it ... we had some good chats there ...
carolla
Posted on: 02/23/2010 21:37
Here it is ... wow that was quick!!
http://www.wondercafe.ca/discussion/health-and-aging/wheat-andor-gluten-free-diets
SG
Posted on: 02/24/2010 12:35
Thanks, carolla.
carolla
Posted on: 02/24/2010 16:52
Excellent StevieG - there does seem to be an increasing number of products out there that do advertise themselves as gluten free - which makes life easier. They surely can be expensive though! I've recently found gluten free bread & hamburger buns at my local Planet Organic store - but I must say, paying about $7 for a small loaf of bread or half a dozen buns makes me really savour every bite of it!!
Namaste
Posted on: 02/24/2010 16:56
Is it rice bread, Carolla? Or have you found some other gluten-free bread? The only stuff I found was made out of rice. I couldn't stand the texture and the bread was way too tiny to make a sandwich with.
carolla
Posted on: 02/24/2010 17:14
I had to run to the freezer Namaste - so now I have to type fast, so the bread on my computer table doesn't thaw!! Usually I eat them toasted - sometimes a girl's just gotta have a crispy piece of toast!
The bread is by O'Dough's - has potatoe starch, soya, tapioca flour, rice flour, chickpea flour, etc. etc. I notice on the package they have a website - www.odoughs.com !
The buns are by Organic Works - organice brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, soy flour etc.
Yes - the texture is definitely different that fabulous chewy, fresh baked sourdough bread - for example! Now I'm drooling!! Back to the freezer!!
carolla
Posted on: 02/24/2010 17:22
Hmmm ... I just got curious when I was in the kitchen & pulled out my breadmaker cookbook. There are quite a lot of gluten-free flours - all with differing properties. I did find a recipe in there for a rice flour bread - I will have to try that & see what happens. I do recall making some of that (different recipe) many years back & it turned out like a brick! Didn't rise at all!
If anybody has a breadmaker & wants the recipe - wondermail me.
The other night my husband made some trout & dredged it in a cormeal mixture (with some lemon zest & garlic I think!) - made a really nice crunchy crust on it which we enjoyed.