Bread and Jam for Frances - or Nate

It's a wonderfully snowy day. No school, no errands, just laziness (perhaps a good time to start a new blog). But nothing stops the mailman - or the UPS man. Our UPS driver, Mike, is well known to all the kids and stay-at-home mom's on the street. He's a friendly guy who always waves (not enough people do that where I live according to my neighbor, the resident waver) and has a kind word and a smile. Today he knocked on my garage door to deliver a new tool for my latest project: baking bread.

I brought the box inside and opened it to reveal two gleaming white enamel stoneware one pound loaf pans. I've made lots of investments in cookware and gadgets over the years. Some have been good like my 10 year old All-Clad stainless steel pots and pans, my 15 year old pressure cooker and my hand-me-down 6 quart crock pot (bigger really is better). Others have been good for their time which is no more: my juicer, food mill, pizza stone and bread machine. I'm hoping these sparkling new loaf pans will prove to be worth the extra pennies they cost over the cheaper non-stick version.

When my 8 year old first went gluten-free, I was at a loss to figure out what to substitute for his current diet. His favorite (and pretty much only) breakfast food was the fresh apple bread that I baked in huge two pound loaves in my fancy Japanese bread maker. Nate loved to slather on the blueberry jam. I loved it warmed up with just butter. We quickly discovered that his other loves, pasta and pretzels were replaceable, if not perfectly. Thanks to the help of a nutritionist, we were able to skip some of the ugly (and expensive) trial and error that most of those new to the gluten-free world must go through. Unfortunately, she didn't have any recommendations for bread. At least not gluten-, milk-, egg- and nut-free bread. In the first week, we tried a sickly looking loaf of white tapioca bread. It only took one bite for each of us to realize that Nate's bread days were over.

Fast forward a month. I, too, had been diagnosed as gluten sensitive. Now more than ever I had a reason to try new recipes. I had been checking book after book out of the library, but the amount of work it would take to convert most of the interesting recipes from the gluten-free cookbooks to be milk and egg free was daunting. I finally got up the courage to try a bread recipe that was recommended specifically for the bread machine. It was more than a flop, it was a doorstop. Trying not to be too discouraged, I bought a prepackaged GF bread mix and added my egg-replacer instead of the two eggs in the instructions. That one came out a little better but still inedible. I ate it anyway.

Here we are 9 months later. Nate and I have been doing fine without bread in our lives. Although the temptation is always near, the thought of getting sick keeps everything in perspective. After a bout of winter illness followed by a diagnosis of esophageal inflammation, Nate has become sensitive to raw fruits and more cautious than ever about what goes into his mouth and stomach. In my desperation over how to feed my son, I am cooking again.

This time I go back to some of the recipes I copied and never brought myself to try. I read again the instructions for baking gluten-free bread. I am determined to figure out what had I done wrong the first time. I will follow the directions to the letter this time, borrowing a stand mixer to help beat in the necessary air that my stirring arm just can't provide, heating the liquid ingredients to the proper temperature, warming the stove top where the bread will rise and baking it in the oven rather than the bread machine as is recommended by many GF cookbook authors and internet bakers. What I am starting to learn is that baking bread - especially GF bread - is a science more than an art.

And, voila! I discover can bake bread. This bread is different by definition from those gluten breads you buy in the store. But it has some similarities with the loaves I used to churn out of my friendly Zojirushi. They are dense and flavorful, a little sweet and sometimes chewy. Often their texture is closer to a sweet bread than a yeast bread. Like those bread machine loaves, they have a wonderfully crispy crust. And they taste good!

Nate hasn't gone back to his major yeast bread eating ways yet. He likes the bread when it's freshly baked and warm. Occasionally, he'll take a slice to school when I haven't had a chance to make his favorite chocolate chip mini muffins. I have been trying some bread versions that aren't egg-free, so I am on bread overload at the moment, being the only GF egg bread eater in the house.

But that won't stop me. I've been finding friends and friends-of-friends who are newly gluten free and desperate for recipes, suggestions, advice or help. That's why I decided to start this blog. I wanted to find a place to share what I've learned so far. Information abounds on the 'net. I have over 15 years of experience in dealing with food allergies - specifically my own milk allergy - and trying various diets for health (vegetarian, vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free). I don't claim to be a chef, baker, nutritionist, dietitian or even much of a cook. But I think I am ready to share my journey with others who may still be stuck at the thought of having to make gargantuan changes and face overwhelming deprivations to keep themselves and their families healthy. It is scary. But it can be done. I'd like to help.