Grains with Gluten:
Gluten is the protien in the grain. It makes the flour stretchy and airy when you work and bake with it.
Wheat, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat starch, barley (flakes, flour, pearl) , malt, brewer's yeast, rye, spelt (dinkel, farro, faro), kamut, triticale (trit-uh-CAY-lee), atta, couscous, durham, einkorn, emmer, farina, fu, graham flour, hydrolized wheat protein, matzoh, matzhoh meal, seitan, semolina, and bulgar all have the same type of gluten.
This is the gluten that causes Celiacs and gluten allergy sufferers so much trouble. We do not use any of these items in our baking.
Grains Without Gluten:
There are many fabulous grains that have no gluten or a different type of gluten that Celiacs and gluten allergy sufferers can eat. Here are a few that we use:
Millet - One of the most ancient grains in the world. It can be used whole, crushed, or milled into flour. It is fairly bland in flavour but takes to a wide variety of seasonings.
Oats - They have a gluten that is all their own. Very few people cannot tolerate the protein but most Celiacs find they can. ONLY OATS is a Canadian company that specializes in uncontaminated oats. They make flour, groats, steel cut, and rolled oats. Oats are naturally high in protien. We use these only on request.
Brown & White Rice - White rice is brown rice that has been polished to remove the entire hull and bran layer. Brown rice has the hull removed but the germ and most of the bran layer is intact. We use both white and brown rice flours.
Glutinous Rice Flour - Also known as sticky rice or sushi rice flour. It is made from short-grain rice that is high in starch, however, there is no gluten in it.
White Sorghum - Also refered to as Milo, this grain grows around the world. The white variety is free of any bitter flavours or dark colours. This makes it ideal for puffed cereals, flour, granola bars, and even beer.
Chickpea/Fava Bean Flour - This is a great blend of two fabulous beans. They are high in fiber, protein, calcium, iron, and B vitamins.
Quinoa - Is a seed that is grown primarially in South America and Canada. It is high in protien, iron, and fiber. It has a distinct nutty flavour.
Arrowroot Starch - Is ground from the root of a tropical plant and has a neutral flavour.
Potato Starch - This is made only from the starch portion of the potato and is very bland in flavour.
Tapioca Starch - Made from the root of the cassava plant, it is very low in nutrients. It is a pure white powder with no real flavour of it's own.
