2. Is it a disease? Yes – celiac disease is an autoimmune disease It is not an allergy VILLI Immune Cell Gluten proteins

3. Avoid wheat, barley, and rye and any derivatives of them. Sounds easy right? WRONG Wheat is the basis for most American foods Obvious sources Bread, Pasta, Beer Not so obvious sources Soy sauce, broths, spice blends, candies, medications, deli meats, imitation seafood, imitation bacon, meatless products PLAY-DOUGH!!!

4. All is not lost Gluten-Free baking produces products just as good as the original If you do it right Two main properties of flour and their role in making baked goods Gluten – Provides net for leavening, provides elasticity, structure Starch – provides crumb, texture, structure

5. One single Gluten-Free flour does not have the same properties as wheat Combine flours to create all of the properties needed Gluten in flour provides elasticity Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, or Bean Gum provides elasticity in Gluten-Free products Help provide structure for leavening and binding for a stable product

6. The starch in flour creates structure and crumb Tapioca starch, potato starch, or cornstarch does the same in Gluten-Free products. Also create chewy texture and encourage browning and crisp crust Gluten-FullGluten-Free

7. Just like “gluten-full” flours, different gluten-free flours/starches may be used to create certain results. Sorghum Flour – provides a slightly sweet flavor, produces a flavor closest to wheat Teff Flour – provides a sweet, nutty, almost malt flavor – not good in yeast breads Chickpea flour – provides a rich flavor and a delicate crumb Oat Flour – (must be certified GF oats) provides flavorful, moist, cake-like crumb

8. Basic Flour Blend Sorghum Flour – adds our slightly sweet, “wheat” taste Potato Starch or Cornstarch – lightens the dough, creates a smooth crust Tapioca starch – helps with browning and creates crisp crust Xanthan Gum – holds it all together, prevents crumbling and gives us elasticity From there, you may have to add different flours, starches, sugar, yeast, baking soda, etc. depending on what you are baking.

9. A lot has changed! Companies are jumping on the GF bandwagon and producing GF products at record speed.

10. It Depends For those with Celiac and Gluten Intolerance – YES! For those that think it will help them lose weight… Not necessarily Meat, Vegetables, Fruits, and Dairy are naturally gluten-free However, a gluten free diet is at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiencies – Iron, calcium, b-vitamins and Folate Processed GF foods are still processed and too much can cause weight gain

11. What questions do you have?