Brown - Gluten-free holiday baking

I ts not easy to follow a gluten-free diet, especially around the holidays. We all want visions of sugarplums. Im here to tell you that it is possible to have them when you make baked goods yourself at home.

Understanding the need to live gluten-free starts with understanding how gluten can cause life-threatening problems if not removed from the diet of those who cannot tolerate it. But the good news is that following a gluten-free diet can mitigate debilitating symptoms and pain in as little as a few monthsusing food rather than a pharmacy. Those following a gluten-free diet need not be deprived of baked goods as delicious as those made with glutenfrom rich cakes to crispy breads and gooey pies.

Our bodies contain a complex and interlocking system to prevent harm. There is a network of organs, glands, and cell types all dedicated to warding off illness lumped under the heading of the immune system. But sometimes the immune system attacks healthy cells rather than potentially harmful ones. These maladies are termed autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune disorders are not fully understood, but many medical authorities now accept some causes. The sources of these disorders include viruses that change the information carried inside the cells, sunlight and other forms of radiation, certain chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. There is also believed to be a connection to sex hormones; many more women than men suffer from autoimmune disorders.

There are more than eighty types of autoimmune disease, and they include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Graves disease. Some medical authorities also believe that multiple sclerosis is caused by an autoimmune response. While the aggravating factors in many of these diseases are complex, in the case of celiac disease it is really rather easy. Celiac disease is caused by an autoimmune respsonse to gluten, one of the thirty proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye.

Humans as a species are unable to properly digest the gluten protein. Normal protein digestion involves a complete breakdown of protein into small particles called amino acids that are in turn absorbed by the small intestine and used by the body as a nutritional source. Many people appear unaffected by being unable to digest gluten properly.

But for those who are intolerant, the undigested gluten protein gets absorbed into the lining of the small intestine but is not seen by the body as a source of nutrition. The bodys immune system attacks these protein particles as something that needs to be destroyed, in very much the same way as it would attack an invading organism such as a virus, bacterium, or parasite. The attack by the immune system causes inflammation and damage to the small intestine, which prevents it from absorbing the nutrients from food that are important for staying healthy.

Normally, the small intestine is lined with tiny, hair-like projections called villi that resemble the deep pile of a plush carpet on a microscopic scale. It is these villi that work to absorb vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from the food you eat. Without prominent villi , the inner surface of the small intestine becomes less like a plush carpet and more like a tile floor. The body is unable to absorb nutrients necessary for health and growth, resulting in malnutrition.

It is now clear that the disease is far more common than doctors once believed. New research reveals that celiac disease may be one of the most common genetic diseases, and one federal study estimates that 1 in every 133 Americans suffers from celiac disease; thats more than 3 million people.

The condition is diagnosed by testing for three antibodiesanti-gliadin, anti-endomysial, and anti-tissue transglutaminaseall of which are present when an affected person is exposed to gluten but disappear when the offending grains are no longer consumed.

But there are millions more people whose digestive problems dont fall under the strict definition of celiac disease because they do not test positively for the antibodies but who have found that following a gluten-free diet helps them. Rather than terming them gluten-intolerant, theyre termed gluten-sensitive, and this group could include up to 30 percent of the American population.

For this much larger group, eliminating gluten can eliminate symptoms ranging from abdominal pain to osteoporosis and sinus congestion. Gluten-sensitivity has also been linked to conditions such as psoriasis, anemia, and asthma.

Following a gluten-free diet is not a temporary measure to ameliorate a condition. Its for life. Eliminating gluten doesnt cause the body to become less sensitive to it. The condition for which the gluten was eliminated can return as soon as gluten is reintroduced to the diet.

If youre new to gluten-free baking, or youre making these treats as a gift for someone who must follow a gluten-free diet, the whole concept of contamination is perhaps new to you as well. Setting up your system so that gluten-free foods and foods containing gluten never meet can take time, but it is time well spent.

Here are some rules to follow to ensure that your gluten-free products are not inadvertently contaminated by wheat flour or any gluten-containing food:

Thoroughly wash cabinets where gluten-free products will be stored, and be sure everyone who uses the kitchen is aware that these cabinets contain only gluten-free food. Even so, unless the kitchen is to be free of all gluten-containing foods, its still wise to place gluten-free ingredients in airtight containers before storing them.

Clean all the kitchen surfaces thoroughly before starting to prepare gluten-free dishes, and then change the dishrag and dishtowel for a fresh one. Dont use a sponge because it cannot be properly cleaned to make it free from gluten. The same is true for porous surfaces such as wooden cutting boards. Have special ones for gluten-free ingredients.

Have separate containers of butter or margarine for gluten-free baking. Crumbs from someones morning toast could have landed on a stick of butter at breakfast.

Dont use the same sifter for gluten-free and regular flours. Label the gluten-free sifter to avoid mistakes.

Label a gluten-free sifter so that it doesnt get used with wheat flour.

Have separate containers of ingredients for all gluten-free baking. Even though there is no gluten in granulated sugar or baking soda, molecules of wheat flour could have landed on them.

Always place the gluten-free foods on the top shelf of the oven to avoid the risk of spills onto it. The same is true in the refrigerator; the gluten-free foods should be on higher shelves.

Foil is a great way to avoid contamination. Use foil to keep foods separate when preparing, cooking, or storing.

Foil is useful for keeping foods separate.

Use stickers of different colors when storing gluten-free foods to segregate them from other foods.

Although theres some science involved with all cooking, when the end result is a baked good, science and art are given almost equal billing, with science leading the way. Eliminating rye and barley from the diet presents some challenges, but eliminating all forms of wheat and wheat flour is a Herculean taskespecially especially baking. For centuries, wheat flour has been a key ingredient in most recipes.