Q Why does gluten-free bread taste like sawdust?
We have been brainwashed into thinking that you need to glue gluten-free breads together, because without gluten bread falls apart and is dry and crumbly! Of course it is dry and crumbly if you make ‘bread’ from potato flour and corn starch, both highly processed starches that need something to glue them together. The choice of gum is either methylcellulose or xanthan gum. Methylcellulose is prepared from wood pulp by treatment with alkali and methyl chloride.
Xanthan gum is produced by the fermentation of a carbohydrate with a bacterium called Xanthamonas campestris (the black rot bacteria familiar from rotting cabbage or other leaves). I am on a one-woman-campaign to return xanthan gum to the oil drilling field and fracking field where it came from. (Yes you read that right). No wonder people look at gluten-free bread as food for ‘sick people’ – that is so sad, as there is a gourmet world of textures and exciting flavours out there!
We work with naturally gluten-free organic grains like quinoa, rice and buckwheat – we even make bread with beans and peas and mushrooms! All the time honoured baking traditions apply at Artisan Bread Organic; fresh flour, proper overnight fermentation and skill. Enjoy!
About our expert: Ingrid Eissfeldt set up Artisan Bread Organic in 2001, specialising in high-quality bread including numerous gluten-free products. In December 2014 Artisan Bread went 100 per cent gluten-free to become the only organic gluten-free bakery in
the UK. Ingrid’s number one priority was to make food that is both digestible and delicious. She made the decision to avoid using baker’s yeast in any of her breads to improve their digestibility. www.artisanbread-abo.com.
Do you need help with your free-from cooking, or do you have a nutritional query? Email your question to nick.gregory@anthem-publishing.com to ask the experts for advice.
If you’re looking for some delicious gluten-free bread recipes, take a look at our round-up of the 25 best gluten-free bread recipes.