Packaged mixes: What can be done to improve them??

[Larry Gessner]

I have been looking at posts in a lot of categories and it seems that mixes like cookies and brownies are not tasting good or are making people feel bad after eating the cookies or brownies. What do you think the some of the problems are? I realize that cross contamination can happen from using mixing bowls or utensils that may be shared with gluten products, so I am trying to determine where can improvements be made in the mixes?

[cyclinglady]

I think this is hard to answer.  Many of us have intolerances as a result of Celiac Disease.  Some are temporary and others seem to be permanent.   Mixes use a blend of flours or just one flour (e.g. rice which makes for a grainy texture).  They also incorporate gums to replace gluten for binding that many can not digest well.   There is always the possibility (though slim) of cross contamination of the grains used, but I think that is rare.  Some folks can not tolerate oats that are certified gluten free.  Why?  No one knows for sure, but estimates indicate that 10% of celiacs have issue with them.   Finally, things added like milk, corn products, etc. can contribute to the problem.  

I think it's an individual issue.  There is no gluten free cake or cookie mix that is going to work for everyone.  To be honest, we have a popular gluten-free bakery nearby.  I never buy their products because they cater to gluten-free, allergy free, etc.  It's like eating sawdust.  So, I bake my own from scratch.  

 

[amywads]

hello,

 

i have struggled with this as well  i find that a homemade gum and filler free blend of sorghum flour and bob red mill gluten-free oat flour and psyllium husk as the binder as well as a little baking powder to make it rise and be a great all natural healthy flour mix that remains white.   but i have found a GREAT mix that is sold by a local gluten-free catering company available online. ive used to pancakes, muffins, cakes brownies etc  it is amazing and healthy  

once i found this mix. it honestly made me feel normal again as the baked goods taste like the "real stufff" its really worth giving it a tryits heirloomkitchencatering.com

 

i have also used plain chestnut flour with baking powder to make pancakes and chocolate based treats like brownies...

[deb-rn]

I bake almost everything myself as well.  I've gone through a lot of not-so-good recipes too.  Trial and error is what it takes.  There is almost nothing I can't make as good as before going gluten-free now.  I make my own "mixes" for many things like biscuits, all purpose flour, cookies, muffins... Each takes a little different mixture of flours.  My bread is VERY good and no one even suspects it's gluten-free.  You just can't give up!  I've always cooked from scratch and it wasn't a hard transition to go gluten-free for me.  I buy a lot of the individual flours online for the best prices and variety, since I live in a small town.  It does get easier with time,  but cooking from scratch really gives you the most variety and best flavor.

Debbie

[Larry Gessner]

 

I think this is hard to answer.  Many of us have intolerances as a result of Celiac Disease.  Some are temporary and others seem to be permanent.   Mixes use a blend of flours or just one flour (e.g. rice which makes for a grainy texture).  They also incorporate gums to replace gluten for binding that many can not digest well.   There is always the possibility (though slim) of cross contamination of the grains used, but I think that is rare.  Some folks can not tolerate oats that are certified gluten free.  Why?  No one knows for sure, but estimates indicate that 10% of celiacs have issue with them.   Finally, things added like milk, corn products, etc. can contribute to the problem.  

I think it's an individual issue.  There is no gluten free cake or cookie mix that is going to work for everyone.  To be honest, we have a popular gluten-free bakery nearby.  I never buy their products because they cater to gluten-free, allergy free, etc.  It's like eating sawdust.  So, I bake my own from scratch.  

 

Than you for sharing that. It helps me understand even more.

[Complete Disarray]

 

.. My bread is VERY good and no one even suspects it's gluten-free. ...

Debbie

 Recipe please?   I've had a hard time making good tasting bread, and keeping it from falling after baking.

 Also... be careful with Bob's Red Mill oat flour... they use multiple sources and some are not certified and use optical/mechanical sorting... so your gluten levels can vary wildly from batch to batch.  (If you sensitive to levels under 20ppm)

[Gemini]

 

 Recipe please?   I've had a hard time making good tasting bread, and keeping it from falling after baking.

 Also... be careful with Bob's Red Mill oat flour... they use multiple sources and some are not certified and use optical/mechanical sorting... so your gluten levels can vary wildly from batch to batch.  (If you sensitive to levels under 20ppm)

I am a very sensitive Celiac also and would like to know if you can reference where you heard your information on Bob's Red Mill oat flour?  If you do your homework, then you would know that they use certified gluten-free oats and are a dedicated gluten-free facility.  They also batch test to ensure compliance and quality.  If you have had problems with this, then maybe oats are not agreeing with you, for non-gluten reasons.

[Complete Disarray]

 

I am a very sensitive Celiac also and would like to know if you can reference where you heard your information on Bob's Red Mill oat flour?  If you do your homework, then you would know that they use certified gluten-free oats and are a dedicated gluten-free facility.  They also batch test to ensure compliance and quality.  If you have had problems with this, then maybe oats are not agreeing with you, for non-gluten reasons.

Open Original Shared Link

 

"Open Original Shared Link Open Original Shared Link

On November 12, 2015, Bob’s Red Mill wrote the following to me in an email (bottom line–BRM is using both purity protocol oats and sorted oats in their gluten-free oat products):
Dear Ms. Thompson,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. For over 30 years, Bob’s Red Mill has been committed to providing the very best in gluten free flours, cereals, baking mixes and grains for our friends on gluten free diets. For all of our gluten free products, we thoroughly batch test every product in our quality control laboratory upon delivery, during production and after packaging. We adhere to a standard of no more than 19 parts per million of gluten. Should a test show that a product exceeds that limit, it would be simply rejected and made unavailable for distribution to anyone. Every step in the production of our gluten free products is done in a separate gluten free packaging division complete with specialized machinery to make sure that our products maintain their purity. By going to these lengths, we’re able to ensure that people with wheat allergies, celiac disease and gluten intolerance can trust that our products are safe to consume.
Oats require special care to ensure that they are safely free from gluten. Bob’s Red Mill only sources from oat suppliers who are committed to practices for eliminating the presence of gluten. Our suppliers are innovative in controlling the presence of gluten by either avoiding crop rotation with gluten containing grains or using optical sorting technology to remove grain containing gluten"

 

P.S.  Note the fact they throw away batches that come in over 19ppm....

[squirmingitch]

And I got this email on Jan. 15, 2016 from BRM when I inquired of them. Emphasis mine.

Thank you for contacting Bob's Red Mill.

 

I’d be happy to give you more information about our products.

 

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. For over 30 years, Bob’s Red Mill has been committed to providing the very best in Gluten Free flours, cereals, baking mixes and grains for our friends on gluten free diets. For all of our gluten free products, we thoroughly batch test every product in our quality control laboratory upon delivery, during production and after packaging. We adhere to a standard of no more than 19 parts per million of gluten.  Should a test show that a product exceeds that limit, it would be simply rejected and made unavailable for distribution to anyone. Every step in the production of our gluten free products is done in a separate gluten free packaging division complete with specialized machinery to make sure that our products maintain their purity. By going to these lengths, we’re able to ensure that people with wheat allergies, celiac disease and gluten intolerance can trust that our products are safe to consume.

 

Oats require special care to ensure that they are safely free from gluten. Bob's Red Mill only sources from oat suppliers who are committed to practices for eliminating the presence of gluten. Our suppliers are innovative in controlling the presence of gluten by either avoiding crop rotation with gluten containing grains or using optical sorting technology to remove grain containing gluten.  Regardless of our suppliers' chosen methods for meeting our gluten free specification, we require that each lot is tested and confirmed gluten free before authorization for shipment to Bob's Red Mill. To ensure that they stay just as gluten free as the day their seedlings sprouted from the earth, we test each batch in our quality control laboratory when they arrive from the farm, during production and once again after they are packaged in our dedicated gluten free facility.

 

Additionally, we do have rigorous cleaning methods in place for our products. We clean our machinery thoroughly with high-pressure air between each production run, as well as discard or donate the first 15-20 pounds of product per lot before we begin the packaging process. We also have an air filtration system that runs continuously for employee safety reasons.

 

 

I hope this helps! Feel free to contact us again through our Customer Service Department at 1-800-349-2173 if you have additional questions or concerns.

 

 

Have a great day,

 

Julia Spock

Customer Service

Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods

13521 SE Pheasant Ct.

Milwaukie, OR 97222

Open Original Shared Link

 

[squirmingitch]

I might add that a short time prior to emailing BRM which resulted in my receipt of the above posted reply, I had phoned BRM asking if they used purity protocol oats & was told by the woman I spoke to, Janelle, that ALL their oats were grown under a purity protocol. I directly asked her if they used any oats that were optically or mechanically sorted to remove gluten grains.

So my new motto is

Get it in writing!

[Gemini]

"Also... be careful with Bob's Red Mill oat flour... they use multiple sources and some are not certified and use optical/mechanical sorting... so your gluten levels can vary wildly from batch to batch.  (If you sensitive to levels under 20ppm)"

"Regardless of our suppliers' chosen methods for meeting our gluten free specification, we require that each lot is tested and confirmed gluten free before authorization for shipment to Bob's Red Mill. To ensure that they stay just as gluten free as the day their seedlings sprouted from the earth, we test each batch in our quality control laboratory when they arrive from the farm, during production and once again after they are packaged in our dedicated gluten free facility."

It seems that whether you consider Bob's Red Mill to be gluten-free or not depends on how you read the statement and what people consider gluten free actually means. I should add that I do not eat Bob's oatmeal because I like a finer milled oatmeal. I have not used their gluten-free oat flour either. I tolerate gluten-free oats very well but am a very sensitive Celiac. However, reading this statement from them, I most likely would eat their oatmeal if they offered it in a finer cut.

I think from reading how they process their oatmeal, they actually test the hell out of it all along the production process. You are aware that gluten free is defined as less than 20ppm's?  And that it doesn't automatically mean there is that amount in their finished product?  So......anything above that gets tossed and not sold to anyone. When you look at all their protocol followed, it's pretty damn good. So, they test all along the process and their finished product tests correctly to be labeled gluten-free.  The vast majority of Celiac's will be able to tolerate this amount, if they can tolerate oats in general.  I know sensitive Celiac's that have eaten Bob's on occasion and they have had good results. They do not test the same way that Cheerio's got bagged for doing. Cheerio's has been flagged by complaints to the FDA and I have not heard any of the same regarding Bob's products. What Cheerio's did was a joke and cannot be compared to Bob's.  I am not writing this because I think they are the best oatmeal product out there, I don't.  But Bob's is a reputable brand which many Celiac's tolerate quite well...even some sensitive ones I know so if their product were that untrustworthy, we would be hearing about all over the place because people would be getting sick. Hard to tell if those who have gotten sick were from oat intolerance or actual gluten contamination, unless you run it off to a lab.  I know too many people who follow a strict gluten-free diet and use Bob's without issue to automatically assume their product is not really safe.

 

 

 

[Complete Disarray]

That's why I just said be careful.  Like you said, most celiacs, but not all.