Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiac Baker


flxmanning

Recommended Posts

flxmanning Apprentice

Hello everyone!

I am really new to this as I just found out last week that I have Celiac Disease. My problems all started about 2 years ago and I continually was told by doctors that a lot of my problems could be attributed to something, anything else.

I first went to the doctor because I was losing an incredible amount of weight at a ridiculous speed. They told me that my problem must be that I simply wasn't eating enough. So, naturally, I ate more. I gained a little weight, but not much and I figured that I was just one of those "lucky" individuals with an alarming metabolism. Well, the problems got worse. The story gets better, I promise.

About a year ago I went off to culinary school with an emphasis in patisserie and baking. Just like any culinary student with a sweet tooth, my eating habits changed radically. Gone were the days of salads and fish and here were days of cinnamon rolls, tarts, cakes, anything and everything I could want and all only a short walk over to the next classmate or classroom away.

You would think all of this would make me happy, but it didn't. I had horrible depression. I was away from my family, my friends, my life. I would eat and eat and eat when I was alone on a Friday and my stomach would be so big and bloated that I couldn't even move. I figured I was just doing it to myself. I thought I had no self control. I honestly thought that I was a compulsive eater. I didn't go to a doctor, psychologist, nutritionist, etc, but I was still very thin. I thought they would tell me I was bullemic or something since I was eating so much and not gaining any weight. The problems still persisted, none the less. No matter how distended my stomach was or how full I felt physically, I felt strangly and horribly unsatisfied. One night my stomach was so big and so bloated that I couldn't stand it. I couldn't lie down, sit down, stand up, find any position even resembling comfortable. When my roommate came home, he took me to the emergency room because I thought I had some sort of foodborne illness or something. My stomach looked and felt like it would literally pop at any moment. A couple of hours later I got horrible diarreah and my stomach started to go down in size. When I was finally seen by the doctor, I confessed that after a pasta dinner I had a big thing of ice cream and, again, I was told that the problem was that I messed up and I shouldn't have had any dairy and I did anyways. After that little jaunt to the emergency room, dairy was untouched by myself. I never wanted anything like that to ever happen again.

Even without dairy, though, the problems continued. What was once a problem about once a week became a problem every couple of days. I started missing school because my stomach was so huge and I felt so sick that I couldn't even think straight let alone cook baked goods for 5 hours in class. The depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. got worse.

I needed to get to the bottom of this, so I started searching on-line and I started reading about Celiac Disease. Everything started to suddenly make sense. The incredible appetite, the weight loss, the depression, my migraine headaches, everything. I went to my doctor, got a couple of blood tests and was prescribed a gluten-free diet for life. Saying that to a baker is like telling a musician they can never step foot in a concert again! I'm slowly trying to deal with it and I actually am glad that they found a problem because now I can take the steps to fix it rather than just suffering in ignorance, it's still very VERY hard, though. To whoever has actually taked the time to read my story, thank you. I just needed someone to listen who can maybe understand what I'm going through.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



maggee Newbie

This forum is great for information. I am new here as well and I have learned more here than all the doctors and books combined. My family found the gluten-free diet hard at first but now (after a year) we are so much healthier (and happier). I have a suggestion (once you are on track)... with your background you should start a gluten free bakery. I can get alot of breads, bagels, etc. online or my local health food store but I would love to see the day where there are gluten free bakeries in most towns and be able to get my son a freshly made birthday cake (or me a bagel) ;)

I hope you feel better soon.

rinne Apprentice

Welcome and congratulations on figuring this out.

I worked in a bakery many years ago and it was the year my migraines began. I knew that the pastries didn't agree with me, I got foggy, and I didn't eat many. I know now that just working in that environment was toxic.

Gluten free baking is different than regular baking but if you love to bake you will find a way. I read an article not long ago that suggested the gluten free industry is about to take off in a big way, they expect something like ten times the business within only a few years.

Perhaps you have already explored some of the forums but if not you'll find lots of information here including information about baking and cookbooks.

I love to bake too and am enjoying the process of thinking through new techniques when it comes to how to bake. I've been wondering how to recreate baklava but so far just an idea, I'm still healing and have to limit my treats.

katecopsey Newbie
Hello everyone!

I am really new to this as I just found out last week that I have Celiac Disease. My problems all started about 2 years ago and I continually was told by doctors that a lot of my problems could be attributed to something, anything else.

I first went to the doctor because I was losing an incredible amount of weight at a ridiculous speed. They told me that my problem must be that I simply wasn't eating enough. So, naturally, I ate more. I gained a little weight, but not much and I figured that I was just one of those "lucky" individuals with an alarming metabolism. Well, the problems got worse. The story gets better, I promise.

About a year ago I went off to culinary school with an emphasis in patisserie and baking. Just like any culinary student with a sweet tooth, my eating habits changed radically. Gone were the days of salads and fish and here were days of cinnamon rolls, tarts, cakes, anything and everything I could want and all only a short walk over to the next classmate or classroom away.

You would think all of this would make me happy, but it didn't. I had horrible depression. I was away from my family, my friends, my life. I would eat and eat and eat when I was alone on a Friday and my stomach would be so big and bloated that I couldn't even move. I figured I was just doing it to myself. I thought I had no self control. I honestly thought that I was a compulsive eater. I didn't go to a doctor, psychologist, nutritionist, etc, but I was still very thin. I thought they would tell me I was bullemic or something since I was eating so much and not gaining any weight. The problems still persisted, none the less. No matter how distended my stomach was or how full I felt physically, I felt strangly and horribly unsatisfied. One night my stomach was so big and so bloated that I couldn't stand it. I couldn't lie down, sit down, stand up, find any position even resembling comfortable. When my roommate came home, he took me to the emergency room because I thought I had some sort of foodborne illness or something. My stomach looked and felt like it would literally pop at any moment. A couple of hours later I got horrible diarreah and my stomach started to go down in size. When I was finally seen by the doctor, I confessed that after a pasta dinner I had a big thing of ice cream and, again, I was told that the problem was that I messed up and I shouldn't have had any dairy and I did anyways. After that little jaunt to the emergency room, dairy was untouched by myself. I never wanted anything like that to ever happen again.

Even without dairy, though, the problems continued. What was once a problem about once a week became a problem every couple of days. I started missing school because my stomach was so huge and I felt so sick that I couldn't even think straight let alone cook baked goods for 5 hours in class. The depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. got worse.

I needed to get to the bottom of this, so I started searching on-line and I started reading about Celiac Disease. Everything started to suddenly make sense. The incredible appetite, the weight loss, the depression, my migraine headaches, everything. I went to my doctor, got a couple of blood tests and was prescribed a gluten-free diet for life. Saying that to a baker is like telling a musician they can never step foot in a concert again! I'm slowly trying to deal with it and I actually am glad that they found a problem because now I can take the steps to fix it rather than just suffering in ignorance, it's still very VERY hard, though. To whoever has actually taked the time to read my story, thank you. I just needed someone to listen who can maybe understand what I'm going through.

I went to my doctor, got a couple of blood tests and was prescribed a gluten-free diet for life. Saying that to a baker is like telling a musician they can never step foot in a concert again!

Take heart, you will have to learn how to cook gluten free (a real challenge) but with your knowledge and talent you may well be able to help us all find decent ways to cook with the flour combinations. I don't know about the rest of the folk here, but I have never found a decent bread recipe yet, although I am trying one from Gluten Free 101 by Carol Fenster. She has delveloped a bunch of new mixes for Bob's Red Mill line including a brownie mix and cookie mix. More are on the way. The author is celiac and culinary expert.

Good luck!

cathzozo Apprentice

Welcome to the board! I am sure that you will begin finding ways to bake many of your favorites gluten-free. I've only been doing this for a few months, and I never baked before this, and I feel like I have gotten pretty decent at gluten-free baking. There are many, many cookbooks out there. You might not be able to make a croissant gluten-free, but you can do quick breads, muffins, cakes really well, and even yeast breads are pretty reliable. Please keep us informed of your gluten-free baking adventures.

I'm also sure you will begin feeling SO MUCH better once you've been gluten-free for awhile. That will be great!

Good luck!

Catherine

mamaw Community Regular

Hi & welcome

For baking start out with a good gluten-free flour blend, such as Betty Hageman's or gluten-free flour blend classic from Annalise Roberts.I find using one of these blends I can make alot of my old recipes by just changing the flour.Also a book called Gluten Free Baking Classics by Annalise is one of the bestbooks. I have made alot of her recipes, her vanilla cake is fab.

I don't make alot of scratch breads but Anna's mix is the very best....There is many things you can get mainstream in your grocery such as broths for soup. Heinz from the UK has a tomato soup as well as Amy's tomato bisque is good.

I think most of us order online or mailorder for our gluten-free supplies. I know there is not much where I'm from so I travel about four times a year to stockup..

Since you have a formal education (pastries ) it will probably come easier for you to make changes to recipes... Maybe soon we will see you selling a new gluten-free pastry in the near future.

When you really start to feel better I think you will do wonderful.Just take your time and start out with ine thing at a time...... simple is best at first. I just made funnel cakes the other day, no big feat but for the kids , it was if I gave them 5,000 bucks....

Carriefaith has a soft breadstick recipe that is great, sorry I don't have the link to it but if you type that in here it will come up. I have added pepperoni & cheese , garlic and so on ... to this recipe and even my non-celiac family wants these....

blessings

mamaw

Please pm me if there is anything I can answer for you.

Girl Ninja Newbie

You have a wonderful opportunity to become a specialty baker. Celiac Specialties in Chesterfield, MI is hiring gluten-free bakers right now. :) Good luck!!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



AshleyE Apprentice

Hi, and welcome to the board. I am also fairly new to being gluten-free, but I have discovered a love of baking that I never knew existed. There is a lady named Bette Hagman who is referred to as the Gluten Free Gourmet. Any of her recipes turn out absolutely delicious. She has many different cookbooks out, I have the one on comfort foods and breads, and I can always count on the recipe turning out very similar to the original gluten filled food. That might be a place for you to start, then you can always experiment and create your own recipes. :D

queenofhearts Explorer

Hi & Welcome! This is the greatest place for information & moral support. You'll love it.

I was never a professional, but an extremely avid lifelong baker nonetheless, & I won't deny there were lots of tears when I first was told I was Celiac. But a few weeks in deep kitchen frenzy with Bette Hagman, Annalise Roberts, & Carol Fenster (their books, that is!) have given much comfort (& a few pounds!)

So far I have found that most cookies, cakes, pie-type pastries, biscuits, waffles, & so on-- basically anything you could previously make with a low-gluten cake flour-- are nearly as good as (or at times even better than) wheat versions. (Although often things don't keep as well.)

Breads are much more of a challenge. Many are quite tasty, but not at all what we're used to, baking wheat breads. And I'm not sure it would be possible to approximate puff pastry or phyllo with low gluten... probably just not enough structure to the dough.

I'm still learning gluten-free baking myself, so I have some hope that I will get closer to my dream-bread with time. I'd love to compare notes with you as you experiment!

Leah

mpeel Newbie

Welcome. I have been on this road of gluten-free living for over 3 years now. I wish I had your baking knowledge. I am learning and have gone from hating the kitchen to loving baking and cooking. I love experimenting. Cooking Gluten-Free by Karen Robertson has some wonderful recipes. I love the cinnamon rolls and brownies.

Michelle

mom to Beth and Samantha, both gluten and dairy free (me, too!)

penguin Community Regular
I went to my doctor, got a couple of blood tests and was prescribed a gluten-free diet for life. Saying that to a baker is like telling a musician they can never step foot in a concert again! I'm slowly trying to deal with it and I actually am glad that they found a problem because now I can take the steps to fix it rather than just suffering in ignorance, it's still very VERY hard, though. To whoever has actually taked the time to read my story, thank you. I just needed someone to listen who can maybe understand what I'm going through.

I like your analogy! I've used the one where it's like you're a really good football player, MVP, etc., and then you're suddenly stuck in a wheelchair.

Tell me about it! My grand scheme was to go to culinary school and complete a patisserie program, but then the celiac dx happened. Baking gluten-free is like learning how to cook all over again, and it's very frustrating at first. The most important step to take first is to find a flour blend that you like, I personally like Annalise Roberts' mix of 2 c superfine brown rice flour (authentic foods), 2/3 c. potato starch flour, and 1/3 c. tapioca starch. Then you add about 1tsp xanthan gum per cup. That's the mix for everything but bread, I haven't even bothered with bread yet, my ego is still too fragile for that ball of wax :P

Incedentially, I'm starting culinary school. Of course, I'm going for the culinary arts program, not patisserie, but at least it's still cooking. I'm lucky in that my school is willing to work with me, and what it will boil down to is one of three things: 1: I don't taste anything that I make with flour (mother sauces, breading, etc) 2: I convince the chefs that a successful roux can be made for these things and that gluten-free flour breading works as well (much less likely) or 3: I make two of everything, one gluteny and one gluten-free. The chefs will have to work with me to an extent, because it's a legitimate disability.

As for the baking section of the curriculum, well, that's just going to be 6 weeks of me being screwed, and I'll wear a mask (maybe a hazmat suit? :P ), and obviously won't taste anything. At least I know I'll excel in that class, I was always best at baking :rolleyes:

I'm going to have to make friends in the pastry program so that they can teach me how to do all the pretty sugar and chocolate showpieces, and how to work with fondant...

Just wanted to let you know that I'm right there with you, and that there are always more opportunities!!!

flxmanning Apprentice

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the open arms and ideas! Unfortunately, my digestive tract is so messed up right now that I really can't have fun experimenting yet and I have to stick to bland and "boring" foods. When I feel ready and everything is working properly again I'll definately start experimenting.

Chelsea-

I actually did do the full culinary program, but am now in rotation and am focusing more on patisserie and baking than the culinary part. What culinary school are you going to go to? Is it Le Cordon Bleu?

penguin Community Regular
Chelsea-

I actually did do the full culinary program, but am now in rotation and am focusing more on patisserie and baking than the culinary part. What culinary school are you going to go to? Is it Le Cordon Bleu?

Yes, it's the ole blue ribbon :)

I'm going to Tx. culinary...signed all the paperwork, I'm so excited :)

flxmanning Apprentice

Congratulations!

I went to the one in Pasadena. If you ever need help with anything (projects, homework, etc.) you can e-mail me (flxmanning@hotmail.com). I think the programs are pretty much identical.

acousticmom Explorer

flxmanning & Chelsea--

Good luck with your culinary careers! If you do decide to specialize, I really think the demand for gluten-free foods is going to skyrocket. One article I read said that the number of diagnoses is doubling every year. But if the media picks up on it, diagnoses will increase much faster. You're ahead of the bubble.

Anyway, whatever direction you go, I wish you the best!

Carol

samara Newbie

Thank you for sharing. I too was diagnosed recently and have actually run into quite a few people who are celiac's as well. I also experienced your symptoms. They seemed to start years ago, but of course the doctors have always treated each complaint as a seperate illness. I most recently went though almost 6 months of nausia, stomach blotting and hours of bathroom visits daily. My doctors referred me to a specialist who intern tested me for Barrets..... my specialists thank God came back with a negative to that but then told me my stomach was overproducing acid and of course handed me prescriptions and of course a mound of samples and told me to figure out what hurt my stomach and stop eating it. Sad right!... My father had suggested that maybe it was a reaction to gluten, he had been reading everthing he could to help me. Turns out he was right. My doctor tested me and here we are.......... I guess listening to our parents even at our age is still important. Anyway thank you again for sharing. Please share any recipes you may come up with, I'm sure that in your career you must be experimenting by now.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,186
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Kris46
    Newest Member
    Kris46
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Ginger38
      So I recently had allergy testing for IGE antibodies in response to foods. My test results came back positive to corn, white potatoes, egg whites. Tomatoes, almonds and peanuts to name a few.  I have had obvious reactions to a few of these - particularly tomatoes and corn- both GI issues. I don’t really understand all this allergy versus celiac stuff. If the food allergies are mild do I have to avoid these foods entirely? I don’t know what I will eat if I can’t  have corn based gluten free products 
    • Kris2093u4
      Geography makes a difference.  I'm in the West and Trader Joe's gluten-free bread tastes great and is a better price than most gluten-free breads sold elsewhere in my area.  
    • JForman
      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Jane878
      By the time I was 5 I had my first auto0immune disorder, Migraine headaches, with auras to blind me, and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. I was 5 years old, and my stepfather would have pizza night, milling his own flour, making thick cheesy gluten pizza, that I would eat and the next day, I would have serious migraines, and my mother & stepfather did nothing about my medical problems. When I was 17 in my first year at college, I was diagnosed with my 2nd known auto-immune disorder, Meniere's disease. I was a elite athlete, a swimmer, and soccer player. And once again my parents didn't think anything of understanding why I had a disorder only older people get. Now after my mother passed from Alzheimer's disease she also suffered with living with gluten. She had a rash for 30 years that nobody could diagnose. She was itchy for 45 years total. My brother had a encapsulated virus explodes in his spleen and when this happened his entire intestines were covered with adhesions, scar tissue and he almost lost his life. He has 5 daughters, and when I finally was diagnosed after being pregnant and my body went into a cytokine storm, I lost my chance to have children, I ended up having Hashimoto's disease, Degenerative Disc disease, and my body started to shut down during my first trimester. I am 6ft tall and got down to 119lbs. My husband and I went to a special immunologist in Terrace, California. They took 17 vials of blood as we flew there for a day and returned home that evening. In 3 weeks, we had the answer, I have Celiac disease. Once this was known, only my father and husband made efforts to change their way of feeding me. At the family cabin, my stepfather & mother were more worried that I would ruin Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't until one of my cousins was diagnosed with Celiac disease. They finally looked into getting Gluten Free flour and taking measures to limit "gluten" in meals. He did nothing but ask for me to pay for my own food and wi-fi when I came to the cabin to stay after our house burned down. When he informed my mother, they proceeding to get into a physical fight and she ended up with a black eye. The is just more trauma for me. Sam had no interest in telling the truth about what he wanted. He lied to my mother that he had asked my husband if I could pay for "food" when he asked Geoffrey if I had money to pay for my wi-fi. My mother hates when he spends so much time on the computer so he lied and said I could pay for my own food. I will remind you I weighed 119lbs at this time. (At 6ft) that is a very sick looking person. Neither parent was worried about my weight, they just fought about how cheap my stepfather was. As my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. He had her sign over the will to a trust and added his children. He had no testimonial capacity at the time, so she signed without proper papers. Making this Trust null and void. When I gave my brother my childhood home, my mother stated I would be getting an equal part of inheritance to the house on Race. It currently worth 2.0 million $. I got nothing, and my stepfather has since disowned me b/c of my claim and he knows that my mother would never have left it uneven between my biological brother and myself. She sat me and my husband down, as we lived at the Race Street house and treated and took care of it as our own. My brother took over b/c he was going through a horrific divorce and needed a home so he could get a better custody deal with his soon to be ex-wife who was a Assist DA for Denver. She used the girls against him, and he & I were the primary caregivers. We, Judd and I spent the most time with them pre the divorce. Once Judd moved into the house, he threw all of my mother, grandmother and my family heirlooms out to the Goodwill. Nobody told my mother about this as she was going through cancer treatment and had Alzheimer's disease in her mother and her sister. My stepfather and biological brother took advantage of this matter, as I called a "family council" that my brother just never could make it to at the last moment. All of the furnishing, kitchen ware, everything was in the house my brother just moved into. He had had 2 weddings, I chose to elope b/c my stepfather ruined my brother's first wedding by talking about his relationship with my brother in front of my dad and his entire family, insulting him and having my grandfather leave the ceremony. It was a disaster. My stepfather just plays dumb and blames my father for the slight. I was the only child not to have a wedding. So, my mother and stepfather never had to pay for a thing. My mother had had an agreement with my father he'd pay for college and all medical issues with their kids, myself and Judd. So truly my mother never had to pay for anything big for me in her entire life. I am looking for anyone that has had a similar story, where they grew up in a household that had a baker that regularly milled flour and ate gluten. What happened to you? DId you suffer from different auto-immune diseases b/c of living with a baker using "gluten" Please let me know. I have been looking into legal ways to get my stepfather to give me what my mother had promised, and he erased. Thank you for listening to my story. Jane Donnelly  
    • trents
      Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates. Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result. There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.
×
×
  • Create New...