A BAKING JOURNEY
I have always loved to bake. Trying new recipes and creating great things for my family to eat makes me happy.
In 2017 my husband began having some health issues. It took almost a year to reach a diagnosis, but in 2018 he found out he was positive for celiac disease. Because this is a genetic disease, our three kids were tested as well, and two of them tested positive for celiac disease. At this point, there is no known cure for celiac disease, but by following a gluten free diet, the disease can be managed well.
While we were all glad to have answers, I felt honest disappointment to think my baking days were over. For the first six months after the diagnosis, we just tried to come to terms with understanding what this disease would mean for our family and figuring out our new normal. My desire to bake was still there, but I knew nothing about gluten free baking, and—wow! it is quite different.
Mixing things up.
Slowly, I started reading and learning and attempting to try a completely new way of baking. My family were my official taste-testers. And to be honest, for every one or two good results, we threw away a lot of “fails.” It was so much trial and error! And over time, the gluten free baking process started to get better and easier. I learned what worked and what didn’t.
My baking also evolved. For a while I kept regular wheat flour on hand because we have one child who does not have celiac disease. But I soon realized baking two versions of everything (gluten + gluten free) was way more complicated. There is also the (very big!) issue of cross-contamination. Those with celiac disease understand that ingesting even a small amount of gluten can cause big problems.
The gamechanger.
It was time to eliminate all gluten—and even bakeware and utensils that I had previously used in my baking. I was committed: My kitchen space—and every single item in it—was going gluten free. And this made a huge, positive difference! It gave me the freedom to bake without concern of cross-contamination. I knew things were safe. Now, I just had to make them tasty!
I continued experimenting, and eventually used some taste-testers outside of my family—including some friends that don’t have to eat gluten free. My standard became, “If someone who doesn’t have to eat gluten free likes this food, it’s a ‘keeper.’ Otherwise, I’m scrapping that recipe and starting over.” And yes—I set that bar high. I didn’t want to go through the process and work of baking something that was just “okay.” I wanted to produce food that tastes great regardless of whether it includes gluten.
Fast-forward a few years.
People I know—who have celiac disease or who know someone with celiac disease—began to ask if I could bake for them.
I realized there is a need for great-tasting baked goods, made locally and created in a dedicated gluten free kitchen. Knowing that I could be a small part of the solution for others who are in my situation—Jamie’s Gluten Free Kitchen was born!