I Want a Good GF Bagel

I grew up in a small town in south Jersey that had a non-existent Jewish population and, therefore, no Jewish deli. Every Sunday, my father would get up at the crack of dawn and make the trip into Philadelphia to go to Famous Delicatessen. He would bring back bagels, lox, whitefish salad, pickles, and creamed cheese. Upon his return, my dad would walk down the bedroom hallway and declare that, “breakfast is served!”.  He would open the curtains in each of our rooms and continue to convince us to wake up. Following the smell of the platters of onions and fresh bagels, my brothers and I would scramble downstairs to the feast. We were often greeted by our family friend and neighbor, whom would already be picking at the lox and drinking coffee. This tradition carried on through divorce, college, adulthood and even through “low carb” diets.



(image of a bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers, red onions)

Now, seven years and counting of being gluten-intolerant, I have had more dissatisfying gluten-free bagels than I can count. No amount of toasting will help them and forget about eating them fresh. I have read and heard that the Udi's bagels being offered at Einstein Brothers are okay but still too bready and lack that slightly hardier texture on the outside to balance the chewy texture inside.

So, one day when we were experimenting with the very versatile Bistro Flour Blend that we make, we decided to make a bagel. This bagel was so good with the perfect texture and flavor that I had been craving. So, now what? Could we make a gluten-free bagel for retail? I will let you know soon!

-Julie

Experimenting with Gluten Free Bistro Blend Flour

Gluten Free Cranberry & Oat Muffins:  Our team has been discussing the launch of our GF Bistro Blend Flour, because there is no whole wheat flour substitute available.  Our Bistro Blend Flour blend reminds me of whole wheat.  I used to love the taste and texture of whole wheat flour.  The slightly sweet and nutty flavor of the grain is dear to me.  It reminds me of when I was growing up.

My mother, Mary Ann, was an RN, my father and she decided that she would leave nursing to raise their 4 daughters.  I know that there are a lot of wonderful mothers out in the world, but of course, I think that mine tops the charts.

When I was a teenager, she would lightly knock on my bathroom door as I was getting ready [which was a long process back in the day, long shower, followed by blow drying my long hair, followed by hot rollers (it was the 80's!), then spray, lots of spray].  Anyway, she would knock on the door, and say, "Breakfast is ready, dear."  I would open the door, she had disappeared and all that would remain is a tray on the floor with a fresh baked muffin and a cup of piping hot Earl Grey tea. How wonderful!!

Everyday, Mary Ann would make her 4 girls a different type of muffin just to make sure that her girls would eat before they left the house, which is always a challenge with teenagers.  She had a recipe book of muffins, just muffins, that had pages and pages of ideas.

This is one of my fondest memories from growing up.  She would always make the muffins with whole wheat flour, & also, just a little less sugar.  I, of course, prefer my muffins this way, just a bit more rustic which I find charming.

I have been experimenting with recreating this in a gluten free version.  Getting the batter down is the challenge, the fun is everything else that is added.

This weekend, I converted Ina Garten's [Food Network's Barefoot Contessa] Cranberry Harvest Muffins to gfree.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/barefoot-contessa/cranberry-harvest-muffins-recipe/index.html

I was really excited with how they turned out.  They reminded me of my youth, which is a very welcome feeling these days!

High altitude, gfree conversions in baking are interesting.  I found that I needed to increase the milk by 50% [I used So Delicious Original Coconut Milk http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/coconut_milk_beverage.html and a bit of buttermilk].  On the next run, I will likely add more leavening as well.

Bistro Fresh Cranberry and Oat Muffins

Ingredients

3 cups Bistro Blend flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 3/4 cups whole milk [So Delicious Original Coconut Milk]

¼ cup buttermilk

2 extra-large eggs

1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled [Earth Balance is great here too]

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

1/2 cup gluten free oats

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir quickly just to combine. Add the cranberries, GF oats (optional) and both sugars and stir just to distribute the fruits, oats, and sugar evenly throughout the batter.

Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 40 minutes, until browned on the top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

I also made this as a loaf to take to a family brunch.  Everyone loved it, even little Cleo, my 5 year old niece.

I would love to hear your comments.

To your health

...Kelly

Becoming Gluten Free...

When I was fifteen years old, my father suffered a heart attack.  This was my trigger for the storm at bay: celiac disease.  From this point forward, I had chronic stomach pain.

I recently reconnected with a friend from high school after almost 20 years, thanks to facebook.  She said that she remembered that in French class, I would be buckled over in pain and would need to leave to go home on a regular basis.  I went to many doctors across the country and had several tests done.  I was typically diagnosed with a pre-ulcer condition and given medication to treat ulcers.  All of the medications I was given never made the pain subside.  So, after 10 years of searching for answers, I gave up.  I thought that this was what I was given and, therefore, just needed to live with it.

My condition progressively and exponentially became worse over time.  I had chronic pain, migraines, bloody noses, nausea & vomiting, and I was so exhausted.  I mean, really exhausted.  I feel like I had, had the flu for years.

I had gotten so used to the pain, it was all day, every day.  However, I could never get used to the exhaustion, so I started to go to talk to doctor's about how tired I was all of the time.  I could barely get out of bed after 10 hours of sleep.  One response I got was, " You are too busy, you should slow down your life."  But that was the problem, I wanted to LIVE.  I wanted to be energetic.  I wanted zest for life.  At the time, life was living me.  I was just surviving.

It was not until I was listening to Julie (now my business partner) in 2004.  I was listening to her personal crusade for her own wellness.  She had developed the same symptoms in her 30's that I had most of my life.  It sounded like a clip from my own life.  Julie, having a master's degree in nutrition, researched her symptoms and uncovered what at the time was a disease thought to be effecting a fraction of a percentage of people:  Celiac Disease.  This was the first I had heard of it.

Julie listened to my story and suggested that I go gluten free.  What did that even mean?  She shared with me what I would need to do.

What did I have to loose?  Nothing, but had everything to gain.

Going gluten free changed my life...or should I say, saved my life.

Within 3 days, I had more energy.  No more stomach pain.

Within 6 months, I no longer had bloody noses, no more migraines.

I have been gluten free for over 5 years.  I know that it saved my life.



To your health...

Kelly

The Gluten Free Bistro Blog

Welcome to the Gluten Free Bistro Blog.  The Gluten Free Bistro is a wholesaler located in Boulder, CO.  We make delicious & nutritious gluten free, par baked pizza crusts for restaurants.  Our proprietary flour blend was developed by 2 nutritionist and a foodie.  It mimics the flavor and nutritional profile of whole wheat flour.  Our restaurant partners that serve our product are listed on our website.  http://www.theglutenfreebistro.com/partners-gluten-free-bistro/

Allow me to introduce briefly the team of founders:

Nutritionist: Julie

Gluten Free = 8 years

Julie is a certified herbalist and holds a Master's degree in nutrition from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut. She has been involved in the field of nutrition for twenty years. The Gluten Free Bistro is the culmination of years of being gluten-free and a nutritionist and wanting to provide a nutritious product for the celiac and gluten intolerant communities.

Nutritionist: Barb

Gluten Free = 5 years

Barb started her career in child nutrition just out of college over thirteen years ago. She has spent her lifetime in sports and nutrition and helping others pursue a healthy lifestyle. She has attended over 1000 hours of nutritional seminars, and has found an increase in the number of people who have sensitivities and intolerances to gluten.  With her passion for wellness and the commitment to helping others, she believes providing healthy gluten free products is a great way to help those who are gluten free.

Foodie: Kelly

Gluten Free = 5 years

For 15 years, Kelly suffered from stomach aches, lethargy, bloody noses, migranes, etc. that went undiagnosed by several doctors across the US. It was not until she received a nutritional analysis from nutritionist, Julie, that she had gluten issues, that she had reprieve from her symptoms. This diagnosis changed her life with in 3 days.  Kelly has 15 years of experience working in the restaurant industry. Her love and knowledge of this industry, coupled with desire to create delicious gluten free foods, brought her to be a part of the Gluten Free Bistro.

We are very excited to expand our business to serve our fellow GF'ers across the country.