If you are shopping for a coeliac or eating gluten-free yourself for the first time one of the first things that you will look at substituting is gluten-free bread. However, when you go to the supermarket for the first time you may be wondering why gluten-free bread is so much smaller than the wheat-based loaves that you are used to eating.
There are two main reasons why gluten-free bread is significantly smaller than wheat bread. The first reason is that gluten-free bread is significantly denser than wheat bread because the absence of gluten does not allow the bread to rise as much. The second reason is that the loaves have to be kept smaller to enable them to be cooked through consistently without burning the crust, so commercial loaves weigh less overall.
Gluten-free loaves, due to their density, take longer to cook through completely which increases the risk of developing an unpleasant tasting crust on the outer part of the loaf. The increased density is created by the lack of gluten present in the loaf.
Gluten is a protein that has some unique elastic properties which help dough produced from gluten-containing gains to rise and maintain its texture and structure. So the absence of gluten has a distinct effect on both the flavor and texture of gluten-free bread which most people find to be less appealing.
How Can You Make Gluten-Free Bread Taste Better?
For the uninitiated that eat gluten-free bread fresh for the first time, you will immediately notice the relatively unpleasant texture and distinctive taste which while not unpleasant is certainly different. Generally, most coeliacs that use the bread on a regular basis tend not to eat it fresh in the same way as we would use it if we were making sandwiches for lunch.
Due to the texture, most people prefer to toast the bread which to a large extent removes the textural elements which make gluten-free bread unpleasant. This is because it converts the dense crumbly texture into a crispy texture that is more similar to a crouton. This change in texture is for the most part sufficient to make the bread significantly more palatable.
As a result of this many coeliacs that need to make sandwiches for lunches will toast the bread and then allow it to cool before making up the sandwiches for lunch rather than eating it fresh. However, one of the challenges associated with eating gluten-free bread is the size of the slices which are relatively small.
This can present a problem because it means that not as many fillings or toppings can be put onto the bread, however, despite the relatively small size they are still extremely filling due to their density.
Are There Alternatives To Bread That Coeliacs Can Eat?
If you try the bread and you really don’t enjoy it there are a couple of other options that you can select which will produce sandwich-like meals that are suitable for lunch which for coeliacs is often one of the most challenging times of the day to eat.
The alternatives to using bread are to either use wraps, crackers, or crispbreads of these three alternatives I would generally recommend that you try the crispbreads because they are very similar to the wheat-based crispbreads that are available in supermarkets. The crispbreads are crunchy in texture but extremely light which means that you need to rely on having a reasonable amount of filling in them to make a meal.
The second best alternative is to try crackers which you can purchase from the health section of most grocery stores. The crackers are relatively dry and you can detect a small difference between wheat-based crackers, however, they are reasonably good to eat provided that you select the right sorts of toppings to counteract the dryness.
Generally, you will find that the crackers are relatively dense but crunchy in nature which makes them quite satisfying to eat.
The third alternative that is often used is to purchase gluten-free wraps which are also a little bit smaller than wheat-based wraps that you can get from the local grocery store. The primary problem with gluten-free wraps is that they tend to crack relatively easily and are generally are not as pleasant to eat as wheat-based products for the most part.
Can You Make Gluten-Free Bread At Home?
Gluten-free bread can be made easily at home either by making it from scratch or purchasing pre-prepared bread mixes, however, these bread mixes are relatively costly so the bread that you produced will still be relatively expensive. But the key advantage of making bread at home is that you can get access to it when it is extremely fresh and at its very best.
If the bread is taken out of the oven and eaten immediately while it is still cooling you can eat it fresh and it will taste quite nice.
Are There Any Other Alternatives That You Can Make At Home?
The other option that you can consider for creating a gluten-free lunch is to make your own gluten-free crepes which generally have better flexibility than the commercially produced wraps. These can be pre-prepared the day before for a lunch and they will provide a good quality alternative to the commercial products mentioned above.
I hope you found this article useful and that you manage to work out how to feed the gluten-free person in your life. Good luck.
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