Renee D'Souza, co-owner of Sweet Sin Bakery (Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor / October 12, 2009)
It's almost cool to be gluten-free. More national brands are offering gluten-free versions of their popular products, cookbooks for celiac disease sufferers are available at your local bookstore and now allergy-friendly bakeries -- such as Sweet Sin Bakery in Waverly -- are available at your doorstep.
But it hasn't always been that way. Jules E.D. Shepard of Catonsville was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, what she calls "the dark ages of cooking gluten free." At the time of her diagnosis, Shepard was an avid baker, whipping up cupcakes for friends and classmates. But when she tried to create gluten-free cakes that she and her friends could love, there was no joy. Instead of light, moist and fluffy, she got gritty, crumbly and dry.
"You'd eat something, and it's unmistakably gluten-free -- in a bad way," she said. "There was nothing, not a single satisfactory piece I was baking."
Amy Ratner, 50, of Abingdon faced similar issues when she found out 17 years ago that her 2-year-old daughter had celiac disease, a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine and is marked by an inability to process gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
"In those days, you really did bake things yourself," Ratner said. At that time, there were only two gluten-free cookbooks, she said, so there was lots of trial and error. "I think that up until, let's say, two or three years ago, there was probably a very broad consensus that most gluten-free baked goods weren't very good," she said.
"The idea of a free-standing bakery that would bake gluten-free things," said Ratner, now associate editor of Gluten Free Living, a quarterly magazine, "I can't tell you how unimaginable that was."
According to Pam King of University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, as many as 1 of every 133 Americans are affected by celiac disease. But awareness, not numbers, has been key to the gluten-free revolution, says Renee D'Souza, 29, co-owner of Sweet Sin Bakery.
"It's [gluten-free goods] becoming big because people are more aware of it now," she said. "Before, they would go to the doctor, and the doctor would be like, 'Eh, you just have IBS, just take this pill,' and nobody got better."
D'Souza has a story similar to Shepard, Ratner and other gluten-free bakers: Once diagnosed with celiac disease, and faced with a future of lackluster baked goods, the Baltimore International College-trained pastry chef decided to build a better baked-goods future.
She and her husband, Richard, initially started their business with a well-tested chocolate chip cookie recipe sold to local natural food stores. They've expanded to cakes, bread and other baked goods since then, distributing to Whole Foods, Wegmans, and more natural food stores. Now, they're launching a new venture in their own neighborhood: cupcakes.
Why cupcakes?
"It's an individual little party, it's exciting," said D'Souza. "It's a special little thing for you."
Though Richard D'Souza says at first glance, a gluten-free cupcake shop may seem like it's catering to an incredibly small market, he says the goal is inclusion, not exclusion. As shop manager and family friend Matt Bustard said, Sweet Sin is a "gourmet bakery" first, a gluten-free bakery second.
"We're gluten-free if you need us, but we are a bakery," he said.
But what if you want to make cupcakes on your own?
It's doable, as long as you keep one main ingredient in mind: flour.
In regular recipes, gluten is what gives dough its stretchiness, its elasticity. When converting to gluten-free, you have to compensate for that, as well as the flavors and textures that many gluten-free flours have.
Because of that, many experienced bakers recommend starting with a ready-made, all-purpose flour blend or relying on a tested flour-blend recipe from a trusted cookbook.
Shepard, 38, who published "Nearly Normal Cooking For Gluten-Free Eating," a collection of her recipes -- including her flour blend -- in 2006, says that one mix is key to making gluten-free baking simple again. Her flour blend recipe was so loved, she said, that she started to sell her mix to consumers and bakeries.
D'Souza agrees. She and her husband spent a lot of time testing flour blends before launching their bakery, she says, but for the home baker, she recommends buying a pre-made mix, such as Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Armed with the right flour mix and xanthan or guar gum, which helps with elasticity, the world can be your gluten-free oyster.
After her daughter was diagnosed, Ratner says, she had a series of hits and misses, particularly with birthday cakes. Eventually, she struck it rich with a cookie cake, which became a hit among the neighborhood kids.
Gluten-free baking "forced me to become a little bit more relaxed," she said. "I sort of learned to cook a little bit more like how my grandmother cooked."
And once she relaxed, it became easier for her to focus on the most important matter of gluten-free baking: Making it taste good. For everyone.
"Gluten-free food can taste as good, if not better," than conventional food, said Shepard. "You should have high expectations. Don't accept it if it isn't delicious."
Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Makes: 24 servings
For cupcakes:
3/4 cup Carol's Sorghum Blend (see box)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
For frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese or cream cheese alternative, such as Tofutti, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease the cups of a mini 24-cup nonstick (gray, not black) muffin pine or line with paper liners. Spray the inside of liners with cooking spray.
Make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, the spices, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Gradually beat in the sorghum mixture on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide batter evenly in the pan.
Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes feel firm to the touch. Cool cupcakes in the pan 5 minutes and then place them on a serving platter or dessert plates. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread each cupcake with 1 tablespoon frosting and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Per serving: 131 calories, 5 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 2 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, less than 1 gram fiber, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 83 milligrams sodium
Carol's Sorghum Blend
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch/cornstarch
1 cup tapioca flour
Whisk the ingredients together until well-blended. Store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place. You may refrigerate or freeze this blend, but bring to room temperature before using. Makes 4 cups. You may double or triple this recipe.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Makes: 12 servings
For cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups Carol's Sorghum Blend
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process or alkali)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or 1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup 1 percent milk (cow's, rice, soy, potato or nut)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup hot (120 degrees F) brewed coffee or hot water
2 ounces gluten-free peanut butter chips, such as Hy-Vee, or 2 ounces gluten-free chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter
For glaze:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or 3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup gluten-free chocolate chips, such as Tropical Source
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease the cups of a standard 12-cup nonstick (gray, not black) muffin pan or line with paper liners. Spray the inside of liners with cooking spray.
Make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, sift together the sorghum blend, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds. Beat in the milk, egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.
Beat the sorghum mixture into the egg mixture on low speed, alternating with hot coffee, beginning and ending with the sorghum mixture. Divide the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Remove the paper liners from cupcakes, if using.
Make the glaze: Combine the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup in a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour the glaze over the cupcakes and refrigerate them to set the glaze. Let the cupcakes stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Per serving: 296 calories, 16 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 3 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 49 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium
But it hasn't always been that way. Jules E.D. Shepard of Catonsville was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, what she calls "the dark ages of cooking gluten free." At the time of her diagnosis, Shepard was an avid baker, whipping up cupcakes for friends and classmates. But when she tried to create gluten-free cakes that she and her friends could love, there was no joy. Instead of light, moist and fluffy, she got gritty, crumbly and dry.
"You'd eat something, and it's unmistakably gluten-free -- in a bad way," she said. "There was nothing, not a single satisfactory piece I was baking."
Amy Ratner, 50, of Abingdon faced similar issues when she found out 17 years ago that her 2-year-old daughter had celiac disease, a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine and is marked by an inability to process gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
"In those days, you really did bake things yourself," Ratner said. At that time, there were only two gluten-free cookbooks, she said, so there was lots of trial and error. "I think that up until, let's say, two or three years ago, there was probably a very broad consensus that most gluten-free baked goods weren't very good," she said.
"The idea of a free-standing bakery that would bake gluten-free things," said Ratner, now associate editor of Gluten Free Living, a quarterly magazine, "I can't tell you how unimaginable that was."
According to Pam King of University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, as many as 1 of every 133 Americans are affected by celiac disease. But awareness, not numbers, has been key to the gluten-free revolution, says Renee D'Souza, 29, co-owner of Sweet Sin Bakery.
"It's [gluten-free goods] becoming big because people are more aware of it now," she said. "Before, they would go to the doctor, and the doctor would be like, 'Eh, you just have IBS, just take this pill,' and nobody got better."
D'Souza has a story similar to Shepard, Ratner and other gluten-free bakers: Once diagnosed with celiac disease, and faced with a future of lackluster baked goods, the Baltimore International College-trained pastry chef decided to build a better baked-goods future.
She and her husband, Richard, initially started their business with a well-tested chocolate chip cookie recipe sold to local natural food stores. They've expanded to cakes, bread and other baked goods since then, distributing to Whole Foods, Wegmans, and more natural food stores. Now, they're launching a new venture in their own neighborhood: cupcakes.
Why cupcakes?
"It's an individual little party, it's exciting," said D'Souza. "It's a special little thing for you."
Though Richard D'Souza says at first glance, a gluten-free cupcake shop may seem like it's catering to an incredibly small market, he says the goal is inclusion, not exclusion. As shop manager and family friend Matt Bustard said, Sweet Sin is a "gourmet bakery" first, a gluten-free bakery second.
"We're gluten-free if you need us, but we are a bakery," he said.
But what if you want to make cupcakes on your own?
It's doable, as long as you keep one main ingredient in mind: flour.
In regular recipes, gluten is what gives dough its stretchiness, its elasticity. When converting to gluten-free, you have to compensate for that, as well as the flavors and textures that many gluten-free flours have.
Because of that, many experienced bakers recommend starting with a ready-made, all-purpose flour blend or relying on a tested flour-blend recipe from a trusted cookbook.
Shepard, 38, who published "Nearly Normal Cooking For Gluten-Free Eating," a collection of her recipes -- including her flour blend -- in 2006, says that one mix is key to making gluten-free baking simple again. Her flour blend recipe was so loved, she said, that she started to sell her mix to consumers and bakeries.
D'Souza agrees. She and her husband spent a lot of time testing flour blends before launching their bakery, she says, but for the home baker, she recommends buying a pre-made mix, such as Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Armed with the right flour mix and xanthan or guar gum, which helps with elasticity, the world can be your gluten-free oyster.
After her daughter was diagnosed, Ratner says, she had a series of hits and misses, particularly with birthday cakes. Eventually, she struck it rich with a cookie cake, which became a hit among the neighborhood kids.
Gluten-free baking "forced me to become a little bit more relaxed," she said. "I sort of learned to cook a little bit more like how my grandmother cooked."
And once she relaxed, it became easier for her to focus on the most important matter of gluten-free baking: Making it taste good. For everyone.
"Gluten-free food can taste as good, if not better," than conventional food, said Shepard. "You should have high expectations. Don't accept it if it isn't delicious."
Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Makes: 24 servings
For cupcakes:
3/4 cup Carol's Sorghum Blend (see box)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
For frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese or cream cheese alternative, such as Tofutti, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease the cups of a mini 24-cup nonstick (gray, not black) muffin pine or line with paper liners. Spray the inside of liners with cooking spray.
Make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, whisk together the sorghum blend, the spices, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs on medium until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Gradually beat in the sorghum mixture on low speed until thoroughly combined. Divide batter evenly in the pan.
Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until the tops of the cupcakes feel firm to the touch. Cool cupcakes in the pan 5 minutes and then place them on a serving platter or dessert plates. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread each cupcake with 1 tablespoon frosting and serve immediately. Refrigerate leftovers.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Per serving: 131 calories, 5 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 2 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrate, less than 1 gram fiber, 48 milligrams cholesterol, 83 milligrams sodium
Carol's Sorghum Blend
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups potato starch/cornstarch
1 cup tapioca flour
Whisk the ingredients together until well-blended. Store, tightly covered, in a dark, dry place. You may refrigerate or freeze this blend, but bring to room temperature before using. Makes 4 cups. You may double or triple this recipe.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Makes: 12 servings
For cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups Carol's Sorghum Blend
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process or alkali)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or 1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup 1 percent milk (cow's, rice, soy, potato or nut)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup hot (120 degrees F) brewed coffee or hot water
2 ounces gluten-free peanut butter chips, such as Hy-Vee, or 2 ounces gluten-free chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon peanut butter
For glaze:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter or buttery spread, such as Earth Balance, at room temperature, or 3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup gluten-free chocolate chips, such as Tropical Source
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease the cups of a standard 12-cup nonstick (gray, not black) muffin pan or line with paper liners. Spray the inside of liners with cooking spray.
Make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, sift together the sorghum blend, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds. Beat in the milk, egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly blended.
Beat the sorghum mixture into the egg mixture on low speed, alternating with hot coffee, beginning and ending with the sorghum mixture. Divide the batter evenly in the pan.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on the wire rack. Remove the paper liners from cupcakes, if using.
Make the glaze: Combine the butter, chocolate, and corn syrup in a glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Pour the glaze over the cupcakes and refrigerate them to set the glaze. Let the cupcakes stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.
-- From "1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes," Carol Fenster, Ph.D.
Per serving: 296 calories, 16 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, 3 grams protein, 39 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 49 milligrams cholesterol, 250 milligrams sodium
