7 Tips to responsibly bake gluten-free

Sep. 23rd, 2019

If you or one of your family members has to follow a gluten-free diet, because of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. But how do you know if you can eat a cake you baked yourself? And what do you have to do in your kitchen to safely bake gluten-free?

At Deleukstetaartenshop you can find a broad range of gluten-free baking products. These baking products are perfect to use if you have a gluten allergy or intolerance. This way, you can enjoy delicious baking products without gluten. However, we do want to inform you that you have to be careful when preparing gluten-free products. In this blog, we’re giving you an explanation about baking using gluten-free products and the possibilities of this.

 

   

Our gluten-free baking range consists of mix for cupcakes, mix for red velvet cake, mix for brownie, mix for sponge cake, mix for buttercream and more.

7 Tips for gluten-free baking and gluten-free cooking

1. All ingredients you use can’t contain gluten or parts of gluten.

You can recognize this by the logo above. Further in this blog we’ll tell you more about our gluten-free range.

2. Always read the product labels and ingredients list of the products.

You can also check if the product are made in a factory where possibly gluten is packaged/pepared. When you see the gluten-free logo or the term “gluten-free” on the packaging then the product contains less than 20 milligrams gluten per kilo. For most people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, this amount won’t lead to complaints. However, we do recommend not taking any risks and only using gluten-free certified products when baking.

3. The materials you work with CAN’T have come into contact with gluten.
So first clean everything before you start baking. Gluten is in wheat (including spelt, and khorosan wheat, also known as kamut® -, barley and rye). Baking pans, springform pan, wooden cutting boards and wooden tools used for gluten baking products are not advised to use when baking gluten-free products. Besides, the use of the same oven that may contain traces of gluten (after preparing products with gluten), can be dangerous and trigger the intolerance.

4. Store products that contain gluten properly 
The best thing to do is store products that contain gluten properly, when baking a gluten-free product. Storing it properly is essential to make sure there are not gluten or components of gluten in the product you’re baking. In addition, we recommend placing products with gluten unopened or not nearby when baking with gluten-free products. The gluten free product has to be stored properly after baking, so that it doesn’t come into contact with gluten.

5. Don’t use residual products (which do not contain gluten) for your gluten-free baking product.
This is because it’s possible for the product to have come into contact with gluten or components of gluten. Be very careful and possibly throw away residuals of fondant, spreads or decorations of what is left of gluten-containing products.

6. Be careful if you’re baking for someone else or don’t have any experience with gluten-free baking.
Always ask the person you’re baking for how to bake properly and do thorough research online and with the manufacturer.

7. Some components, such as maltodextrin (consisting of corn and wheat), can cause intolerance.
A gluten intolerance is very personal and can differ between every person. Be careful using certain products and always ask the person with a gluten intolerance when you bake for them.

How do I read a product label?

In addition to our tips, it’s important to be able to read a product label and recognize gluten-free baking products. On a product label there are multiple parts that are important to determine whether you can eat a product.

Example product label

Labelparts:

An ingredients list.

This containts the ingredients of the products. The manufacturer is obliged to state the allergens, including the gluten-containing grains, prominently (e.g. in bold). This includes: wheat, rye, barley, spelt and khorosan wheat. This also includes regular oats although they don’t naturally contain gluten. Oats are often processed in the same environment as grains with gluten, so they are often contaminated with gluten. Make sure to avoid these ingredients.

Allergen warning.
Sometimes, the product label has a warning, such as ‘Can contain traces of gluten’ or ‘Made in a factory where glutens are processed’. These warnings are not mandatory and the wording is not fixed. So even if there’s no warning, it’s not certain whether the product contains gluten or not. This can be a risk, especially with dry mixes such as baking mixes.


Summary (allergensbox).

Sometimes, manufacturers will give a clear summary of the allergens contained in a product. Always check the list of ingredients yourself, because there can be mistakes in them.

Claim-free, such as gluten-free.

With this claim, a manufacturer gives an extra guarantee that a product is gluten-free. The gluten content is laid down by law and must be less than 20 milligrams of gluten per kg product. Sometimes, a product contains a gluten-containing grain, such as wheat starchm but the product is still gluten-free. Wheat starch is then prominently displayed on the label (see ‘1’). This can be confusing, but if the product is gluten-free, it is safe to eat for most gluten sensitive consumers.

   

The FunCakes fondant is also a part of our gluten-free range

What baking products are safe?

Buckwheat, quinoa, corn, rice, amaranth and teff are naturally gluten-free but are often processed in companies that also process gluten and therefore can be contaminated with gluten. To avoid traces of gluten, it’s best to use products with a gluten-free claim. This also applies to oats, for example. If it’s guaranteed to be gluten-free, it is safe to use if you have celiac disease. The gluten-free quality mark (crossed grain symbol) gives you an extra guarantee because then an independent check takes place by the factory.

How do I neatly work in the kitchen?

Always start with a clean workspace and tools, so make sure to put away any gluten-containing products (such as bread). The products do not necessarily have to be prepared in a separate room, but make sure you don’t work simultaneously if dust from, for example, wheat flour is present. Wash all the materials to be used such as bakint pans, baking trays, spatulas, mixer, oven, etc.) with warm water and dishwashing liquid. A silicone baking pan is easier to wash than a baking pan with a lot of seams. So preferably, use a baking pan with a good non-stick coating without any seams. Or use separate baking pans for gluten-free products. Baking pans, knives and cutting boards are available in a special purple version from catering wholesalers.

It’s not necessary to use a separate oven, if its has been properly cleaned beforehand. Don’t bake gluten-free and gluten-containing at the same time. Use baking paper or toaster bags to protect products from equipment contamination if you’re not familiar with it. An Air Fryer is difficult to properly cleant at the top (near the heating coil). It’s best to use a separate Air-Fryer for guaranteed gluten-free baking. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing.

Storing gluten-free products

Store gluten-free products separately in a drawer or cupboard so that they can’t be contaminated. Make sure that gluten-free baking products are closed after use in a clean storage container, possibly with a gluten-free sticker on it so that it’s clear to everyone that the product is and must remain gluten-free!

Production of our gluten-free products

The FunCakes gluten-free baking mixes are produced in a gluten-free facility, which guarantees that the mixes contain less than 20mg / 20ppm gluten per kg. This is a safe amount for the vast majority of people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten-free baking range

At Deleukstetaartenshop you can find a broad range of gluten-free certified baking products. With the gluten-free baking mixes from FunCakes you can easily bake delicious cakes and cupcakes. To cover your cake, you can buy gluten-free fondant, marzipan and buttercream at Deleukstetaartenshop. The most popular baked goods can also be made gluten-free using our gluten-free FunCakes mixes. The range consists of gluten-free mixes for sponge cakes, cupcakes, brownies, macarons, red velvet cake and edible lace. In addition to our gluten-free certified products, we also offer individual ingredients. Such as gluten-free certified almond flour, tylo powder and gum Arabic.


Check out our entire gluten-free range here.

In short, we want to point out that a gluten allergy is very personal. Don’t take any risks and make sure you always check everything when you bake gluten-free.