Here’s the facts on your gluten free bread

The increasing availability of gluten free bread is proving a lifesaver for chefs. Though, there are a lot of questions. We’ve got the facts when the question comes up. 

Restaurants are under increasing pressure to cater to a range of food intolerances, including gluten free diners. This has put the heat on Australian chefs to make sure their menu caters to a range of tastes and ingredients.

Gluten free is one of the most common food intolerance requests chefs are asked to cater to. In fact, requests have grown so rapidly, that a growing number of restaurants and eateries now clearly mark their gluten free menu items for diners.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, triticale, oats and any foods made with these grains.

Common foods that contain gluten are bread, pasta, cous cous, flour, tortillas, biscuits, cakes, pastries and cereals.

Depending on the location of your restaurant, sourcing gluten free bread to include on a menu has been a particular challenge for chefs. A fresh option hasn’t always been easy to come by.

But the tables are turning, with some of the country’s most trusted bakery brands making it easy for chefs and restaurants to add tasty gluten free options to add to their menu.

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Helga’s has taken its expertise in grains and seeds to develop a gluten free range that brings wholesome and interesting ingredients to life in delicious ways.

The range is ideal for fresh sandwiches or toasted and topped with your favourite spread, all while offering a tasty source of fibre too. Helga’s is now Australia’s number one gluten free bread.

Country Life Bakery also offers a range of soft and light gluten free loaves for bread lovers, including white and multigrain. Both Helga’s and Country Life Bakery gluten free ranges are also dairy-free and each enriched with thiamine.

Both brands bake the gluten free ranges in isolation of traditional loaves in a bakery in Victoria to avoid contamination from breads containing gluten.

The specialist ingredients in gluten free breads are mostly tapioca starch, maize starch and rice flour. A range of other specialist ingredients are added to give the best texture to the bread, such as plant-based gums, cellulose and psyllium.

For people with coeliac disease, their immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel damage, which prevents absorption of food nutrients. Symptoms vary, and include weight loss, diarrhoea, fatigue, skin rashes, abdominal pain and anaemia.

Meanwhile, those who suffer gluten sensitivity describe symptoms as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, bloating and excessive wind, lethargy, poor concentration and general aches and pains. While people attribute these symptoms to gluten, the cause and treatment is generally not well understood.