The New Flour Adventure

Only those with food restricted diets would understand what a victory it is to find a flour mix that works for virtually everything, in new gluten-free recipes and in the old standbys. I think I've found such a flour.

Eating gluten-free means avoiding wheat in all its forms -- bread, thickening agents like "modified food starch," flavor enhancers like malt, even something called "hydrolyzed yeast extract." No rye or barley either. It's tricky, and the consequences of missing something in the list of ingredients and ingesting the wrong thing can mean days to weeks of pain and discomfort. It's just not worth it; but for most of the last ten years, gluten free also meant unappetizing.

In the last few years I have tried different combinations of flour in an effort to prepare food that people want to eat whether they are living gluten free or not. It's been an uphill battle, not without a few disasters, but there is finally news of an end to the war with flour. Someday I'll write about some of my own discoveries, but today I want to tell you about Jules Shephard and her little bag of flour.

A couple of weeks ago some friends and I attended a cooking demonstration at Savory Moment (chef prepared meals to go) in Redmond. The Seattle area is a mecca for foodies -- healthy food everywhere you look. The visiting cook was Jules Shephard and she was featuring her all-purpose flour mix. It was interesting to hear questions from other women, to talk about techniques and substitutions for eggs, dairy and sugar, and I was hopeful about the flour but still skeptical. I've tried many things that were touted as deliciously gluten-free; they were gluten-free, but that's all.

As we found our places, the enticing aroma of baking bread wafted through the warehouse / kitchen, stirring mixed feelings. There's nothing wrong with hoping the next slice of gluten free bread you try will actually taste like bread, but most of use have learned not to expect too much. Jules began mixing up scones, then cornbread, then biscuits...it was almost too much to expect it all to taste good. In the background her husband/assistant pulled bread from the convection oven, then cut thick, warm slices to pass around. The aroma delivered on it's promise -- the bread was amazing!

As Jules finished preparing each item it went into the oven and soon there was more food to taste. Our next sample was scones and they were ... well, they were awful. In the excitement of the day, the person who set out the ingredients for the five recipes Jules demonstrated confused the salt with the sugar. Talk about a classic mix up! And the biscuits! We didn't even taste them. Jules recommends using course salt in biscuits for texture and a bit of salty surprise. Unfortunately, she then added even more salt when she put in the "sugar," giving the biscuits more of a surprise than anticipated. Some day it will make a funny story, (maybe even today), that day ... that day it was confusing, then embarrassing as the discovery was made.

Once we got past the taste we realized we were looking at perfect scones, bread, and biscuits like no gluten free food we had ever seen before!! The texture was airy, moist but not gummy, with a crisp crust just as if she had used wheat flour. As long as the results didn't depend on the use of extra salt, we had a winner. I couldn't wait to get home and try recipes from the complimentary cookbook, using the flour that was included in the cost of admission.

Since then, thanks to "All Purpose Flour from the Nearly Normal Kitchen," we've had scones that remind me of my little Scottish Grandma's tea time, Flax Seed Banana Coconut Oatcakes to power up the morning, and breaded catfish to rival that served in Oklahoma and Texas. (I had to eat all the catfish because husband Hawk likes fish, but says catfish don't fall into a definable category. Not-a-cat, not-a-fish, not going in his mouth.)

Today my satisfaction with this flour mix became complete when I tackled the one thing I haven't been able to make with other flour combinations -- flour tortillas. Even delicious gluten free bread doesn't stand up well to sandwich contents, so I eat quesadillas instead -- and often. The brown rice tortillas available at the market make a passable quesadilla, but they don't have that delicate crunch factor that a wheat flour tortilla makes possible.

I tried three different variations on the recipe to see what turned out best. As a result, my kitchen is covered with flour and even the dogs have a light dusting on their ears ... but every batch is not only edible, but delicious! Guess what's in the bags that fall out when you open my freezer? We're going to have a quesadilla party!

Check out www.nearlynormalkitchen.com to find out more about this wonderful flour product. Tell Jules that Joyce sent you.