As I began working towards opening a bakery, I was inundated with requests for gluten-free and wheat-free bread. This was a market I was not at all aware of.

When I began looking into the possibility of meeting the needs of this market, I had three goals. If I couldn't meet all three goals, I wouldn't bother trying. First, I had to be sure I could have a primarily wheat based bakery that could offer wheat free/gluten free baked goods - that the unavoidable levels of wheat contamination would be low enough that they wouldn't create a health risk for my customers.

Next, I had to produce a bread that was fit to eat, a bread that has "true bread satisfaction." The early part of my research showed me that none of the breads at our local health food store (in the freezer section) met this test. I've tasted better styrofoam.

The last test is the mercenary capitalist test. If I can't make money on the deal, I can't afford to do it. But I've never thought there was anything wrong with making money by producing a healthy product that meets people's needs and wants.

So, this page was born. I've found some resources, and I will find more.

If you are afflicted with celiac/sprue or wheat sensitivity, or if you are associated with someone who is, and you want to exchange notes with other bakers, I've started a mailing list. Just surf over to GlutenFreeSourdough to sign up!

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER - this page is not intended to provide, or take the place of, medical advice. If you think you have celiac/sprue and/or a wheat allergy, talk to your health care professional. This page is about making good sourdough bread without gluten. Whether you need to avoid gluten and/or wheat is a question you and your healthcare professional have to answer.