Gluten (from Latin “glue”) is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye. Gluten gives elasticity to dough, helping it rise and keep its shape and often gives the final product a chewy texture.

Q: What is Coeliac Disease?

Coeliac disease (pronounced see-liac, spelt celiac disease in other countries) is an autoimmune disease. Gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye triggers an immune reaction in people with coeliac disease. This means that eating gluten damages the lining of the small intestine. Other parts of the body may be affected.

The symptoms of coeliac disease vary from person to person and can range from very mild to severe.

Possible symptoms may include:

• diarrhoea, excessive wind, and/or constipation
• persistent or unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting
• recurrent stomach pain, cramping or bloating
• any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency
• tiredness and/or headaches
• weight loss (but not in all cases)
• mouth ulcers
• hair loss (alopecia)
• skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis (DH))
• tooth enamel problems
• osteoporosis
• depression
• infertility
• repeated miscarriages
• joint and/or bone pain
• neurological (nerve) problems such as ataxia (poor muscle co-ordination) and neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the hands and feet).

Common confusion

Some symptoms may be mistaken as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or wheat intolerance. Stress or getting older can also be a cause of confusion.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be underweight or have lost weight to have coeliac disease. Most people are of normal weight or even overweight at diagnosis.

Q: How do you get tested?

There are three steps in the diagnosis of coeliac disease:

1. Discuss your symptoms with your GP.
2. Get a simple blood test in your GP’s surgery.
3. Get a referral to a gastroenterologist for a gut biopsy.

Q: What is the difference between wheat and gluten?

There definitely is difference between gluten and wheat. Many ingredient lists on packages today use the term “wheat free” and “gluten free” interchangeably. A lot of people today suffer from allergies to wheat and/or gluten. Gluten is a component of wheat.

Wheat is made up of albumin, globulin, gliadin, and gluten. The majority of the reactions in a patient that has an allergy to wheat are caused by albumin and globulin.

Gluten on the other hand is an elastic protein that is found in wheat. Gluten is formed when moisture is added to flour. Gluten is commonly found in wheat, rye, barley and some oats. Gluten is what gives yeast based dough its elasticity.

Q:  Is it possible to have a gluten allergy but not a wheat allergy?

Yes it is. If you are allergic only to wheat you can still eat grains that have gluten in them like barley, rye, malt, and some oats.

If you are allergic to gluten you need to stay clear of all foods containing wheat and all flour containing foods. You will have to avoid foods like pizza, pasta, bread, cereals, and alcohol. Make sure there are no ingredients that contain wheat or a derivative of it.

Q: What’s in your bread if there is no wheat?

To put it simply – our process, formulation, ingredients etc all defy the logic of bread making.  It is rather a science and everything we learned in bread over our years in the industry, is thrown out the window!  This is what makes our range hard to copy and difficult to produce.

There are roughly 17 ingredients in our formulations and it is the mix of proteins, starches and fibres that really help replace the structure that wheat four gives.  The ingredients was a tricky part to get right as the specification of each ingredient not only had to be gluten free, but we analysed so many brands/types of each variant until we have the right mix. To this day, if we change any of these ingredients, our bread does not perform well.

The process that we have designed is again a real tricky one and took us 6 months to get the right one. Things like, storeage temperature of ingredients, water temperature when mixing all made a massive different on the structure and final outcome of the final product. Our dough is similar to that of a choux pastry in its stickiness and therefore the kit and machinery we use is bespoke to us to allow the dough to be deposited. We bake the bread in a segregated gluten and wheat free factory.

Q: Is there yeast in your products?

Yes there is a small level of yeast and this is for the purpose of structure.

If Yeast is the only intolerance you have, then McNamee’s Bakery is a good alternative.

Q: Is your product suitable for vegetarians?

Yes all our products are suitable for vegetarians.

Q: Is your range suitable for vegans?

At the minute, our breads are made with egg white again for structure.  We are continuously working to remove this so keep an eye out for further developments.

Q: Is your product Dairy Free?

Yes, all our products are free of dairy.

Q: What is the shelflife of your products:

Our products have 6 days shelflife.

Q: Why are Gluten Free Products more expensive?

There are 17 ingredients in our bread v 4 in normal standard bread. Wheat is a mainstream and bought in bulk.  Gluten Free is still relatively small in terms of volume and therefore the ingredients are more expensive. The process is far more complex and controlled and baking times of BFree are double that of standard bread.

Q: Are your products frozen?

Our products are frozen for some of our customers -the minute they are baked, they are frozen.  Many GF products are packed with gas or have a very high oil/fat content or preservative so that the product lasts longer.  Ours acts the very same as frozen broccoli or peas in that we lock in all the goodness.  Our breads are made with 110% water and therefore our structure holds exceptionally well when they are defrosted.

Q: Can you refreeze your products?

Our breads are made up of a blend of natural flours, starches and proteins and are made in a dedicated gluten free facility with batch testing done on all productions to ensure there are no traces of gluten. Once baked, the breads are blast frozen the minute they are baked which actually means that we do not have to add in lots of oil or fats to act as preservatives to the product (similar to frozen broccoli or peas).

When we launched our products, for packaging legalities, we absolutely had to confirmed with the FSAI (Food Safety Authority Ireland) that re-freezing the products was OK as structurally, we had no issues. However we needed to ensure that there was no healthy risk involved.  The FSAI Advice Line advised us that the term ‘not suitable for home freezing’ would be included where applicable i.e. where there is a food safety risk. This is not a concern however in relation to bread products such as the BFree products.  Therefore the products may be refrozen at home once good hygiene practice is employed such as the product remains wrapped and not stored in direct contact with raw product etc. Refreezing of the product may have impact on the product quality and texture.

There are many bread products on the market that go through the same process and because there are no traces of meat or any risk additives that may raise doubts around freezing then bread in general terms is deemed safe to re-freeze.

Q: Are your products made in a Gluten Free factory?

Yes – no other wheat products are made on site and all our products are tested to ensure they all come in at the GF legislation at 10 parts per million (legal is 20 parts per million).

Q:  Do you supply GF Muffins/Cookies etc?

No, BFree represents a healthy, good for you bakery range and this means that every time our consumers look at our brand, they trust that it is good for them.  We hope that in the coming years, BFree will stretch across categories and represent a brand of healthy products, that are wheat and gluten free.

Q:Where can I find your products?

All our products can be found in Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Supervalu, Centra, Spar and selected independent outlets nationwide.

You can also have any sandwich at all O’Brien’s Sandwich Bars nationwide.

Following on from our post a couple of weeks ago about the research conducted into modern wheat being the cause of the rise in Coeliac disease, we found this excellent article in Bakery & Snacks Magazine which argues to the contrary. Have a read and let us know what you think…….

Happy Days are here again BFree’ers! Yes, that’s right, we here at BFree are opening another Pop Up Shop!!

Our BFree Pop Up Shop will open this Thursday at 11am and is located at 51 Dawson Street in the heart of the city! It will remain open for the next 3 weeks from Thurs – Sun and is guaranteed to give you a laugh (check out the loaf-couch)!

And you never know, you might just learn something you didn’t know about yourself because as well as being able to sample our delicious gluten, wheat and dairy free loaves and rolls and have a chat with the lovely Alex (the essence of BFree!), our wonderful BFree’ers will be able to have a FREE consultation with one of the qualified nutritionists onsite, all of whom are members of the Nutritional Therapists of Ireland!!

All you need to do is DM, Tweet @Bfreefoods #bfreepopup or mail us at info@bfreefoods.com to book an appointment!

So come on down, we very much look forward to seeing you

It’s a very interesting read with extensive long–term study results. So what is the problem with modern wheat? Read it here

You Will Need:

• 8 pieces of good bacon
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar
• 2 BFree White Bread Rolls

For the Hollandaise:

• 150g of melted butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cayenne or a couple of drops of Tabasco.

Preheat the grill to medium high temperature. Get a saucepan, fill it two-thirds full with water and bring to the boil and then lower to simmer. Put the bacon on a grill pan underneath the grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until cooked and slightly crispy.

To make the hollandaise add the 3 eggs yolks, pinch of salt, tablespoon of lemon juice to a food blender, (you could do it by hand). Blend for approx. 30/40 seconds or until the eggs have lightened in colour. Then turn the blender down to the lowest speed and slowly drizzle in the melted butter. When all combined then set aside for assembly later.

To poach the eggs drop them one by one into the simmering water and vinegar. Allow a time of about 20 seconds between each egg to allow the first one to set. Allow a cooking time of approx.4 minutes for each egg. Lift from the water with a slotted spoon.

While the eggs are poaching toast your BFree baps (white or brown, whichever you prefer).

To assemble take half a toasted BFree bread bap, top with the crispy bacon and the poached egg, drench with the hollandaise sauce and dust with finely chopped parsley, mmmmmmmmm………..

• 6 Large Onions sliced finely
• Glug of Olive Oil
• Pinch of Sugar
• Half a Glass of White Wine
• 2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
• 2 litres of Chicken/Vegetable Stock
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Pinch of dry thyme
• Seasoning: Salt & Pepper

For the BFree Topping:

• 4 Slices of BFree Whited Sliced bread – halved diagonally and toasted
• 100g of Gruyere Grated
• 20g of Parmesan cheese grated

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the onions and sautee for 5 minutes. Then add the pinch of sugar and allow to cook down for another 35 minutes. The sugar helps the natural sweetness of the onions to come out. The onions should have taken on some colour but not burn.

At this time add the garlic and give it a quick turn through the onions. When this is mixed through evenly add in the white wine. This will bubbly slightly but will get all the goodness (small pieces that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan) back into the soon to be soup.

After one or two minutes add the bay leaf thyme and pour in the stock, after about 5-10 minutes check for seasoning, then add salt and pepper to your taste. Allow to simmer for a further 30 minutes. Preheat the grill to a medium high heat.

When ready add to an oven proof soup dish (remove bay leaf)  to prepare for its crown! We have highlighted 4 slices of BFree bread for this recipe but it may need more or less depending on the size of the dish. All we recommend is that everybody gets a good serving! Place the toast on top to cover the soup entirely, and then sprinkle over the cheese.

Place underneath the grill until the cheese is bubbly and golden.

Serve ad enjoy this dish straight way!

BFree gets 5 stars in the Irish Times Value for Money by Conor Pope

BFree – ” A Gluten Free Treat ” The Irish Times

A new Irish company, BFree Foods, has developed a range of wheat-free and gluten- free bakery products

BFree pleased to announce Paula Mee Leading Dietician will meet & greet customers in the pop up shop on Jan 14th

BFree Pop Up Store

Coeliac bread in Ireland, BFree is the right choice!