Gluten-free bakeries satisfy capital cravings

by Melanie Moller | Mar 5, 2014

The comforting, nostalgic smell of freshly baked bread is the first thing that hits you upon stepping into Peter de Hoog and Gaetan Portelance’s Finally Gluten Free Foods bakery in the ByWard Market. The next is the realization that, despite the tantalizing aroma, there isn’t a trace of wheat on the premises.

‘You’re catering to a very desperate audience.’ — Charlotte Newton of Auntie Loo’s Treats

Finally Gluten Free Foods is one of four bakeries in the capital where people with celiac disease can buy a loaf of gluten-free bread with complete certainty that it won’t make them sick. While generally in North America the choices aren’t extensive for the growing number of people who can’t consume gluten — the options often consisting of low-nutrient, expensive “boxed” foods, found in the frozen section of the grocery store — Ottawa food retailers are slowly but surely meeting the demands of the developing niche.

Celiac disease is the most severe form of gluten intolerance. Sufferers are unable to eat any foods containing or exposed to gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat and rye, because gluten hampers their bodies’ ability to absorb other nutrients. The condition currently affects approximately one in 133 Canadians, according to the Canadian Celiac Association — a “modest” figure, says De Hoog, since it doesn’t account for less severe intolerances (such as non-celiac sensitivity and wheat allergy, which result in gastrointestinal discomfort or rashes) or for unreported cases. There aren’t yet reliable statistics reflecting the increase in these less severe forms of gluten intolerance, but the buzz in public health discussion and in response to topical books like Wheat Belly certainly hints the numbers are on the rise. In their 2002 book, Dangerous Grains, James Braly, M.D., and Ron Hoggan estimate that 80 percent of people don’t produce enough of the enzymes necessary to digest gluten; they just haven’t put the pieces together yet. But when they do, there will be a lot of people unable to buy Wonder Bread anymore.

“You’re catering to a very desperate audience,” says Auntie Loo’s Treats baker Charlotte Newton. Intolerant to wheat herself, Newton says baked goods, particularly bread, are very difficult to give up entirely, and so many people who can’t stomach gluten will seek alternative flours to satisfy their cravings. However, given the ease with which cross-contamination by gluten can occur — a single crumb or stray wheat flour particle can mean the difference for a celiac — shopping for gluten-free baked goods can sometimes be a minefield.

The perils of purchasing gluten-free

Right now there are four reliable gluten-free bakeries in Ottawa, according to De Hoog. Aside from his Finally Gluten Free Foods, he points to The Joy of Gluten Free, FUK (rhymes with “fluke”) Flour, and Strawberry Blonde as retailers that can guarantee products free from cross-contamination of wheat flour. Beyond this list, buyer beware.

We would challenge places that advertise as gluten-free to prove it.’ — Peter de Hoog of Finally Gluten Free Foods

Located right beside Finally Gluten Free Foods on Nelson Street, Auntie Loo’s offers some baked treats made with alternatives like chickpea and rice flour to accommodate customers with mild gluten intolerances, but because they have wheat flour in the kitchen, they warn buyers that all their products contain traces of gluten. Not all bakeries are as forthcoming: Darren Potvin, a gluten-free community activist and owner of FUK Flour in Manotick, is critical of cross-contaminated bakeries that mislead customers by touting celiac-friendly baked goods. He has had customers in tears in his shop because they’ve been given misinformation about other stores’ products.

“A lot of places are jumping on the bandwagon because [gluten-free] sells,” Potvin says. “But they’re not doing it right.” At the moment, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for policing the designation of gluten-free facilities, but both Potvin and De Hoog say health inspectors just aren’t holding Ottawa businesses to account. “We would challenge places that advertise as gluten-free to prove it,” says De Hoog. He also encourages people to do their homework before buying gluten-free.

Aside from bakeries, Ottawans can find ingredients for gluten-free cooking in several places. Most supermarkets offer packaged flours like Bob’s Red Mill that are guaranteed gluten-free. There are also “gluten-free” sections cropping up in the freezer sections of some Ottawa supermarkets (Hartman’s Independent, for example). The downside is that the price tag can be a bit steep — and ditto for products sold at Ottawa’s four guaranteed gluten-free bakeries.

“You have to be savvy when buying gluten-free,” says Auntie Loo’s  baker Newton, who cites international supermarkets as a source for finding relatively inexpensive wheat flour alternatives. She says that at best, flours like spelt and chickpea can be around twice the price of wheat flour, but coconut, quinoa and sorghum flour can cost anywhere from three to five times as much.

Finally Gluten Free baker Portelance says that their flours can cost up to four times as much as wheat flour because they have to be freshly milled and shipped immediately to avoid cross-contamination, which drives up costs. A loaf of Portelance’s regular sandwich, rye or pumpernickel bread will set you back $7 (a wheat flour loaf of the same size at the grocery store might cost $3), but he says the extra few dollars are worth it because of his bread’s nutritional value — even aside from the fact that it’s gluten-free.

“People don’t need more chemicals and crap. They need real food,” Portelance says. His recipe took 600 attempts to perfect and contains two-thirds grains and seeds and one-third gluten-free starch. He claims it’s more wholesome an option than “gross,” slightly less expensive gluten-free bread in the freezer section at the grocery store, which he says is made with modified tapioca starch, too much salt, added sugar and preservatives.

Canada’s gluten-free capital?

Potvin of FUK Flour says Ottawa is one of Canada’s leading cities in providing gluten-free options, bested only by Vancouver and Toronto. He attributes this in part to efforts by community activists to provide resources (advice and recipes, for example) for people who need help living gluten-free. He says that award-winning nutritionist Kathy Smart is a “local gluten-free celebrity” who has been central in putting Ottawa on the map. Smart says that her gluten-free lifestyle show on Rogers TV, Live the Smart Way, was the first of its kind in North America.

In addition to support from Ottawa bakeries and nutritionists, Smart credits a strong Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association, as well as the sharing of relevant recipes and cooking tips among Ottawans, with helping to bring Ottawa to the fore — despite there being only four dedicated retailers here.

“I wouldn’t say we’re better equipped [to provide gluten-free products] necessarily,” Smart says. “I just believe that there is a strong gluten-free community.” As awareness grows regarding symptoms of gluten intolerance and celiac disease, the demand for necessary foods will also climb, she says.

Meanwhile, the guys at Finally Gluten Free Foods say the community is meeting the need for the time being: Non-designated bakeries like Trillium, Bread and Roses and the Wild Oat provide gluten-free options for people with milder allergies and intolerances, and the four designated bakeries cater to the rest.

As more people make the switch to a celiac-aware lifestyle, De Hoog says he can expect more designated gluten-free retailers to set up shop but isn’t worried about the competition. “We’ll need more places like mine that are going to diversify the market and offer people good-tasting food that’s wholesome.”

Ultimately, as in any diet, the onus falls on the individual with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance to make good choices about what to eat. And Ottawa’s gluten-free retailers have a unique opportunity, Potvin says: They’re catering to a captive market — people who will likely jump on any substitute for wheat-based treats. Retailers can take advantage of the chance to make wholesome, fresh options for people who might otherwise have only unhealthy “boxed” products to turn to.

“To me,” says Potvin, “if you live out of a box, you’ll just end up in one quicker.”