5/2/07 Finding gluten free bread is the first crisis faced by newly diagnosed celiacs. “A world without bread!”, I screamed. “How can I survive?” Fortunately, I learned that I have four options. I’d like to share them with you:

  Option #1: Buy bread at your local gluten free bakery.

Freshly baked bread is the best possible bread. The bad news, of course, is that relatively few of us have access to gluten free bakeries. In my article “Find a Gluten Free Bakery”, I began a list of these wonderful places. These are normally small establishments and therefore difficult to find on-line. Please help me build that list by posting a comment at the bottom of one of my articles.

  Option #2: Bake gluten free bread at home.

This is no easy task. Bread gets its flavor and its texture from the flour used to prepare it. The baking procedures differ depending on the flour being used. But all these issues can be overcome. Hopefully, my article “Gluten Free Baking” will give you the information you need.

  Option #3: Shop for gluten free bread on-line; purchase it locally or on-line. Some producers of gluten free bread work through local retailers to sell their products:

• Ener-G Foods. This link will take you their page displaying gluten free breads. which may  be ordered on-line or through any of these local retailers.

• The Allergy Grocer. This on-line store features products from Ener-G Foods as well as from other producers. The link will take you to the "bread, buns, and rolls" page.

• Gillian’s offers an impressive line of gluten free bread and bakery products. Click on the name to have a look at them or click here to see the list of retailers that stock their products.

• The Gluten Free Mall is my recommended source for most gluten free products. Since I can’t possibly link you all the fresh and frozen bread products that are available, I’ll place their banner here to that you can visit “The Mall” and take advantage of all that your opportunities.

  Option #4: Shop locally for gluten free bread.

• The Whole Foods Markets chain operates a dedicated facility producing frozen gluten free baked products available nation-wide. It also serves as a retail outlet for Ener-G Foods and Food for Life breads.
• My “everyday” bread is the Brown Rice Bread available at Trader Joe’s. This bread apparently has not been on their shelves long enough to make it into their gluten free foods list, which was last updated in December 2006.
• Check in the last paragraph to find local outlets for Gillian’s bakery products.