Hot Cross Buns

This was my first attempt at hot cross buns.

I decided to use Juvela's recipe as I had just been sent a sample box of their products just a few days ago which included a box of their White Mix. You can find their recipe here but I have also recreated it below:

The recipe:

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6 and lightly grease a baking tray.

Ingredients

500g (20oz) Juvela Gluten Free Mix
2tsp mixed spice
50g (2oz) butter
1 sachet easy blend yeast (supplied with Mix)
50g (2oz) caster sugar
100g (4oz) mixed dried fruit
1 medium egg
125ml (1/4 pint) warm water (approx)
125ml (1/4 pint) warm milk (approx)

Instructions

In a bowl combine the Mix with the mixed spice. Rub in the butter to resemble breadcrumbs. Stir in the yeast, sugar and mixed fruit. Beat together the egg, milk and water. Gradually add to the dry ingredients to form a soft but not sticky dough. Knead the dough until smooth on a surface lightly dusted with Mix.

Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces and shape into buns. Place on a baking tray, cut a shallow cross on top of each bun and cover with greased cling film. Put in a warm place until well risen (this should take about 45 minutes).

To make the cross on top of the buns, use 50g of Juvela Gluten-Free Mix and mix with enough water to make a paste. Use the paste to pipe a cross on top of each bun. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.

To make a glaze for the top (optional) - Mix together 75g (3oz) sugar with 100ml (4fl oz) of water and use this mixture to brush the buns with while they are still warm.

Not bad for my first attempt.

Overall this was a quick and easy recipe for hot cross buns. It was handy using the flour mix as you didn't need to measure the flour out, you simply used the whole box including the sachet of yeast, also provided.

The dough itself was very very sticky and I found it quite hard to kneed, maybe I used too much liquid.

The final result was very pleasing indeed! Although my buns didn't rise as much as I would have liked and were rather dense, they tasted great, with just the right amount of spices and fruit, giving a really sweet, but not too sticky, fresh taste. I would liken my buns to a cake rather than a bread, but this isn't really a criticism, merely an observation. I think the key to getting lovely round buns is in the kneading and the proving of the dough beforehand. Practice will, no doubt, make perfect.

Happy Easter everyone!

Juvela goodies

A couple of days ago I received this amazing goodie box from Juvela in the post!

My dietician had given me a whole load of information and leaflets about various gluten-free companies, including one from Juvela inviting you to sign up for a free sample pack. Naturally, I filled out the form, popped it in the post and a couple of weeks later I received my sample pack.

What's inside? 

2 x pizza bases
1 box of fusilli pasta
1 box of crispbread
1 box of fibre flakes
1 box of white mix (flour mix)
1 fibre sliced loaf
5 x white rolls

This is another great company that want you to try their products first. Like Glutafin, Juvela have obviously spent massive amounts of time and money on preparing their sample boxes to send out to people. I'm so grateful that companies actually do this because it means I can sample many different products and brands before I decide on what I want to get on my prescription.


I can't wait to give them all a try. Reviews coming soon.

Thank you Juvela!

Pizza Hut

This review is quite a bit overdue as I actually visited Pizza Hut about 3 weeks ago now, so my apologies.

It was my husband's birthday and he didn't want any fuss or frills, so we visited our local Pizza Hut. I'd heard a lot about pizza companies such as Pizza Hut and Dominoes introducing new gluten-free pizza bases and had read some really mixed reviews so I have to admit I was a little nervous about trying Pizza Hut gluten-free base. I was mainly worried about cross-contamination and whether the staff would be educated and adequately trained in preparing gluten-free pizza. But I needn't have worried.

When I got to Pizza Hut I made it known to our waiter that I required a GF pizza. He was not at all fazed by my request and simply proceeded to show me to the relevant section in the menu where it mentioned the GF base. He also explained that I could have any of the toppings as they are all gluten-free. Yes!

Now when it came to the salad bar I was a little bit more apprehensive. Our waiter was a little unsure about what sections of the salad bar I could actually have so he went to ask his manager and came back with a list of the items I should avoid, which included the pasta salad, bacon bits, croutons, bread sticks, and dry onions. He also said I should be wary of the seeds, salsa and pickled onions as they couldn't guarantee they were safe. I was so grateful for the extra effort he went to which made me feel a bit bad but in the end I decided not to have any of the salad because I was just so worried about the cross-contamination aspect - I mean, all the salad is in one place and it could be so easy for someone to drop, say, a crouton in to the lettuce accidentally or snap a bread stick in half and then some of the crumbs go in to the rest of the salad. Call me paranoid, but I was just not willing to risk it but I really appreciated the Pizza Hut staff going to so much effort to find out what parts of the salad bar were GF.

When my pizza arrived I found it was a square base, which means that the staff can distinguish between the normal bases and the GF bases so there is no way of mixing them up, genius! They also told me that the GF pizzas are cooked in their own square tins to avoid any cross-contamination. It looked delicious and I couldn't wait to tuck in, but not before cutting my pizza myself with my own (clean) pizza cutter. Again, this is another way Pizza Hut avoid cross-contamination by getting you to cut your own slices. This is such a good idea!

Overall I loved my pizza. It had the same flavoursome toppings that Pizza Hut are so well known for just with a different base. The base itself, although very thin, wasn't dry at all or chewy which I have found with some GF bases. Delicious!

When I had finished eating, the waiter came back to check that everything was OK with my pizza and he even told me that when Pizza Hut had first introduced the GF base all the staff had received training on how to prepare and cook the GF pizzas and as part of the training they had all sampled a GF pizza. He told me that most of the staff were really impressed with the taste, and these are people that wouldn't normally eat GF pizza so that is definitely reassurance to us Coeliacs!

It was great to see that the Pizza Hut are so well educated on their GF base and have gone that extra mile to include Coeliacs in their clientele. The waiting staff were wonderful and went out of their way to ensure my dining experience was stress-free and enjoyable! Thanks again, Pizza Hut! It now means that if I am out and about with family or friends and we need a quick, relatively cheap bite to eat, we can go to Pizza Hut and I'm not excluded from the pizza experience. I'm now on the look out for other eateries with GF pizza bases. Can anyone recommend anywhere else?

*Enjoying my first GF pizza base courtesy of Pizza Hut. This is the spicy cajun chicken topping*

A little help please

I hate to admit I am finding things tough at the moment.

How long does it take to notice a real difference in symptoms after starting a gluten free diet?

I know that there probably isn't a clear cut answer to this but I am interested in finding out from my fellow Coeliacs how long it took you to notice a big difference and to feel well again after removing gluten from your diet.

I am now in week 5 of my gluten free lifestyle and I admit that during the past 2 or 3 weeks I had noticed a slight improvement in my symptoms e.g. I was not quite as tired as I have been feeling for months and months, but nevertheless still tired.

However, I am currently going through what can only be described as a bad spell and to save me from despair I thought I would turn to my blog and fellow bloggers for some advice. I have been feeling really ill for the past 5 days, the tiredness is back with a vengeance, and it seems like my symptoms are back to being as bad as they have ever been, despite noticing a small improvement in my symptoms initially. I don't think I have slipped up and eaten some gluten without knowing, as I have been so careful. But I really don't know what else could be wrong. Hence, my frustration! Any ideas?

I know I need to be patient and these things take time but if I am doing something wrong, I want to change that. Is it normal to have good and bad days whilst getting used to the gluten free diet? Am I doing something wrong? Or am I just jumping the gun a bit and expecting too much in the first few weeks?

 I recently read a suggestion online that you should change your toothbrush when you go gluten free even if it doesn't need changing yet just in case there is any gluten lurking in there. This is something I never even thought about but I have immediately thrown out the toothbrush and got a new one. I have brought a new chopping board so that I don't contaminate my bread with my husband's (gluten) bread. I no longer use our toaster and use the grill instead if I want toast. Despite being in to my 5th week of my gluten-free diet I am not really finding much improvement in my symptoms. And as far as I am aware I have been doing all I can to ensure that I don't have any gluten. I've read that some people can notice a difference in a matter of days, others it's a few weeks but then for some it could take up to a year for the gut to fully heal itself. I know I need to be patient but it's so tough! I want to feel better right away and I want to make all the sacrifices and changes to my diet seem worth it.

Anybody else have any other tips to help speed up my recovery or is it just a case of time? I would love to hear from you too if you are also struggling.

Thanks

Week 3 Observations

I have now completed 3 weeks of my new gluten-free lifestyle. And what have I noticed? Have I noticed any difference yet? Here are my observations so far...

• I have lost a shed load of weight! Particularly from my bottom half. And now none of my trousers/jeans fit! I was quite slim before but now I look skeletal and there is no way that I would ever choose to lose weight by dieting so this is out of my control. My ribs and hip bones and collarbone are also more visible. I want to know, is it normal to lose so much weight in such a short space of time on a gluten-free diet? I haven't actually weighed myself yet to see exactly how much weight I have lost but it is really obvious to me (and now others) that I have lost the weight. 

• I have found that I am not as hungry as I used to be in between meals and don't need to snack as much (this can only be a good thing, surely?)

• I get full a lot quicker when eating a meal and my portion sizes have therefore got smaller as a result. (Again not necessarily a bad thing).

• I am also craving sweet things. I never used to be a sweet or dessert person, I always craved savoury foods like crisps and bread but now I am the complete opposite and only want sweet foods. I am discovering a whole new taste sensation that I never knew I possessed. Maybe this is because a lot of gluten-free products do contain quite a lot of sugar, I don't know, but it's definitely something new to me.

Now I know everybody is different but I am keen to hear other people's experiences in the first few weeks of going gluten-free. Is this normal? Do let me know.

I am also quite disappointed that I haven't really noticed a big change yet in my symptoms, for example, the tiredness and exhaustion, but I know these things take time. I am finally seeing a dietician next week so I am hoping that they will be able to give me some proper help.

That's all for now!

E



Las Iguanas - muchos gracias

www.iguanas.co.uk/

Following on from Saturday's cupcake success I was feeling brave and found myself in Manchester on Sunday night to watch a gig. We needed a quick bite to eat before the concert started and so we decided to give Las Iguanas' gluten-free menu a try (yes, they have a whole gluten-free menu!) 

Having searched the Coeliac UK website beforehand, using their very handy venue guide, I had decided this was the best place to go for my first gluten-free meal out in Manchester (Deansgate) . It also happens to be my favourite type of cuisine and one of my favourite places to eat ever, and the fact that they also have a gluten-free menu was definitely a bonus. Their chilli is possibly the best chilli I have ever tasted (pre gluten-free) and yes I would consider myself to be a bit of a chilli connoisseur.

Upon arriving at the restaurant I made myself known to the waitress and explained that I required a gluten-free menu, no big deal was made of it, no fuss, I was just given the gluten-free menu instead of the normal menu when we got to our table- no problem. I think the staff here are pretty used to this kind of thing.

The gluten-free menu is basically a selection from their main menu that the chefs have adapted to be gluten-free. The gluten-free options are also on their main menu marked with a 'GF' by the side but it is handy having your own gluten-free menu and that way you don't have to trawl through the rest of the menu just to pick out the gluten-free options. There is a good selection to choose from (sadly no chilli option) and I found that there was something on the starter, main and dessert menu that tempted me. I opted for the Feijoada de Vaca (a Brazilian stew with beef, chorizo, and black beans in a red wine sauce) and I must say it was absolutely delicious!

To view their gluten-free menu click here

Although I am still new to gluten-free eating out I think Las Iguanas are certainly up there with the forerunners in Coeliac dining out. The fact that they have taken the time to produce their own gluten-free menu which means that you can see exactly everything that you can eat just shows how accommodating and aware of Coeliac Disease they are. I did worry that going to a restaurant for the first time with a special dietary requirement would be embarrassing and I might be made to feel like an inconvenience or one of those  'fussy eaters' but this simply wasn't the case with Las Iguanas. Asking for a gluten-free meal was about as normal as asking for a vegetarian option. The waiting staff are friendly and knowledgeable about the food and were keen to recommend a dish if you are unsure what to have.

It must be noted that I visited the Deansgate, Manchester Las Iguanas and although I'm sure the other restaurants within the chain across the UK will offer the same kind of experience, I have only commented on their Deansgate venue.

Muchos gracias Las Iguanas for a very enjoyable fuss-free gluten-free dining experience. First meal out - in the bag!

Cupcake Cafe & Bakery

Today I had my first ever gluten-free eating out experience. This was a really big step for me. My friends and I decided to visit the Cupcake Cafe and Bakery in Leek, Staffordshire and this is where I sampled my first gluten-free cupcake.

The Cupcake Cafe is a small, friendly cafe situated at the end of a cobbled courtyard in the centre of town. Although slightly off the beaten track (it's behind another building) it's well worth the visit. You can either sit in or take-out and they also do celebration cakes and special orders if you have a birthday or occasion and need to buy in bulk. The cafe provides a wide range of delicious cupcakes and cakes all home made on site (and also sandwiches and soups) but in the past year have also introduced a dairy and gluten-free cupcake of the week. Every week the flavour changes and this week the cupcake of choice happened to be Bakewell - I therefore couldn't wait to give it a try.

Check out the beautiful vintage-style china too!

I have to say this is one of the nicest cupcakes I have ever had and as it was my first ever taste of gluten-free cupcake I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really couldn't tell the difference between a normal cupcake and gluten-free. The sponge was lovely and light, yet moist, with a jam centre and the vanilla icing (dairy free) was rich and creamy - topped off nicely with a cherry - perfect. I enjoyed it so much that I had to buy a second cupcake to take home for later!

If you are ever passing through Leek I would definitely recommend you stop at the Cupcake Cafe and give their tasty treats a try. I wonder what the flavour next week will be...

www.cupcakecafe.co.uk/ or www.facebook.com/CupcakeCafeandBakery