I began developing and baking gluten free breads and desserts in 2008 when my youngest daughter, Lizzy, found out she had a severe gluten intolerance and had to follow a strict gluten free diet. At the time, there were minimal gluten free options on the market and what was available tasted like cardboard, were mostly rice-based, and had little nutritional value. I already had some background in baking and thought: "It can’t be that hard to bake gluten free." It wasn’t long before I realized how difficult it is. 

There weren’t many good recipes available at the time, so I started developing my own recipes with my family as taste-testers. I was passionate about creating tasty treats with more nutritional value, which meant using a variety of flours in each product. After a lot of trial and error, I was able to make decent desserts… but the bread… the bread was the hardest to make.

I needed the right combination of ingredients to create bread that had a good structure, tasted great, and had a lot of nutritional value. I researched absorption rates and qualities of flours from all over the world to figure out the right balance of ingredients. For years, I would buy grains whole and grind all of my own flours to ensure no cross-contamination (nowadays there are more certified gluten free flours that can be bought).  I used quinoa and teff for high protein, cassava, sorghum, buckwheat, almond, oats, millet, beans, red rice and others.  I still create my own flour combinations today. I also soak down my bread flour for 24 hours prior to baking—this makes the product more digestible, making it easier to absorb the nutrients and distinguishes my bread from others on the market.

I began informally selling products through word-of-mouth and then about 15 years ago I was asked to participate in the Wolfeboro Area Farmers Market. Since that time, I have participated in a variety of farmers markets and sell my breads and goodies in local NH stores, farm stands, and cafes. 

When I first started baking, I did a lot of small batches since I was constantly experimenting and altering recipes.  Now, I have three commercial ovens and bake in much larger quantities. As far as bread, when I first started, we actually hand cut the bread.  Getting a commercial bread slicer was like being a kid on Christmas morning. Similarly, I used to hand measure bars and other goodies to ensure they were the same size. Now I have commercial cutting tools that make that work much simpler.  But, some things haven't changed much-I'm always experimenting trying new things. 

My family has been my biggest support. At some point all 7 of my kids, my husband, and my grandkids have helped with the business. They have helped create dessert and bread recipes, washed dishes, labeled products, and dropped off deliveries. They have spent hours in the bakery with me and worked farmers markets by my side. And they never say no to testing a new goodie!