Back to school ... Bread recipe accomplished!

As my kids get ready to return to school for another year, my mind returns to making better lunches and snacks than we had last year. Living gluten-free is a journey our family has been on for two years now, and it has not always been an easy one.

In that time, I've worked very hard to find options for my family that don't leave us feeling deprived of foods we loved before going gluten-free. I've had many learning experiences and failures in those two years. My poor kids ate a lot of rice cakes in the early months. Finding a good bread substitute was hard. I have made many different recipes, some worked fine, others were less than adequate. The goal always being to find a bread that would hold together in a lunch box, taste great, not need to be toasted and also be economical to make.

Part of this balancing act for me was to find an option that had something to it other than just starch. Protein was a must. As many gluten-free cooks have learned, many foods can be made to taste and look like their gluten-laden cousins, but it is hard to find one that is also nutritious at the same time. Not an easy challenge. After reading many different recipes that were good but not quite what I was looking for, I played with ingredients that I knew we already enjoyed, and developed my own recipe for flat bread.

It was a huge success and satisfied even my gluten eating friends and family. The recipe couldn't be easier and it's not a time consuming bread to make! Huge bonus for this busy mom. I played with the recipe for a few days and every change I made brought me closer to what I was looking for. We've used this for sandwiches when we went to the fair this summer, for buns when we grilled burgers, sandwiches here at home and even just for that bread craving moment. It has worked perfectly for every option.

Now that I have the sandwich taken care of, my focus will be on what else goes into that lunch box. Our family eats a lot of fruit, very few junk food items and we try to keep it simple and economical. Let's face it, feeding a family these days is tough. Adding the whole gluten-free factor into the budget is another challenge we have to consider. I have always been a "make it from scratch" kind of cook. Going gluten-free has not changed that.

I use very few mixes, although I do make some of my own flour blends. Feeding a family of six, four of us being gluten-free, has forced me be more creative. My goal is to make foods as close to what we were all used to from our gluten days. Every meal I make is always gluten free. The two in our home that can tolerate gluten pretty much eat what we all eat at family meal times. Baking has always been something that I just did, and going gluten-free challenged every limit. I have had to relearn "how" to bake, but I think I'm getting it, finally! Much to my family's delight, I might add.

Be sure to check in and read my next post ... treats for school lunches!