As many of you Celiac-ies know, it’s not easy. You crave
certain foods and nearly slip into depression when you fail to find something
that doesn’t taste like straight cardboard. I’m here to tell you that you ARE
NOT ALONE. I’ve had Celiac my whole life but didn’t discover it until about six
years ago. You can imagine (and I’m sure you’ve all been there) my
disappointment when I found out I couldn’t have ANY baked goods any longer.
This meant: no cake, no cookies, no breads, no donuts…anything you can imagine
that is incredibly delicious now had a big, fat “NO,” written all over it. Over
the course of six years, I had to completely change everything I thought I knew
about food. The hardest part about this was, “Gluten Free,” wasn’t a fad just
yet. Fortunately, within the past few years, the gluten-free food market has
expanded, making my life a whole lot easier or, so I thought. Everything store
bought still tasted dreadful. I quickly realized I was forcing myself to eat
terrible food and was still feeling awful inside.
This is when cooking became my safe haven. I’ve always had a passion for cooking but it wasn’t until my diet was so restricted that eating in restaurants became less of an option. Breaking out in hives is not something on my list of things to do everyday. So, I found relief through cooking. It became a way to release anger, stress, as well as another creative outlet. I fell in love with everything from finding fresh unadulterated food down to the simple art of mixing ingredients. Baking, on the other hand, was not my stronghold. Although, I am not bad at baking, I am less experienced than I am with cooking. I’ve been on the hunt for delicious, gluten-free baked goods for six years and it wasn’t until today that I found them.
Let me introduce to you to: The Free Bakery, located right here in Nashville, Tennessee. Today I met with the owner, Gabrielle Hall, who is the mastermind behind all the gluten-free, vegan baked goods, along with co-baker Adrienne Dolan. Gabrielle was also diagnosed with Celiac and, like me, had a problem finding the perfect donut. Thus, she ended her search and decided to create one, herself. Not only do Gabrielle and Adrienne make amazing, tasty donuts, they also make tons of other freshly baked goods. If you're like me and find yourself drooling over their Instagram page, contact Gabrielle for a menu. I did and she was kind enough to prepare a beautiful assortment of treats for me today.
Everything was beautifully wrapped.
I must admit, it was very hard not to dig in while taking these photos. The aromas were making my mouth water.
*Not So Chunky Monkey Bread*
*Almond & Plum Mini Crostata*
*Pumpkin Pecan Praline Donut*
I know there were two in previous pictures but I couldn't hold back any longer. This was the absolute best donut I've had in eons. I take that back, the only donut I've had in eons.
*Tropical Mini Cake*
There once was two and now there's one. I'll let you take one good guess...
*Baked Apple Almond Bread*
