100% gluten-free bakeries: celiacs, it's this way
You imagine walk into a bakery and not be able to buy anything of what they sell? Neither that good-looking ciabatta, nor your favorite ensaimada, nor the holiday cake. We have put ourselves in the shoes of celiacs , because they also like the smell of fresh bread, the crispy crust of the traditional loaf or the feeling of biting into real toast.
Fortunately, in recent years, many restaurants have opted for 100% gluten-free to avoid the dreaded cross-contamination. Gluten poisoning is more common (and dangerous) than it seems . But the issue of bread remains a pending issue.
“When they tell you that you are celiac, it is what you miss the most: it is in our collective memory, since in Spain we were born with the smell and taste of bread . And it is precisely the most difficult to find.
Azucena Verde, from Madrid living in Alicante since 1991, went 2 years without eating bread, because she was not convinced by any of the gluten-free alternatives that she bought, or because of their taste or texture. And so, after much research and testing, she opened **Sugureta, a specialized bakery, in Alicante**.
7 temples of the crumb totally suitable for celiacs
Like her, many other entrepreneurs have achieved what seemed impossible a few years ago: standardize the diet of all those who must avoid gluten . And from here we recognize the merit.
Here is our guide to 7 temples of the crumb totally suitable for celiacs (and the stories behind) :
** ISACEL ** (Avda. Acebo, 8, under the corner of Calle Clarín, Cangas del Narcea, Asturias)
“The project arose 10 years ago as a result of my mother, my daughters and I were diagnosed with celiac disease . And later also my husband. When suddenly 5 people of different ages have to start eating gluten free, it becomes difficult to find substitutes for many of the foods that we were used to. Especially in our area, where we have a deep-rooted bread culture”.
That is how Teresa Pérez, the creator of Isacel , she began in a self-taught way to make bread and pastries at home . 6 years ago, as she saw that the results were getting better and better and taking advantage of the fact that she was unemployed, she decided to undertake and create this small workshop, specialized in bread, empanadas, preñaos buns, puff pastry and birthday cakes on request.
Isacel offers bread, empanadas and birthday cakes
Here they never stop innovating: for a year, moreover, They make all their products without lactose , since they realized that it is an intolerance closely linked to celiac disease. And soon, after a lot of hard work, will launch a new rustic bread recipe , similar to the typical Galician loaves.
And what about the future? "We have many people interested in receiving gluten-free bread making courses, but at the moment it is not feasible . Our work days in the workshop are 10 or 12 hours and currently we have neither the strength nor the time to open new business avenues”.
** LA CELIACOTECA ** (_Talamanca 3, Alcalá de Henares and Eraso 3, Madrid) _
Gluten-free avant-garde and tradition, they say, to always offer new alternatives to celiacs. Almost all of their products are also lactose free. Cookies with chocolate chips, palm trees, muffins, brownies or donuts : go to breakfast and, by the way, buy the bread.
Choose your loaf or your multigrain bar. In San Isidro they also make Silly, Ready, and Santa Clara Donuts , but also other typical sweets from other regions, such as the famous Almudévar braid.
The best: its commitment to the celiac group goes further, since through different projects such as the Seminars on Celiac Disease, contribute to disseminating information about celiac disease and on gluten-free diets, through talks by medical professionals, showcookings, round tables or book presentations.
ARTISAN OVEN SUGURETA GLUTEN FREE (Maestro Gaztambide Street, 2, Alicante and Reina Victoria Street 77, Elche)
“My bread tastes like bread and looks like bread . It seems easy and obvious, but it is not. Azucena Verde was an elite athlete (judoka), teacher, coach and Olympic Games preparer for the national judo team, sports psychologist... and for a few years, entrepreneur : when she was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, she decided to set up her own gluten-free bread maker.
“As I have dedicated myself to research and high performance in sports, I began to read doctoral theses on baking, Japanese studies on glutinous rice and videos of the best bakers in the world, to analyze the texture of their doughs. And I bought a deck oven, made of stone, like the old ones, eighth hand . Only four crazy people make bread in these ovens, but bread is bread there.”
After that previous time of investigation and 6 months of tests in his new premises, 4 years ago, he opened Sugureta (which in Japanese means "excellent", but with a hint of improvement): he started selling 4 types of bread and now has more than 20 references: with seeds, buckwheat, hamburger muffins , loaf with tomato and oregano, truffle or champagne (these last two only at Christmas) . And not just bread, but also donuts, pizza, pita bread, roscones, palmeritas, cookies, cakes or empanadas.
The most curious? He had never made bread, not even with gluten. Now, all his breads, completely handmade, are made with sourdough and organic wholemeal flour , rice, buckwheat or corn, ground by an old stone mill in Murcia.
“They told me that it was not possible, but I learned to do it, focusing on constant improvement and applying my experience in high-performance sports to the bakery”.
JOSE MARIA GARCIA BAKERY (Novelda Avenue, 46, Alicante)
This traditional and familiar workshop, controlled and validated by ACECOVA , has been making gluten-free products for 37 years. Its founder, José María García, liked to differentiate herself from other bakeries and began by making only “special” bread and cupcakes for minorities: without sugars for diabetics or without yeast for people suffering from candidiasis . He soon became interested in a group that at that time was unassisted: celiacs.
Now they are Vanessa and Javi, the second generation, who, for more than 20 years, have taken over and already make, apart from bread, traditional pastries, croissants, ensaimadas, cakes and, at specific times of the year, fritters, panellets, saint bones , roscones de Reyes (choose the Melchor: it is filled with nougat from Jijona) and panettone.
** LEON THE BAKER ** (Count Duke 19, Jorge Juan 72 and María de Guzmán, 30. Madrid)
As they themselves say, it seems that everything gluten-free is synonymous with industrial and unappetizing. And, many times, not even healthy. Surely the typical packaged bread comes to mind , with a chewy texture, that they offer you in the restaurant on duty when you say you are celiac... Several expert bakers proposed, back in 2014, in London, that celiacs did not have to give up flavour.
This is how Leon The Baker was born: they bake the bread every day and do not use additives No artificial colors or preservatives. Their products also do not contain lactose.
Gluten-free wholemeal loaf, teff with poppy seeds or buckwheat candeal, beet rolls, carob cake, blueberry or apple and cinnamon muffins, raisin bread with sunflower seeds , granola bars… You will find them in their 3 stores in Madrid but also in another 200 points of sale throughout Spain or through their online store: they ship to the entire peninsula.
MARQUIS CONFECTIONERY (Fernando el Católico 76, Madrid and Marqués de Casa Valdés 54, Gijón)
in your store Madrid They are specialized in the elaboration of products of bakery and pastry for multi-allergy (to gluten, to milk, to eggs, to nuts...) . His first totally allergen-free creation were the raspberry, caramel or orange marquesitas : biscuit-based tartlets, raspberry-scented cream and an intense chocolate truffle curdled in the cake itself. Although their chocolate palm trees or their cheesecake cups they also deserve a pilgrimage.
bread, pie, Vegan Majorcan coca or cakes on request (Watch out for San Marcos without milk, if you are also lactose intolerant) complete their extensive catalogue.
At their point of sale in Gijón, located very close to the Plaza de San Lorenzo, they offer above all gluten-free traditional Asturian pastry products.
** CELIKATESSEN ** (Municipal Pacific Market, Madrid)
Sergio del Rey was diagnosed with dairy intolerance and, shortly after, celiac disease. This is how Celikatessen was born in 2005. As he could not find organic pastries suitable for his new needs, he created it: first launched a line of desserts and in 2014, he opened his own workshop certified by the Association of Celiacs and Sensitive to Gluten of Madrid and by Madrid sin Gluten de FACE, Celikatessen, in which he sells both to individuals and to restaurants or shops.
Its quality standard is clear: always choose natural raw materials, organically sourced , whole, fresh, unrefined and 100% free of gluten and dairy. In addition, it does not subject any product to conservation or freezing processes.
It is also committed to sustainability: encourages its customers to use returnable packaging and orders at home in Madrid are made by bicycle. In his little stall, in the Municipal Market of the Pacific, he also imparts practical gluten-free bread workshops.
Sergio, from Celikatessen, along with Teresa from Isacel, Azucena from Sugureta, Helena from La Celiacoteca or José María, Vanessa and Javi from Panadería José María García are examples of entrepreneurship and dedication. Thanks to his initiative, daily improve the quality of life of all those people who can't take gluten.
Because bread, something so simple, basic and traditional, is something that non-celiacs take for granted, but that it is not so evident in the case of these people: 500,000 in Spain , although it is estimated that 3 out of 4 are not diagnosed.
Celikatessen uses raw materials free of gluten and dairy