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I would like to thank everyone who responded to my query. You have given me
a great deal of helpful advice.

This is the end of my summary on gluten free baking.

Several more people recommended Pamela's Gluten Free brownie mix. One person
pointed out that the mix contains soy. I will check the ingredients. If it
contains soy, I won't buy it (my son and I are allergic to soy).

One person reported reacting to Pamela's brownie mix because of dairy
contamination. She said she likes the Gluten Free Pantry truffle brownies.
She also recommended taking papaya enzyme and bromelin.

One person reported having a reaction after eating Gluten Free Pantry
brownies.

One person said she could not tolerate sorghum. She said sorghum also gave
her husband, who does not have celiac disease, digestive problems. She said
she can use xanthan gum without problems.

One person recommended Kombucha tea as a digestive aid. She also said she
makes her own kefir. She recommended that if I try to grind my own bean
flours, I should soak and redry the bean prior to grinding because this
would help to prevent the beans from causing gas. She recommended cooking
with olive oil or Spectrum Palm shortening. She also pointed out that some
people with celiac disease react to corn and xanthan gum is made from corn.

Several people suggested I get a new baking pan. One person said she only
bakes with glass pans. I am going to purchase a new baking pan (the one I
have is ancient).

One person reporting being able to eat rice but not rice that is browned or
rice that is baked (such as rice flour).

One person said their GI advised eating things in moderation for at least
the first six months after being diagnosed and going gluten free to try to
avoid developing other food sensitivities/allergies.

One person suggested asking questions regarding diet and celiac at
http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/messages She said that there are also
recipes posted on that list.

One person said she has friends who have benefited from taking a digestive
enzyme/probiotic combo made by Isotonix(r). It is sold through
http://mall.marketamerica.com/amos/cc/pcd/6138767/ccsyn/239/stid/X56739

One person recommended using apple sauce instead of eggs when baking.

One person said I should verify that the salt I use does not contain iodine
because people with DH cannot have iodine. (I use Redmond Real Salt brand
sea salt. It is just sea salt. I like this product).

A retired MD wrote to me and said that both xanthan and guar gum are
culprits for some celiacs. He recommended substituting methyl cellulose at
half the amount recommended for guar and xanthan. He said the best place to
find methyl cellulose is at a pharmacist. He said it is cheap in bulk, but
pretty expensive in a small quantity. He also recommended baking goods made
by Kinnikinnick because that brand uses almost no x & g gum.

One person shared a recipe for a potato chocolate cake:

200g good potato, boiled till soft, mash without butter or milk
3 tablespoons soft butter
1/2 cup of GF cocoa
1/2 cup coverture choc, crushed
2 eggs
3 cups GF self raising flour
3 tspoon GF baking powder
1/2 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup brown sugar
preheat oven to 180 (did not specify whether 180F)
Boil potato til soft, then mash and put to one side till cooled some.
Cream butter and brown sugar together, then add eggs one at a time and fold
into mix.
Fold in mashed potato.
Sift in alternately the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold into mix.
Add the crushed chocolate and then the buttermilk and fold in.
Mix should resemble a batter rather than a normal cake mix.
Pour into a spring form cake tin and place in oven for 35 to 40 min or till
when tested with a skewer it comes out clean. Goes nicely with a choc fudge
icing and real nice double thick cream.

One person who has a peanut allergy reported that shortly after she ate a
brownie made from a mix, she had the type of reaction she has when exposed
to peanuts. She suspects there was a trace of peanuts in the mix due to
cross contamination during processing.

Thanks again to everyone for giving me great baking ideas! Since I like to
bake, I think I will experiment with ingredients and try to come up with my
own recipe for brownies.

Alicia in Chicago

* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *