Looking For Specialty Breads? (Premium)
I can remember coming home to visit my folks in Michigan many years ago and finding a dozen identical loaves of bread in the freezer. My dad explained he ordered them from Deland Bakery (outside Orlando) because they made their favorite item and he could not get the bread locally.
Mom, who passed away in 2015, had celiac disease. Back then there were not as many options for gluten-free breads as there are now. While the texture was not as soft and chewy as gluten-loaded bread, I grew to like it. I found that some of the bakery’s items contained baking soda instead of yeast, and that also appealed to me. At the time there was a minimum order of 12 loaves for shipping, hence the loaded freezer. The bread would arrive after a few days, still quite fresh.
But the bakery ran into a problem with certification. . .
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The certification situation
The Deland Bakery has expanded from a 1,600 sq. ft. operation to a 42,000 sq. ft. building. As I understand it, several years ago there was a problem with cross-contamination in the bakery. As a result, they could not market some of their baked goods as gluten-free, even when the ingredients were without gluten-containing products. They have now implemented specific certifications that are used for their products as appropriate.
See the selection
A few sections on their website are noted below. Scroll down on a baked item’s page for a list of certifications that apply to it.
Selections include crackers, cookies and breads.
Certified Organic — Some are not gluten free; check ingredients and certifications
All Natural – Here’s where the site seems confusing. The listed ingredients for these items are short and simple, and do not contain wheat, gluten or yeast. Yet, that phrase is added below the ingredient lists, presumably as a precaution because of the potential for cross contamination. I know people on gluten-free diets who have found these natural breads safe to eat, even without GF certification, but I would not risk that if I had celiac disease.
Some Whole Foods stores and other grocers carry a selection of these baked goods. Call around for someone local, and if you have no luck but are interested, you can try to get a store to order some. Failing that, you can make an order yourself. It seems the minimum order now is 6 loaves for most breads. The cost of shipping makes the order pricey, but depending on your dietary needs, it could be worth the cost.
Of course, this bakery is not the only source for specialty bread items.
Note: ACN Latitudes is not affiliated with this company.
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