Jennifer's Way Gluten-Free Bakery

I know I know, "gluten-free" is all the rage these days and only seems to grow trendier by the day with every celebrity endorsement (ahem, Gwyneth Paltrow). But with my recent diagnosis of Celiac disease,  I've struggled to adopt the gluten-free way of life, oftentimes feeling reluctant to embrace the trend and espouse its virtues a la the Gwyneths of the world. In large part because...I miss gluten foods. A lot. Pizza, cake, bread, cookies, the list could go on. I've had some luck in finding decently tasty gluten-free alternatives, or attempting a recreation in the kitchen, but it's hit or miss. Plus, the gluten-free versions never quite taste the same. So when I heard about Jennifer's Way Bakery, newly opened by actress Jennifer Esposito here in NYC, my hopes were low and doubts high.

Oh me of little faith. Skepticism quickly dissolved into elation at first blueberry muffin-filled bite. I mean, just look at this beauty...

When it comes to gluten-free baked goods, I find that most are either super bland & tasteless or chock full of sugar to over-compensate the lack of wheat flour. Happily, this time, with bases like almond flour and quinoa flour + whole natural ingredients, neither was the case!

Jennifer herself manned the cash register the day I visited (photo proof below!) and she personally bakes a good portion of their treats.

Plus, all items are organic/non-GMO and free of soy, dairy and refined sugar. Though your taste buds wouldn't know it. Everything I tried could stand on its own in a taste-off against a regular bakery any day. With gluten-free alternatives this sweet, I just might come around to the Gwyneth way of life. But with a lot less designer duds & quirkily named children.

P.S. for those of you outside NY, the bakery does ship their flour/pancake mixes and a few other items nationwide (through the website here) so go on--treat yoself!

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A Bread-tastic Weekend

I recently turned 28 and have been feeling all of my twenty-eight years lately. I realize the ridiculousness of this statement within the larger scheme of life and how relatively young 28 truly is, but what can I say, I am not feeling very spring chicken-y! All jokes aside, I am enjoying entering my late twenties, but have been noticing lately the domestic itch creeping in. Not in a bad way! Just interestingly so. Case in point: cooking. Up until recently, I have never been that keen on learning to cook despite both my parents being very talented in the kitchen and big proponents of the nightly home-made dinner while growing up. However, over the last couple of months or so, I've gotten into cooking and baking and it has become a fun journey of discovery and a real source of joy for me. I'm certainly no Julia Child (yet!), and don't have a ton of practice, but am loving the experience of finding new recipes to try and the sense of accomplishment that comes with the success (and sometimes failure!) of the finished product.

Ingredient line-up 

Today, I baked bread from scratch. And not just any old bread -- gluten-free/sugar-free bread. Pretty advanced stuff! I followed a recipe that called for coconut flour in place of regular all-purpose white flour from the blog Against All Grain, which you can find here.

I must say, the loaf came out looking and tasting darn good! No hint of coconut flavor either, which I was a little worried about.

All in all, a wonderful way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Fresh out of the oven!

P.S. a big shout out to the bf who fully supports my culinary adventures even though, as he puts it, "there is no sous chef in baking." I insist there has got to be. We are working on it!

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