*Free Baking (i.e., allergen free)
All recipes Milk/Dairy Free, Tree Nut Free, Fish Free, Crustacean Shellfish Free, Peanut Free, Soy Free, and Sesame Free
Many recipes are ALSO Egg Free
Many recipes are ALSO Gluten Free
Some recipes ALL FREE – (i.e., milk/dairy free, tree nut free, fish free, crustacean shellfish free, peanut free, soy free, sesame free, egg free AND gluten free)
ALL RECIPES include allergy designations, to help you bake safely for your family.
*** Why? ***
Living with food allergies, and other chronic health related dietary limitations, can make life challenging. Things most people don’t think about – trips to the zoo, afternoons at the city pool, a summer visit to an amusement park – create stress and require lots of planning when you can’t just eat without thinking. I’ve got one kid with a dairy allergy and (due to irritable bowel) limited consumption of gluten and soy. I’ve got one with a tree nut allergy and lactose intolerance (and lactase pills only support a limited consumption of dairy). My mom is diabetic, dairy-free, and gluten-free. I am allergic to sesame seeds, tree nuts, and (also due to irritable bowel) limited on gluten, soy, and dairy. Which means: I always pack snacks. I always read labels. I always hover around my kids at events that include food. And, of course, I have epi-pens and Benadryl in every first aid kit and vehicle. I’ve found my favorite restaurants that can support us eating safely when we have to eat out, and I’ve found my favorite grocery store brands. But every kid deserves fresh cake on their birthday. And most store-bought gluten free breads either are refined flour (not good for my diabetic mom) or taste like cardboard. Most allergy-friendly baking online doesn’t work for my family (because you can’t swap almond flour for regular flour or coconut oil for butter when you are tree nut allergic. Sigh.)
These are my adventures in allergy-free baking. A lot of my adventures end in failure and disappointment. This kind of baking is not for the faint of heart. When I achieve successes, I’ll share them here, to hopefully make life (and baking) a little easier for those of you who share this multi-allergy life. Keep me posted. If you have recipes that you’d like to share with me, or if you have recipes that you’d like my help figuring out, reach out!