Caputo Fioreglut
Have I been living under a rock? How come I had never come across this product before!
Have I been living under a rock? How come I had never come across this product before! I will start from the very beginning: My gluten free journey began about 8 years ago now; I am always cooking and baking for people who have an intolerance to gluten, and naturally I joined the gluten free gang. Initially I wasn’t happy about this and making items without that crucial gluten stretch, forced me to completely change what I had learned. I had to adapt big time. I must admit that the enjoyment faded. I have been baking for many years, both at home and in a professional setting, but this was always involving gluten only. So, when it came to trying to make my first gluten free loaf, I had no clue what I was doing whilst saying to myself “Why is it so sticky! I can’t work with this dough!” (Which resembled a sticky cake batter) The first time was a shock, but I quickly grasped how to navigate all things gluten free.
I will keep my story here firmly about bread for now, and I know that people who give up gluten (for whatever reason) do struggle to replicate something even close to what they had before. I started off with premixed flour blends- Dove’s Farm for example seemed convenient but only if you like your bread as hard as a hockey puck. (That didn’t last long) I soon came to realise that you must create your own blend, and that comes with having to order special ingredients, just so the flour you buy for it binds with everything else. It can be a hassle and expensive overall. I knew nothing about this at the start; I bought a lot of gluten free books to try to understand. Psyllium husk powder ground exceptionally fine, is mandatory, not the bigger clusters. (Making sure you source the right one or your gluten free sourdough will not turn out as it should). But what if you can’t find that where you live? Everything is specialist and be prepared to buy and make mistakes. Exhausted already?
I have no problems doing all of this BUT still, I have not been completely satisfied with the white bread/gluten free pizza I have been making, and I stopped for a while, completely at a standstill. Until one day I went in to visit one of my suppliers and he said “I have something for you” “What is it? I said curiously. He took me over to the shelf in his store and picked up a bag and handed it to me. “Oh Caputo, it is very good” I said. And he agreed saying that he used to have to buy and supply this. I had heard of the brand before of course, but I did not know that they have expertly blended their own gluten free flour. (I never bothered to check as your own mix is supposed to be the only way to go.) I felt the fire come alive inside of me. I am going to give it a try!
I am against buying any premixed, gluten free flour blend normally, because you know it’s going to give you either rock hard bread or a mediocre one at the end, (It just won’t turn out well believe me) but the Caputo Fioreglut gave me a renewed sense of confidence in gluten free baking. You CAN knead the dough with this, and you CAN treat it like you would with gluten. For the first time ever! No sticky cake batter pretending to be a dough! The crust on your pizza will be light and airy, with excellent chew (And that crust can bend like a normal dough). I can tell you that I am seriously impressed with the way you can take a recipe and use this flour 1:1 Even if it is a gluten one. And the fact you do not need to buy extra ingredients, it is like you are back working with gluten again and that process is a deep joy for me, a complete game changer. Yes, the downside is, it’s expensive, but by the time you have faffed around buying xantham gum etc and all the flours, you might be at the same cost or more. And I am not sure now if it will be as good as this!! The blend here is convenient, but not just that, it is a surprisingly excellent gluten free flour. Get your bake on back with Caputo Fioreglut. The enjoyment of gluten free baking has been officially restored.
La Reine Gourmande is a professionally trained chef, former dancer, and lifelong food obsessive with a deep passion for haute cuisine and global gastronomy. She has dined her way through the world’s top restaurants while honing her culinary skills at L’École Ferrandi in Paris and the Ashburton Cookery School in the UK. Blending her love for food and fashion, she offers a unique perspective on what to eat — and what to wear — on your next culinary adventure.
