Gluten-Free Baking Week is a week that not many people may have heard of, but it is one that has been faithfully observed the week before Christmas for years. This week encourages people to bake gluten-free treats for themselves, their friends, and their family members.

Gluten is an elastic protein that gives bread and cakes the structure they need to trap the air released by leavening agents and rise. Although there is no conclusive evidence that gluten is bad for the average person’s health, it has been proven that gluten can be harmful to people with certain medical conditions such as dermatitis herpetiformis or celiac disease.

Facts And Myths About Gluten

We did a little bit of research into the subject of gluten and gluten-free diets and came across some very interesting facts. Some of these facts even disprove some of the myths that have been surrounding gluten for years. We’ve listed every fact that we discovered below for everyone’s consideration.

• Gluten adds protein to a person’s diet because it is a protein.
• Gluten sensitivity is not a milder form of celiac disease. It’s another condition entirely.
• There isn’t currently a diagnostic test for gluten sensitivity.
• There is a gene for celiac disease that makes some people sensitive to gluten.
• It’s a myth that eating a gluten-free diet will help a person lose weight.

Observing Gluten-Free Baking Week

All that a person has to do to observe this week is to try gluten-free baking. To mimic the effects of gluten in baking, many people use a combination of gluten-free flours and binders.

Of course, when that’s done, the ratio of liquids is also going to have to be changed because gluten-free flours absorb more liquids. Whatever a person bakes, they should just make sure to use the hashtag #GlutenFreeBakingWeek to spread the word about it online.