At BHG, we receive requests for information all the time, and lately there's been a run on special diets.

Did you know?

When dealing with diet problems, people often blame a particular food or ingredient without realising that something else in the same meal might have been responsible. If, for example, you feel unwell after having a sandwich, it's likely to be the filling and preservatives than the wheat in the bread.

Gluten in wheat, rye, oats and barley can sometimes cause bowel irritation, but don't confuse this with the rare allergy, coeliac disease.

Refined rice products and wheaten cornflour are the lowest in natural food chemicals, though some people prefer wholegrain and wholemeal products. Try them both to see which suits you best.

Food chemicals are high in many manufactured breakfast cereals.

Here are a couple of recipes from Friendly Food (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, reprinted 1994):

Savoury flat bread

A very soft dough that will spread and not be too thick. The bread can be topped or split and filled. It does not freeze well but can be kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

You'll need

• 1 cup wheat or rice bran
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 3/4 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• 2 egg yolks Oil for glazing
• 1 tbsp coarse salt

Here's how

1. Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add combined stock or water and egg yolks. Beat until smooth with a wooden spoon.

2. Spoon heaped tablespoons of dough onto well-oiled baking trays.

3. Bake at 190C for 35-40 minutes. Halfway through cooking, brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Continue cooking for required time.

Variations: Combine 1 tablespoon each of poppy seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds and sprinkle on each flat bread before baking.

Hint: As an egg substitute, you can replace yolk with 3 tablespoons of oil.

Pikelets

Makes 24.

You'll need

• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot
• 1/3 cup wheat or rice bran
• 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp oil
• Extra oil for greasing

Here's how

1. Sift flours into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre. Stir in combined egg yolks, water and oil. Beat until smooth.

2. Fold the egg whites into the batter.

3. Brush frying pan with oil and heat on medium heat. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan, not too close, as they will spread slightly. When mixture starts to set and bubbles burst, turn over and cook the other side. Repeat.

From Kay Job, Broken Hill, NSW

Here is Kay's "excellent flour mix which works well as a plain flour (wheat) alternative: 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato flour and 1/3 cup tapioca flour, all available at health food shops. I prefer the quality of flours available from Asian grocers. When used with guar or xanthan gum (approx 1 tsp/cup of flour), you can use the flour for any recipe with a quantity of flour up to 1 1/2 cups. I've even made our family's favourite dessert of lemon delicious pudding with great success. Everyone will want some of this chocolate cake!"

Chocolate Yoghurt Cake

• Oven 180C; 23cm square tin.
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 125g butter 1 cup boiling water
• 1 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 2 cups flour mix (above)
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarb soda pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup plain natural yoghurt
• 2 tsps vanilla

Combine cocoa powder, butter and boiling water in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. In a bowl, beat egg and egg whites until foamy. Add sugar and cocoa mixture and beat well. Combine flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt, mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the cocoa mixture, mixing well. Stir in yoghurt and vanilla until incorporated. Pour into pan and bake 50 minutes. Let cool. Remove from pan and dust with pure icing sugar. This cake is perfect for a special occasion, dessert or just to enjoy.

Originally printed in Coeliac Australia Magazine. Thanks Kay

From Maria DiMauro

Maria recommends "a fabulous book on the market entitled Great Healthy Food - Gluten Free by Michael Cox". Thanks Maria.

From Robyn Bailey, Ferny Hills, Qld

Jam Drops

• Pre-heat oven 190C.
• 1 White Wings Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups cornflour
• 125g butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• Strawberry of raspberry jam

Sift together pudding mix, baking powder and cornflour. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well. Gently fold in sifted dry ingredients to form a firm dough. Using cornflour dusted hands, shape teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls and place, slightly apart, onto greased baking trays. With the handle of a wooden spoon, dipped into cornflour (or use your finger), make an indentation in centre of each ball. Fill with a little jam and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool on trays for 3 minutes before removing to wire racks to become cold. Yields approximately four and a half dozen. Thanks Robyn.

From Kiara, Nth Ringwood, Vic

Gluten free bread

• 2 1/4 cups white rice flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tbs xantham or guar gum (health food shops)
• 3 tbs brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbs milk powder
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 3 tbs oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vinegar

Use a Remington Big Loaf maker: mix dry ingedients together in a large bowl. Combine liquid ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. Place mixture in baking pan. Insert baking pan, close lid and plug in Program unit to setting 2. Press start. This recipe has come out of the Remington Big Loaf breadmaker recipe book! But I'm pretty sure you could just put this in a normal loaf tin, and put it in the oven on 180C for about one hour but I'm not sure!