With National Glazed Donut Day on January 12, many of our gluten-sensitive friends may be feeling left out.
Fortunately, there is a new way to get in on the fun in an authentic way!
Just outside of Boston, Freedom Bakery is producing a gluten-free donut that is a REAL donut (as opposed to a gluten-free cake with a hole punched through it).
Created by a trio of families – all of whom were dealing with Celiac and all of whom had more than three decades of experience in food service (particularly baking) – and a registered dietician who was eager to expand options for her clients and friends dealing with this challenging dietary restriction, Freedom has already begun to distribute their donuts (which also come in apple cider and Devil’s food varieties) nationwide and to give other donut shops a run for their coffee money!
In addition to being free from gluten, Freedom’s donuts are also free from dairy, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts, and cholesterol, and are even kosher, in order to appeal to the widest possible audience. Even if your diet is not so restricted, however, you too will surely love the freedom of Freedom Bakery.
Gluten-Free Living recently spoke with Molly Winsten, Freedom Bakery’s director of operations, about its unique approach to gluten-free donuts.
Q. What prompted you to enter the world of gluten-free foods?
A. Freedom Bakery came about as a result of many years of refining our recipe for an authentic great tasting GF donut. There are many gluten-free bakery items available in the freezer section of specialty stores, but there are very few great-tasting products sold in the bakery. We are proud to introduce our real GF mini doughnuts that have the taste and texture of a freshly made doughnut. Freedom Bakery GF products are sold on the shelf and not in the freezer!
Our products are not just good for gluten free – they are good PERIOD. Our goal was to create a donut that tasted so good you would never know it is gluten, dairy, nut, and soy free.
Q. What do you see as the main differences between GF foods and their gluten-ed counterparts?
A. Many gluten-free foods are trying to mimic products that already exist, and therefore they end being “good for gluten free” at best. They are trying to recreate something that already has a successful formula, and therefore the recreated product ends up being “ok for gluten free”. Our goal was never to do that – we just wanted to create a great product that happened to be GF, versus mimic something that already exists.
Q. What is the biggest misconception about GF foods? How do you hope to change the view of GF foods among the general public?
A. There is a misconception that gluten free bakery products will never taste as good as items that are made with gluten. There are however many ingredients that are gluten free naturally. We intend to show that our products made without gluten can be just as good, if not better, than their gluten-ed counterparts.
Q. What is your favorite GF recipe?
A. We have worked very hard here at Freedom Bakery to come up with a winning formula for our donuts. We want our products to be enjoyed by everyone, not just those with dietary restrictions. Our Old Fashioned Minis and Devil’s Food Minis are the base flavors and will be offering seasonal flavors in the future. We will also be producing a line of full-sized donuts for food service that are individually wrapped and labeled.
Q. What makes Freedom Donuts different?
