Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

CBJ: New bakeries seek rising dough

A pair of family-run bakeries are bringing more healthy baking to Central Virginia, but their business plans have very different ingredients.

Hours before the doors of the Great Harvest Bread Co. opens, employees grind the whole wheat for the bread they will bake that day in a stone mill at the Charlottesville bakery, which opened June 13 under co-owners Kath Younger and Matt Monson.

Meanwhile, in their Amherst County home’s kitchen, Steve and Sunnie Stonelake and some of their six children prepare the gluten-free baked goods that they deliver to area stores as Deliciously Gluten-Free.

Both bakeries, which opened in the last two months, share a common goal of creating healthy products that their customers will enjoy. However, the families took different paths to get to their respective opening days.

Sunnie Stonelake said she discovered she was gluten intolerant in January 2007.

“I had dreams of being able to go into the bakery and pick up my favorite treats, but that wasn’t an option anymore,” she said.

Although more stores and restaurants are offering gluten-free foods, Stonelake said cross-contamination is a concern. Flour can stick in pans and sponges, she said, and the simple act of slicing through a gluten-free product with a knife previously used for a product with gluten in it is enough to make her sick.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , gluten is a protein formed when wheat flour is mixed with a liquid and physically manipulated, such as kneaded together. Gluten can be found in wheat, rye and barley.

The protein can cause damage to the intestinal lining of people with celiac disease . Nora Decher, a nutrition support specialist with the University of Virginia Health System , said celiac is one of the few gastrointestinal diseases that is managed with nutrition alone.

Decher said celiac patients who like to cook and avoid processed foods tend to do well with the diet, but eating out can be tough.

“Although there is more awareness [of celiac disease], most people aren’t aware of the scrutiny it takes to prepare foods without cross contamination,” Decher said.

Products with gluten do not enter the Stonelake home kitchen, which has space reserved for its baking venture that began in April. The cookies, muffins and cupcakes are made to order and delivered to stores across the region, including Rebecca’s Natural Food in Charlottesville , The Natural Health Center in Madison Heights and Joe Bean’s Express Espresso locations in Lynchburg.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Streusel Muffins (plus a little project ...

A few months ago when I went to my friend Tracy’s Shelf Reliance party , I ordered a big can of freeze dried blueberries for an excellent price.  I love having those blueberries on hand – and they work perfectly in these Blueberry Streusel Muffins. 

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard or soft white wheat) through teaching your kids to cook.  I hope to have this project finished in the next few weeks (months?) so that you can have it when the new school year begins – hopefully?! 

Anyway – now you know.  I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you earlier – it’s too much fun to keep a secret!  I’m super excited about this and hope to create a resource that will be helpful to all.  I’ve even “borrowed” some little girls to help make the book a little more well rounded.  :)

This may be one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on – combining two of my favorite things in the world:  kids and cooking.  Stay tuned for more information about this book as I get closer to finishing it.  And if you hear me squealing at any time during the next few weeks, it’s because I really am having that

Mmm. That recipe looks very good. My son is almost two and he LOVES helping in the kitchen. What age range will your curriculum be aimed at?