Just Like Oprah, I Love Bread!

I cannot deny it: I love bread. Toast with peanut butter has been my go-to breakfast for a long time. But as I am now learning, both of these foods can cause inflammation in my body. 

So what’s a bread-loving girl to do? Look for substitutes that taste as close to the originals as possible, that’s what.

I spent a lot of time researching the different brands of prepackaged gluten-free bread. I finally came to the conclusion that I needed to make my own. 

Several years ago, I made bread from scratch at least once a week. That was before I was diagnosed with lupus and all the other diseases that came along with it. 

Now, when I want fresh bread, I use a bread maker and a mix. I still get a great-tasting loaf of bread, without standing in the kitchen mixing and measuring.

After reading reviews for several brands, I chose Pamela’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread Mix. It has easy dump-and-go directions, which is exactly what I was looking for. I chose the single-loaf package for this experiment, but it is also available in bulk packages. 

Fresh gluten-free bread from a mix. (Photo by Darla Gay)

I ordered online, so I had to wait two whole days for it to arrive. It came today and I was like a kid at Christmas — I couldn’t wait to get started! I carefully measured everything and dumped it into the bread maker. My machine takes three to four hours to make a 2-pound loaf of bread. And then they want you to let it cool before you cut it. Yeah, that ain’t gonna happen. 

I love hot bread, spread with real butter. But on my new diet, I am supposed to avoid all types of dairy, including my beloved butter. 

According to The Spruce Eats, a cooking resource, several nondairy butter substitutes are available. I may try one of them someday, but for now, I’m sticking to my real butter. 

Rather than trying to change everything at once, I’m making changes one at a time. This isn’t a short-term fad diet, but a new lifestyle for me. I need to make changes that I can live with the rest of my life. But right now, I need to go have a slice of hot bread with plenty of butter. 

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