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Kyra Bussanich (right) as she prepared to go on Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Pictured with Jackie, her lovely assistant on the show, and a manager at Kyra's Bake Shop..
BY KYRA BUSSANICH, Author of "Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for the Gluten-Free Lifestyle"
5:48am My alarm goes off with its insistent buzzing and it takes me time to shake off the grogginess enough to realize that I have to wake up. I hit the off switch and roll out of bed. My dogs jump up with me and run to the patio door to be let outside.
6:15am I'm showered and dressed, the dogs have been fed, and I pour myself a giant cup of coffee (merely my first for the day). I add one packet of stevia and a hefty dollop of heavy whipping cream to it, because that's how I roll. Cream, like bacon, makes everything better! I head into the bathroom to layer on makeup—I'm soon heading to do a segment on the local ABC affiliate so I need to apply it just a little heavier than usual to accommodate the studio lights.
7:04am I back into a parking space in front of the bake shop and open the rear doors. I will be making Creamsicle Cupcakes from my book (page 88) on air and need to have all my ingredients, as well as cupcakes in various stages of "doneness" for the camera. I load up a milk crate with bowls, spatulas, a whisk, mascarpone, eggs, orange juice and a box of our dry cake mix. I only have 7 minutes in the segment, so I am taking every shortcut I can. In addition to the cupcake ingredients, I have breakfast for the cast and crew (gooey cinnamon rolls, scones, and Everything bagels).
7:45am Traffic was extremely heavy getting across town but I'm a little early so I swing by the local coffee shop that is 2 blocks from the studio and grab another cup of coffee.
Here's the segment!
9:18am The sound technician removes my mike, tells me how much fun my segment was, and thanks me for bringing in the extra treats. She informs me that the production booth is going crazy for the cinnamon rolls and that no one can believe they're gluten-free!
10:30am Back to the shop, I drop off the dirty dishes from the news segment and pick up the ingredients for my next event, a book signing and baking demonstration at Williams Sonoma. The girls are making biscotti (also from the cookbook) and it smells good. I snag the end pieces as they’re slicing the cookies. At times like this, I am SO thankful for the awesome team I have at the bake shop helping me prepare for all the events!
11:12am I park in the lot beneath the Williams Sonoma and start carting my supplies upstairs to the demo floor. In addition to the ingredients and equipment I will need for the mini S'Mores tartlets, I have a pack of brand new gold and silver sharpies for book signing.
2:20pm The past several hours have been a blur with people watching me bake, tasting my samples, buying books and BUY THE COOKBOOK!asking me questions on a deeper level about gluten-free baking. I love my job! Driving back to the shop, I return my travel planner friend's call. She's left me a message about an upcoming gluten-free cruise I'm doing, and I have time to chat and answer her questions while I head back to Lake Oswego.
3:00pm Lunch time! I keep a stash of healthy treats in the staff fridge at the bake shop and pull out some slices of pepper turkey, a few string cheeses, a packet of Justin's Nutbutter (maple almond), and an avocado, which I dice and drizzle with 25 year aged balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. This, along with a big bottle of fizzy water, will (mostly) tide me over for the next few hours.
3:29pm The phone rings with my afternoon interview for Delight Gluten-Free magazine. Kristin and I have a lovely discussion about my experiences learning to bake gluten-free. She asks me, if I could have anyone over to dinner, who would I have and what would I make. I think about this for a minute and ask if I can invite more than one person. "Sure!" Kristin responds. The invitation part is easy: Oprah, Dr. Oz, Martha Stewart, Ina Garten, Rachael Ray, Giada de Laurentiis, and my mentor Laura Byrne Russell. The hard part is figuring out what I would make for these heavy hitting idols of mine. I settle on garlic roasted chicken, rosemary whipped parsnips, lemony kale salad with parmesan and slivered almonds, and for dessert: Chocolate Mousse Meringue Pie and Lilikoi (passionfruit) Chiffon Pie. An occasion like this calls for (at least) 2 desserts!
4:45pm I've spent the last hour answering emails and in discussion with Jackie and Jen, managers at my shop making plans for next week's events, and it's time to head to my next class: a baking class for the Portland Culinary Alliance, I'll be demo-ing in a space I'm not accustomed to, so I don't know how the ovens will run, or how clean the kitchen will be.
5:39pm Lauren, the class coordinator, offers me something to eat before I begin the class, since it will be 4 hours before I can really eat dinner. I eat a millet burger, some kalamata olives and more fizzy water, and then tie my hair up and wash my hands in preparation for the class. My contacts are starting to bother me, so I have switched to glasses for this class. I look like I''m pretending to be a grownup.
8:52pm The class wraps up and there is a line of people waiting to have a few words with me and ask me to personalize their copy of my book. One woman tells me she has been afraid to try baking since she went gluten-free, but the tips and tricks I have shared during the class have inspired her to buy some gluten-free flours and start playing in the kitchen. I am humbled and honored.
9:16pm I pull into my driveway. My puppies are waiting at the door for me, wagging their tails so hard, their little bodies are curving into jelly beans. My husband is lounging on the couch and I grab an apple and plop down next to him to watch an episode of one of our shows (currently, it's House of Cards).
10:02pm The show is over, so we take the dogs out, then brush our teeth, I wash my face, and crawl into bed and get ready to do it all again tomorrow. Lights out. Sweet dreams.
Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop (now Kyra's Bake Shop), and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars". Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free. Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.
Kyra's winning smile on Food Network's "Cupcake Wars"
Last year, I had the privilege of conducting my first interview with Kyra Bussanich, pastry chef, owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of Food Network's famous Cupcake Wars. She then won a SECOND time in May, 2012, when she was invited back to compete in Cupcake Champions. Then, in the Champions Finale she took second place out of 16 other champions. All of her competitors used traditional flours. Gluten-free can't be good, right? Right.
Having an auto-immune disease hasn't stopped her one bit, in fact, if fuels her passion to do what she loves - and boy does she do it well! One thing that struck me during our first conversation is how she doesn't settle for pastries unless they meet very high standards. Thank heaven for those standards as they have given us the best brownie on the planet, and it has helped raise the bar for gluten-free bakers everywhere.
Since then, Kyra has been a guest blogger for the Tender Foodie, sharing her delicious Truffle Brownie Recipe (gluten-, dairy-, soy-free) and her fabulous Paleo Brownies for those who are completely grain-free. I asked her if she was ready to chat about her experiences behind the scenes at Cupcake Wars, and lucky for us, she is. We corresponded over email for this interview.
TF: How did “Cupcake Wars” first contact you? And what was that like (how did you feel, what went through your head, etc.)
Kyra: I was sitting on the couch relaxing one evening and watching Cupcake Wars with my husband. I don’t recall what the secret ingredient or the taste challenge was, but I do remember that one of the contestants hid the special ingredient behind 5 or 6 other flavors and I was yelling at the TV at the oversight. Instead of burying the secret ingredients, s/he should have been highlighting it! My husband Jason nudged me and said I should go on the show but I initially declined because I don’t love competitions. They stress me out and make it more likely I’ll get over exerted and run-down.
After goading me for 20 or so minutes, I stomped and said, “FINE! I’ll apply if you leave me alone!” And I sent off a short paragraph about why I thought I would be good on the show, how I was different (baking entirely gluten-free, which they had never had before), and a few photos of myself and press clippings. Then I decided I didn’t actually want to participate, even if they did invite me, and it probably wouldn’t happen since I was still running my bakery as a custom-order business and didn’t even have a storefront yet.
TF: What were all of the steps that you had to go through before you actually appeared on the first show?
Kyra: Within an hour of sending off the application paragraph, the casting director called me. I was still on the couch watching TV! Jessica told me she thought I was “super cute” and wanted to know if I could send her a short (2-minute) application video to show what I was like on-camera. By the following day. GULP! Luckily, my husband went to journalism school, specializing in videography so we put together a short, playful video, which you can view here:
After I sent in the application, it was a few weeks before I heard back from them, during which time I had decided I DEFINITELY did not want to go. What if I choked? Anyone who has baked gluten-free knows that it can be finicky, and I worried that I would be reinforcing the negative connotations of gluten-free desserts if I had a bad baking day, or didn’t correctly judge the ovens and overbaked my cupcakes, or failed to finish in the allotted time. My assistant Jackie (now my bakery manager) was ecstatic about the possibility of going and her collectedness really steadied my resolve. I did it for her as much as anything else.
TF: Was this a dream of yours? To be the first gluten-free winner of Cupcake Wars? Or a challenge you didn’t expect?
Kyra: I think it’s a little of both: I had always dreamed of appearing on the Food Network, and when I started baking gluten-free, I felt like it was my role to champion delicious-tasting gluten-free pastries. I hadn’t really thought seriously about Cupcake Wars until they invited me to compete.
New York Cheesecake Cupcakes w/ Ginger Cookie crust, vanilla cake, filled with raspberry compote, topped with cream cheese frosting and raspberry coulis. Florian LOVED this one!
TF: How did you handle the time off from Crave Bake Shop? Did you have to close ? or was your staff able to handle it without you?
Kyra: The first time I went to Cupcake Wars, I didn’t even have a storefront, so I simply closed down the schedule and didn’t take any orders for a short time. By the time my subsequent visits to Cupcake Wars came about, I had a full staff I could rely on to open and close the bakery without me there. That said, it still made me nervous to leave my baby (the bake shop) in someone else’s hands.
TF: Describe your feelings when you first walked onto the set. Who did you meet? Anybody that made you toungue tied? Did you have an out-of-body experience? ?
Kyra: Being on the set of Cupcake Wars was very surreal. The kitchen is a whole lot larger than it appears on TV, and when you’re running cupcake batter to the ovens to get them baking in a short time frame, that means it’s a whole lot farther than you’re actually running. Jackie and I ran drills before going, where we selected odd ingredients for ourselves (like avocado and jalapeno peppers) and practiced getting batches of cupcakes mixed, baked and decorated in less than 45 minutes. Let me tell you, we were a whole lot faster in our home kitchen than on set!
Jackie & Kyra in the dressing room for the first time
TF: How did the first taping go? Is it like we see it on TV?
Kyra: It’s very much like you see on TV, only there is a lot more standing around and checking microphones and camera angles before everything begins. It’s a long day of taping. I think they picked us up at our hotel at 6 am and we stood around for 2 hours drinking coffee and diet coke before anything started. Needless to say, we were pretty amped up by the time the cameras were on us and we were baking!
TF: Did you just LOVE the Christmas / Holiday theme in the first show? Or was that tough?
Kyra: Christmas is my all time favorite holiday, so I was thrilled when Justin revealed the inspiration challenge. And because dinner rolls and stuffing and gravy were on the inspiration table, I automatically knew that they would be filled with gluten and I couldn’t use those ingredients. I think this actually helped me, rather than hindered because it narrowed down my list of options for me.
Ultimately I selected the apple cider and the cranberry as inspirations and made a Cranberry AppleCider cupcake.
TF: What was your competition like, and how did you handle them?
Kyra: Honestly, I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn’t pay much attention to our competitors. I kept my head down and just worried about doing the best job I could.
TF: Was there a lot of trash talk? (Anybody you want to “out” as sneaky :)) or was everyone professional? Or even supportive?
Kyra: I have experienced supportive competitors, as well as those who were trying to get in my head, or worse, sabotage my baking. I’d say the majority were very sweet and professional though. There’s a reason we all became pastry chefs and bakers: we like to sweeten the day of those around us!
TF: OK. The judges. Was there anyone that you thought you had to particularly win over?
Kyra: Yeah- all of them!
TF: Anyone extra tough on you?
Kyra: I don’t know that I’d call it extra tough on me, but Florian is a very well-respected French pastry chef and easily recognized when I mistakenly overcooked my sugar (TWICE!) while making Italian Meringue the first time I appeared. I figured I wouldn’t point out my mistakes to the judges, but if they asked me about it, I would fess up. He said to me, “This meringue…it tastes like it’s not cooked right?” and I grinned and nodded. He smiled back and that was that.
TF: Did you learn from their advice as they gave it? and were you able to apply it under pressure like that?
Kyra: I’m fortunate that my strengths include thinking quickly on my feet, and creating dynamic and memorable flavor combinations—two things that have served me well during my four appearances on Cupcake Wars. And of course, every time one of the judges gave me something to work on, I made sure to incorporate their suggestions, regardless of whether I personally agreed with them. After all, they’re the judges. And they decide who wins.
African Yam Cakes
TF: Describe the pressure. I can’t imagine. Don’t even know what to ask here.
Kyra: I don’t know what to say. "E:LIHWLIUEGOAGSBD" is what comes to mind. It’s crazy intense. The nerves prevented us from getting much sleep so we were a little ragged on set. And the first time I competed, I was fresh out of the hospital not 3 hours before I hopped on the plane. I hadn’t eaten solid food in almost 6 days, and I figured that just staying on my feet was a win, regardless of the outcome. But it’s also fun, and creates lasting memories.
People ask me every day at the bake shop if Cupcake Wars is really as crazy and stressful as it appears on TV and I always shake my head. No, it's not as crazy as it seems: it's at least 20 times more intense. You have to remember that they are filming everything in one day, which equates to roughly 16 hours of tape time PER CONTESTANT. And there are four teams. So they have to condense all that footage into 42 minutes (plus commercials), which means that a lot of it ends up on the cutting room floor.
TF: Wait. You were in the HOSPITAL just before the first competition? What happened? Kyra: I'm not sure what I was sick with. Perhaps the flu? Perhaps food poisoning? I hadn't been able to keep ANYTHING down for 3 days when my husband took me to the emergency room, worried about dehydration. They kept me there for an additional 2 days, and then I immediately hopped on a plane and went to LA (Jason was scared sick and mad at me for not putting my health first).
TF: What was it like when you got back home?
Kyra: There is a small time lapse between when you film and when the show airs, and because I had signed a non-disclosure agreement, I couldn’t TELL anyone what happened, or even that I was involved. So it was really anti-climactic.
TF: When it was over, exactly how exhausted were you? Was it different after each competition?
I slept for 15 hours a day for the following 4 days after the first show!
NOW. Let’s talk about the 2nd show.
TF: OK. Let's! Describe your second experience and how it differed from the first. Kyra: Well, for starters I WON the second time (came in runner up in the Holiday Tree Lighting the first time!) That was pretty spectacular. And since I had been on before, I already knew that the judges loved my cupcakes as much or more than “regular” cupcakes, so that was a load of pressure off.
TF: Kyra Sedgewick, who happens to be a personal favorite of mine, and the team from “The Closer” were your end “client” for the 2nd show. When did you get to meet them?
Kyra: We met them on-stage on the set of The Closer right after the competition (in December 2011).
TF: Did you interact with them much? And how did that go?
Kyra: There was less interaction than I would have liked, but I did get to wander the set of the police station while we were waiting for the cast and crew to wrap filming. And GW Bailey (the guest judge from my episode, and Lt. Provenza on The Closer) kept popping his head in to taste test our cupcakes and chat with us.
Jackie, Kyra Bussanich, & Kyra Sedgewick
TF: What was Kyra Sedgewick like?
Kyra: She’s beautiful, and warm, and funny and sweet, and at the same time, whip-smart. She’s also teeny tiny! I love her oversized smile and the way she talked to everyone (cast and crew and strangers like me). I’ve always been a fan of hers, at first because we have the same name (spelling and pronunciation and all), and then later because I admired her work ethic and from what I’d read about her in interviews, she seemed really positive and down to earth and playful. In person, all of those are true of her!
TF: She must be teeny tiny - because you are teeny tiny!
Kyra: Oh, I love you!
TF: Did anything funny happen with the crew?
Kyra: Tony Denison, who plays Lt Andy Flynn on the show, came from a scene where they were filming the crime scene. He was wearing booties and gloves and kept them on while he ate cupcakes. It was pretty comical, and Jackie didn’t at first put two and two together -- she thought he was a germaphobe!
Rifling through Brenda Leigh Johnson’s candy drawer was also a hoot! There were Twizzlers and Reese’s PB Cups and DingDongs and Sixlets in there!
Kyra & Jackie with the cast of The Closer. And Tony Dennison's gloves..
TF: Oh, I adore that drawer! What went through your head and your heart when you won? Kyra: Holy MOLY! I just beat traditional gluten-filled cupcakes! WOW! Huge coup for gluten-free people everywhere!
TF: What was the FUNNIEST thing that happened on Cupcake Wars?
Kyra: Jackie is pretty hilarious under pressure, and we just kept a rolling banter going. One of her great quotes, “Kyra- I am sweating in places I should NOT be sweating!”
I think Jackie and I were at our most entertaining in the Madagascar 3 Cupcake Champions Episode. Neither of us had slept a wink the previous night and we were all hopped up on caffeine so the remarks flying out of our mouths were mostly nonsensical, but we were so deliciously tired that we thought it was all hysterical.
Jackie told me that she felt really behind and wanted to cry, to which I responded "I know, me too, but we don't have time. Start making some decorations. You can cry later." And she did!
TF: Were there any twists in the Champions Episodes?
Kyra: They had sprung a last minute twist on us partway through round 2: not only were we going to have to make the judge's cupcakes, but we would ALSO have to make an extra 8 dozen cupcakes and a 2 foot by 2 foot cupcake mosaic in the Madagascar 3 theme. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something inappropriate on camera! ARGH! And we finished the round with our judges cupcakes to taste and the mosaic completed, but it certainly wasn't something pretty, or that I was proud. And Jackie, being the perfectionist artist that she is burst into tears. It's really hard to present something for judging that you'd rather just throw on the floor and jump on, and she sobbed that she was sorry she lost it for us, and that it was okay if I fired her. I hugged her and said, "You did the best you could and that was a mean trick to throw at us, and I am glad to be done and we can just go home and eat M&Ms." (Side note: I don't even like M&Ms all that much! No idea why I said that)
As it happened, the judges appreciated our artistic take on the hand painted Alex the Lion, rather than a bunch of fondant shapes cut out with cookie cutters, and we went on to win the episode!
Jackie, Kyra, and Cedric the Entertainer after the Champions Win!
TF: What was the SCARIEST thing that happened?
Kyra: Just being there the very first time and not knowing if the judges were going to spit out their cupcakes and tell me that it TASTED like it was gluten-free.
TF: What was the most MADDENING thing that happened?
Kyra: My very first time on, I was decorating a sheet pan of cupcakes right before we loaded them on the display in round 3: I spun the sheetpan and dropped the ENTIRE tray of 250 cupcakes on the floor. And I knew I was on camera, so I had to remind myself not to say a swear word and not to cry!
TF: What was your FAVORITE moment of the entire experience?
Kyra: WINNING! And then Winning again!
TF: Did you make lasting relationships from the show?
Kyra: I still keep in touch with one of my producers (from the 3rd and 4th times I was on the show), and the gentleman who ultimately beat me in the all-star version, Cupcake Champions!
TF: Who was the MOST interesting person you met on all 4 shows?
Kyra: Candace Nelson fascinates me because she is such a smart business woman. And Florian is a giant teddybear (although I think he likes that people are a little afraid of his gruff exterior). And Kevin Vanderaa (the guy who edged me out of the competition during Champions) is a sweetheart and a gem.
TF: You are a great competitor. You came in 2nd on Cupcake Wars Champions after being first - TWICE. That is pretty amazing. Put that in perspective for us – from your point of view.
Kyra: My first time on Cupcake Wars, I was the runner up, after just getting out of the hospital, and after a long day of the judges raving about my baking. It was bittersweet to lose, but my competitor on the Holiday tree Lighting had a very elegant display that better suited what the judges were looking for.
My second appearance went much more smoothly, because I had a better idea of what the judges were looking for, and so I was better able to give it to them. That was The Closer episode, and I just kept on honing in on what the judges wanted to see to bring victory home on my 3rd appearance.
TF: How did it feel when the judges loved your cupcakes?
Kyra: Incredibly validating! Especially since they have eaten thousands cupcakes, and I was competing against traditional all-purpose gluteny flour cupcakes!
TF: What was the BEST compliment you received from the judges?
Kyra: Florian said of my Dark Chocolate Delight cupcake “This cupcake is the perfect chocolate cupcake. I have eaten the whole thing!” (It was a dark chocolate cake filled with dark chocolate mousse, topped with dark chocolate Italian Meringue buttercream and a ganache drizzle)
Candace told me, “I think you’re a very inspirational It-Girl for gluten-free baking. These are just delicious!”
What could be better than that?
TF: What was the worst thing the judges said?
Kyra: Well, I mentioned how Florian called me out on my overcooked Italian meringue on the Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cupcake: Candace didn’t think the ginger cream cheese frosting on the Chai Spice cupcake tasted gingery enough, but that’s a simple fix!
Europe's Most Wanted Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes
TF: How did the judging/judges for the Cupcake Champions Finale differ from the first show?
Kyra: By my 3rd and 4th appearance for Cupcake Champions, the judges acknowledged that as we were the best of the best, they were going to be more exacting and looking to be dazzled. I knew I had to pull out all the stops with both, my cupcake flavors AND the decorations, and so I filled every cupcake and layered the flavors and components and made all edible decorations for each cupcake.
I was told that no one had attempted such complicated components and pulled it off successfully—until me!
TF: That is pretty incredible, Kyra. Tell us something else that nobody knows about behind the scenes at Cupcake wars… that you are allowed to, anyway!
Kyra: Some of the assistants have never baked before! That was a mini-challenge to hurdle.
TF: Seriously! That must have been a challenge, indeed! How has your life changed since this has happened?
Kyra: Well, because of my first appearance on Cupcake Wars, I was interviewed for “Gluten-Free Living” Magazine, where I was featured alongside two gluten-free bakers who have written cookbooks for TenSpeed Press (an imprint of Random House). The editor was following up on her authors and saw my portion of the interview and contacted me, so that’s how I got the book deal, without having to get an agent. And the outpouring of support from gluten-free people across the country and shipping orders all over gave me the momentum to open a retail store. I feel very blessed that I’ve been able to do what I love day in and day out, and I attribute a lot of that to Cupcake Wars.
TF: What’s next for you, Kyra? Anything new coming up?
Kyra: I’ve been finalizing edits of my cookbook, set to be released late next summer. I’m very excited to see it finished (I’ve been working on it for nearly 2 ½ years, testing and re-testing all the recipes to make sure they’re foolproof). I’m also working on a new website, where I’ll debut different sorts of recipes, all of them gluten-free and many dairy-free or grain-free, and I’m also working on getting a few of my gluten-free and dairy-free cupcake mixes packaged and to market!
TF: If you could some up your experience in one sentence – or one word – what would that be?
Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars". Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free. Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.
About the Interviewer, Elisabeth Veltman
Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderpalate.com.
When I speak to people who are newly diagnosed with a gluten allergy, sensitivity, or celiac disease, they nearly all say, “I miss bread!” Bread has become a huge part of our food culture. The gluten in bread helps make it taste really good. It lends flavor, elasticity, and general “yumminess.” Bread is a comfort, a joy. Don’t take away my bread!! But alas, we need alternatives. With multiple allergies on the rise as well, these alternatives must be creative.
WHY “GOOD” ALLERGEN-FREE BREAD IS DIFFICULT TO FIND (AND MAKE)
Pastry Chef, Kyra Bussanich is the first Gluten-free winner of the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars.
She owns CRAVE BAKE SHOP in Lake Oswego, Oregon and is a guest writer for The Tender Palate. I asked Kyra why allergen-free bread is so tough to make:
There are three legs to fantastic baking: gluten, eggs, and sugar. Each contributes something to the texture and structure of the final product, and when you have already replaced one of the legs of the stool, it makes it more difficult to successfully swap out the remaining two legs without adversely affecting flavor or texture (or both). This is why gluten-free and egg-free baking presents such a challenge.
~Kyra Bussanich, Owner of Crave Bake Shop
The good news is that you don’t have to travel to Oregon to get your comfort on. Here are a two of my favorite breads that you can get off the shelves in your ‘hood and one of my favorite sweet bread recipes that people have been loving.
MY FAVORITE BREAD MIXES
Breads From Anna – Bread Mix (All Purpose Flour Blend)
*Free of Gluten, Yeast, Corn, Dairy, Soy, Nuts, Peanuts, Rice, and GMO
I absolutely love this bread mix. It is sensuous, tasty, and versatile. I’ve used it for open-faced sandwiches, I’ve eaten it plain, and I’ve made stuffing out of it. It is the ultimate comfort bread with or without any kind of butter. Pictured at top is Anna’s sandwich bread, which is lighter and has a bit more structure to it. The All Purpose Flour Blend is fairly dense, which I happen to like, and this is the best bean flour bread that I’ve ever tasted. A side benefit of the Breads from Anna mixes is that they are high in protein and fiber, and quite nutritious! So pay attention if you are a carbo-loader, this bread will make things happen, if you know what I mean. The mixes are easy to make, and though a bit pricey, they are totally worth it, kids.
Though Breads for Anna has not gone for certification, each ingredient is tested prior to making it to her factory. She has a completely gluten-free processing plant and does not process any of the top eight allergens in her factory.
“I have Celiac Disease and Type I Diabetes. I knew a lot of people needed this and I eat my own products. I feel a lot of responsibility to my customers. You have to be committed in this market. When I say it’s GMO-free and Gluten-free, I mean it.”
~Anna Sobaski, Owner, Breads from Anna
Chebe – All Purpose Bread Mix
*Gluten-free, can be made Dairy-free. Does not contain any rice, nuts*, dairy or yeast (see below for processing).
Oh, this bread is wonderful. It is a little crusty on the outside with a wonderfully soft, chewy texture in the middle. It lends such a nice flavor to the sandwich itself, and has a truly crave-worthy texture. I first used it as a hamburger bun and it even held the olives and the organic ketchup on the burger. No mess! I’ve since used it for chicken salad, turkey, and a BLT!
I first saw a Facebook advertisement for Chebe and was intrigued. I wrote to the company for a sample and they immediately sent me a few mixes. This was fantastic because I was able to make their products several times. I found it easier to work the bread with a little olive oil already on my hands. Kneed this dough well. It will feel like normal gluteny/yeasty dough, just a little stickier. If you do not use cheese (or even if you do) brush the top with olive oil to help it brown and add a sprinkle of sea salt to the top to round out the flavor. If you don’t use all of the resulting rolls, freeze them right away and they thaw and warm beautifully.
Though they do not test for anything but gluten (and they test to 5ppm which we love!), their mixes also do not contain a whole host of other common allergens like rice, nuts, yeast, dairy, etc. So compare your allergy needs to Chebe’s processing. Their factory line does have a separate, nut-free room, for instance, but it does not have a separate nut-free factory.
MY FAVORITE SWEET RECIPE: DUTCH CINNAMON BREAD
Copyright: Elisabeth Veltman
*Free of gluten, dairy, soy, rice, nuts, peanuts, yeast
Dutch Cinnamon Bread
This is a great recipe to make on special occasions or to bring to a brunch. It’s flavorful, and is a sweet, soft dessert bread. I find most gluten-free breads, even the good ones, to have a slight hole in the middle of the flavor. The sweet and spicy of this recipe fills that gap deliciously.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Bread Ingredients:
1 egg 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup sunflower, safflower or similar oil (a neutral oil is best, although coconut oil would work and lend a little coconut flavor) 1 cup GF teff flour 1 cup GF buckwheat flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp baking soda 1 can Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk (you need the can to include the coconut fat)
Topping / Swirling Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar 1 T. cinnamon
(In a prep bowl, mix these together and set aside.)
Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan (use the same oil you are baking with). In a food processor or mixer, beat the egg, sugar and oil together until creamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt and soda. Remove the coconut milk from the can into a bowl, and beat the fat into the rest of the milk. Add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar mixture alternatively with the coconut milk until blended. Pour 1/2 of the batter into the loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar mixture. Add the rest of the batter to the pan, and then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the top. Using a knife, swirl the sugar into the bread in a figure eight type pattern. Bake 1 hour. Cool for at least 30 min. then remove from the pan. Slice and serve. This bread freezes really well.
OTHER GLUTEN-FREE BREAD RESOURCES
Reprinted with permission from Women's Lifestyle MagazineThere is a wonderful recipe site run by Elana Amsterdam. She has Paleo Bread Recipes that I adore. They are grain-free (made with nut flours, and high protein). Find them at www.elanaspantry.com
I’m not able to eat these breads because of my specific allergies, but my readers often tout these brands:
Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery at www.rudisglutenfree.com is another that is mentioned by readers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Writer, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table. Find her at www.tenderpalate.com.
My husband and I are both avid hikers, and because we are obsessed with good food, a hike is an opportunity for a picnic. Food always tastes better when you've physically exerted yourself, but it's not necessary to travel far in order to enjoy a good picnic. A lot of public parks have free summer concerts where you can bring food and a cozy blanket and enjoy the live music.
I absolutely adore picnics! I prefer to spread a blanket out on the grass and take off my shoes and squinch up my toes in the cool grass, but in Portland it tends to rain--a lot--so sometimes we light candles and have a picnic in our living room. Because I always get so excited about the prospect of picnic dinner, I often end up overpacking and we end up with enough food for 6 people in addition to us! It's a great way to make friends (human or furry!) at parks.
Absolutely critical in our picnic dinner baskets:
Manchego or Beechers Flagship cheese
Quince paste (and a butter knife or cheese spreader)
Pears
Seedless grapes
Cold turkey breast or fried chicken (we make our own chicken using a
Combination of rice flour and erewhon corn flakes as a breading)
Kalamata olives
Baby carrots and boursin or rondele cheese
Pinot gris
Cheese board and slicer
Wine bottle opener and glasses
A Few Dairy-Free Replacements
Use roasted red pepper or garlic hummus for the baby carrots (in lieu of the boursin).
Replace the cheeses with avocado and cucumber sandwiches. Use the cukes as the "bread".
Dairy free truffle brownies(see my recipe) travel really well; just wrap them individually in waxed paper and store in a small container with firm sides, or pack them on top of the picnic basket so as you're unpacking, you can get excited about the dessert to follow the meal.
Other picnic treats that travel well: lemon bars or blackberry crumb bars, or rice crispy bars (or my favorite: peanut butter fudge rice crispy bars--the recipe will be in my upcoming cookbook). I also adore chocolate-dipped strawberries, which are super easy and don't require you to turn on the oven, which is a bonus if it is super hot out.
How to Make Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Melt good-quality chocolate in a microwave-safe container at 15 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the chocolate is smooth. Then just dip your washed and dried strawberries into the chocolate and place on waxed paper or parchment paper and let the chocolate set.
A picnic basket isn't necessary: a small cooler, open top basket or even a backpack will do!
About Kyra
Kyra BussanichKyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop, and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars". Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free. Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.
When I interviewed Kyra Bussanich, the owner of Crave Gluten Free Bake Shop, I laughed when she said that her shipping boxes were tightly wrapped and covered with bright orange "fragile" stickers. But she wasn't kidding. My box arrived like it was going to war. But when I opened it, a few tasty little friends were happily looking up at me from their crisp white bakery box. Unbroken. Unharmed. Waiting to be devoured.
Those little friends were called Peanut Butter Ring Ding Swiss Rolls and Grasshopper Mint Brownies. My inner kid was clapping.
Last December, Kyra and I discussed the bake shop's process to prevent cross contamination. Kyra knows what she is doing. There is no spelt, rye, wheat, triticale in the bakery. She sources from tested gluten-free manufacturers. I had also sent her my allergen list, so I was confident that these treats would be safe for me to eat. As I speak to more restaurant and bakery owners, I"m finding that when the owner of a foodie establishment has serious food restrictions themselves, they tend to be much more knowledgeable about food allergy practices.
Peanut Butter Ring Dings
Peanut Butter Ring Dings (forefront); Grasshopper Mint Brownie (back)
I tried the Peanut Butter Ring Dings first, partly because brownies are my favorite food of all time (wait.... no, they are pretty much my favorite food of all time) and I wanted to save them for last. I also enlisted a few non-food-allergic taste testers: my mom and my friend Val. Kyra was the first gluten-free baker to ever win Cupcake Wars, so this tasting responsibility was not to be done alone.
My mom took the first bite and exclaimed, "Oh these are amazing! These are gluten-free?" When I replied yes, she had another question, "Where are these from?" When I responded with "Oregon", she said with finality, "Oh, we are moving to Oregon."
What I appreciated most about the ring ding was that the cake was really light and fluffy. Even with the advances in gluten-free baking lately, these are two rare qualities in a gluten-free cake.
The cake and filling had also retained their moisture, even though the intended arrival was a day late (thanks Postmaster). The hard chocolate shells that surrounded each ring ding may have had something to do with that. The peanut butter, dairy-free "cream" was also light and the peanut butter taste was surprisingly delicate. I'm not used to peanut butter anything being delicate, and I liked it. The chocolate shell, however, was a little too thick to let you truly recognize the lightness of the cake and filling, so I removed half of the chocolate shell. When I did so, I could better appreciate the talent that went into the cake and the filling. Please note that this is more of an observation rather than a complaint. The peanut butter ring dings are delish.
I saved a second set of treats for the next day. They were still surprisingly fresh. I asked my friend Val stop by to get another opinion. She grew up with a celiac sister, so she has tasted many a gluten-free item, plus her taste buds are accustomed to wheat. I left off part of the shell for her first bite and she started raving and repeating the, "This is really gluten-free?" question over and over. Then she said, "Hey, where's the rest of the chocolate? Hand it over. That's mine." The ring ding, plus complete chocolate coating, was her favorite.
Grasshopper Mint Brownies
Grasshopper Mint Brownie
I have been searching for the world's best brownie ever since I popped forth from the womb. For nearly 10 years, I had also made it my mission to find the best 2 am. grilled cheese and bacon sandwich in Manhattan. With the onset of my allergies I've had to give up one search (seriously, a gluten-free, dairy-free grilled cheese is possible?), but not my quest for the best brownie.
Wheatless or not, my standards remain high. I still want the perfect mix of chewy, moist and only slightly cakey. I still want the chocolate to have depth and a nice finish. Yes, I'm serious. Chocolate is like wine. You don't want your brownie to leave you hanging.
I've tasted some very good gluten-free brownies within the last decade. BabyCakes Bakery in New York City serves a lovely brownie bite. My own brownie tart recipe, though quite rich, is one of my favorites, too. Until now.
Crave makes the best brownies I've ever tasted. The texture of the brownie itself was heavenly. Chewy, moist, just a hint of cakey - all there. The mint "cream" was a nice surprise. At first, I was unsure. There was a lot of it and I wanted just a little more brownie. So I tried the brownie alone. Perfect. I tried the mint cream alone and I was amazed at the perfect balance of fresh mint flavor. I absolutely loved the two layers together. I wanted more. Usually mint flavored baked goods have a rather fake taste to them, which I find offputting. Crave's mint, however, was fresh and satisfying. I miss that grasshopper mint brownie.
In fact, my annual birthday brownies are coming from Crave this year, and I"m going to order a bunch.
Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 1:57PM 
Kyra Bussanich (right) as she prepared to go on Food Network's Cupcake Wars. Pictured with Jackie, her lovely assistant on the show, and a manager at Kyra's Bake Shop..
BUY THE COOKBOOK!asking me questions on a deeper level about gluten-free baking. I love my job! Driving back to the shop, I return my travel planner friend's call. She's left me a message about an upcoming gluten-free cruise I'm doing, and I have time to chat and answer her questions while I head back to Lake Oswego.
Kyra Bussanich is the owner of Crave Bake Shop (now Kyra's Bake Shop), and the first gluten-free winner of the Food Network's Famed, "Cupcakes Wars". Kyra graduated with honors from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu patisserie program, which gave her a solid foundation of knowledge about classical French baking techniques which she was able to apply toward baking gluten-free. Kyra was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder when she was 20 years old. Part of staying healthy meant switching to a gluten-free diet, avoiding all wheat and overly processed foods. Whenever possible, she uses local ingredients, and serves customers with multiple allergies, as well.
