Okay, so today I wanna yap about my gluten-free bread label adventure. Buckle up, it’s a ride.
First off, I started baking gluten-free bread ’cause my tummy was always angry after regular bread. Figured, “Hey, how hard can it be?” Famous last words, right?
So, I baked my first loaf. It looked… edible. Tasted kinda like sadness mixed with cardboard, but hey, it was gluten-free! Then I thought, gotta slap a label on this thing if I wanna share it with my pals. That’s where the fun really began.
I jumped online, trying to figure out what the heck to put on this label. Saw the words “gluten-free” everywhere. Cool, slapped that on there. But then I remembered seeing some stuff online, something about PPM. What even IS PPM?
Did a bit more digging and found out that to call something “gluten-free,” it needs to have less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. Okay, now we’re talking. How the heck do I even test for that? I’m no scientist!
Realized I couldn’t actually test my bread myself without some fancy lab equipment I definitely don’t have. So, I decided to be super careful with my ingredients. Double-checked everything to make sure it was certified gluten-free. Flour, baking powder, even the freaking salt. You never know!
On the label, I put a disclaimer thing. Something like: “Made with gluten-free ingredients, but not tested for gluten content.” Kinda covered my butt, ya know?
Next up was the ingredients list. That part was actually kinda fun. Listed everything out nice and neat. Gluten-free flour blend (rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch), sugar, yeast, xanthan gum… the whole shebang.
Then came the nutrition facts. Ugh. Had to figure out calories, fat, carbs, protein… Used one of those online calculators. Hope it’s accurate!
Finally, I added a “Best By” date. Figured a week was a safe bet. Gluten-free bread doesn’t exactly last forever, you know?
Stuck that label on my sad-looking but technically gluten-free bread. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. And hey, at least I tried to do it right. Learned a bunch about gluten-free labeling, that’s for sure. Maybe next time, it’ll even taste good!
- Ingredients: Gluten-free flour blend, sugar, yeast, xanthan gum, salt, water, etc.
- “Gluten-Free” Disclaimer: Made with gluten-free ingredients, but not tested for gluten content.
- Nutrition Facts: Calories, fat, carbs, protein (estimated).
- Best By Date: One week after baking.
Lessons Learned
Gluten-free labeling is more complicated than it looks! Always double-check your ingredients and be honest about what you can (and can’t) guarantee. And maybe invest in a better recipe next time…