Over the years I’ve noticed the gluten free diet becoming not just a dietary necessity for those with gluten intolerance, but a lifestyle choice for many. A trend has started, and it’s one we hope will stick around because Celiacs are rejoicing in the vast array of products now available.
6 years ago it was a real challenge to eat out. I spent many dinners out grumpily forking my salad while my friends noshed into their mouth-watering, gluten laden dishes. I played it cool like it wasn’t a big deal, I was doing my body a favour and who needed all that bread anyway? But who was I kidding!
Fast forward to present day, where nearly anything can be made gluten-free. Pizza? No problem. Sandwiches? Everywhere. Pasta? Even the fancy Italian restaurants offer it! I’ve found chicken nuggets, empanadas, perogies, chicken pot pies, angel food cake, you name it. It has become a hobby if not an obsession to locate all the gluten free goodness available in the city. And there is a lot of goodness to be found!
Someone once asked if you could eat gluten again, what would be the first thing you would eat? Not too long ago I could spout off a list faster than you could blink an eye. But now I’d have to say I’m pretty satiated with all the options out there. Anything I can’t find, I make. But then one day it came to me. One thing that just doesn’t seem to exist is a freshly made, gluten-free donut. Yes, pre-packaged, frozen options are out there. But we’re talking about the real deal here. And so the hunt began. A few weeks of research and poking around town only led to dead ends, but I wasn’t about to give up so easily. I could already picture the tender pastry, and taste the honey sweet glaze on my tongue. Yet dedication and anticipation didn’t bake these donuts. My hopes were dashed.
Some say love will find you when you stop looking for it. This was certainly true for my search of a fresh baked gluten free donut. An unassuming stop into Discovery Coffee during a stroll through Oak Bay Village turned into a jubilant day. Sitting right there at the end of the bakery display was a row of fresh baked, perfectly formed French crullers, so fresh that you worried the pastry would collapse if you looked at it too long. They seemed so plump, so sticky, and oh so doughy – I had to double check they were in fact gluten free. (Yes!) I tried to contain my excitement as I ordered and rushed home to photograph this masterpiece before indulging. I kept sneaking peaks along the half our walk home. It looked too good to be true. I felt my four year old self returning, just like that time I found myself alone with the birthday cake. Needless to say, temptation won. And it was heavenly.
