King Arthur Returns! (To my diet, 1 March 2010)

Just a few weeks ago Hubs asked me if King Arthur flour had any gluten free baking mixes and I said no, but I wouldn't be suprised if they were working on it. Imagine my delight when I discovered that, lo and behold, as of March 1, they are launching a whole line of gluten free flours and mixes! Thanks, King Arthur!

In case you can't read that super-fine print, the forthcoming lineup includes mixes for:

• Multi-Purpose Flour (and there is NO BEAN FLOUR in it. YES!)
• Pizza Crust
• Brownies
• Cookies
• Bread
• Pancakes
• Muffins
• Chocolate Cake

Also, they'll be offering potato starch, tapioca flour, and rice flour in individual bags. That's quite an impressive array of products to begin with. Hopefully they will succeed and keep offering these products!

I'm very excited about this announcement, though the prices look a bit steeper than I like (~$7/mix). Still I intend to try the mixes and see how they compare to both gluten-filled varieties and the gluten free ones I've made (from scratch and mixes). I'm especially excited about the Multi-Purpose mix.
Most of all, though, I'm thrilled that one more main, staple brand has begun offering a gluten free line (following in the footsteps of, most notably, General Mills). To me this is a sign of the greater awareness of gluten intolerance and how many people there are who need to eat this diet, as well as others who have made it their preference. It's also a sign of recognition that gluten free food isn't (and doesn't have to be) weird and gross tasting. And, I'm delighted that for those who don't suffer from gluten intolerance, and don't quite know what to do with those of us who do (and who don't know what to feed us), there will be even more easily accessible products in the "normal" aisle of the grocery store, from a "normal" company.

King Arthur's says, "We wanted to create gluten-free mixes that would not only meet the same high standards we apply to all of our product in terms of flavor and texture, but also reflect the highest standards of gluten- and allergen-free certification."

King Arthur's GF product announcement got me curious and I started poking around their site. I was thrilled to find that they also have a blog and recipes, and that among them some gluten free ones (probably will have more with this new line of products).  These scrumptious looking Brazilian Cheese Buns are going on my list of recipes to try soon!

For more info and tidbits about this new array of products, there's a good article here.

Looks like "particular" gluten free housewives can continue to use King Arthur flour!