Why Not Desserts?: Artisan Baking

I got into the alternative field of baking during the last 11 years of ownership because I had a mom who used to stop at my market booth almost every Saturday. She would buy an 8" brown box full of European and American pastries, but she would always ask if I had anything dairy and gluten free. I would answer no, but I would say, "I can certainly bake them!" Well, this went on for a few weeks or maybe longer, until she introduced me to her son. The request had a face, a 10-year-old, thin, blond, well- mannered kid and the only one of four children who could not eat dairy or gluten in her family. I felt terrible! I could no longer keep telling her the same story, so this is how I developed a full bakery menu that had alternative pastries, cakes, cookies, donuts, and breads. By the time the bakery was sold, my sales from alternative baking were around 30 percent of the total sales, and it had grown by solid word of mouth. I even had referrals from a local hospital. The book contains regular wheat and alternative recipes gluten free, egg free, dairy free or sugar free, and isintended to be used by anyone who enjoys sinking their teeth into tasty pastries, whether they choose to eat regular pastries or are required to eat alternative pastries to maintain health. My hope is that you will be able to find something for most palates or dietary needs, and my goal is to be inclusive of as many people as I can. Leave no one behind!