When people learn that they cannot eat gluten anymore, it can be a bit of a shock.  Among many other food staples, bread can be poised on the proverbial chopping block.  This is bad news, to say the least.  

Enter Gina Sandora, owner of Allergeena Bakery, a “micro-bakery” that she runs out of her home at 24 Grandview Avenue in South Portland.  Baking is in Gina’s blood.  She is a third generation baker who grew up turning the hand-crank to make home-style bread with her mother in their Bangor kitchen, and remains a self-described “bread-head.”  So when illness dictated that only a gluten free diet would keep her pain-free, Gina was not about to let go of her love for bread.  She began coming up with her own recipes.  

She began doing gluten-free consulting for local restaurants like Duffy’s Tavern and Grill in Kennebunk, and soon realized that restaurants were having difficulty finding fresh gluten-free bread.  After a year of research, some encouragement from her husband, and a lot of hard work, she began selling her bread just over a year ago.  She still does consulting in a more casual fashion, usually in conjunction with selling the restaurant her bread.  “I see it as added value to what I’m selling,” she said.

Business is healthy, it appears.  Gina said that the biggest obstacle she faces now is expansion.  Even with three ovens going , she is wondering when she will need to make the next step.  For now, though, Gina is not taking walk-in traffic (although she has a hard time turning people away who don’t know that) and she bakes to order.

Writing sometimes has its perks, though, so Gina graciously hosted me for “toast and tea” in her bright coral and yellow kitchen on a Friday morning.  

My previous experience with gluten-free baked goods has been limited and, frankly, left me feeling very grateful that I didn’t have to eat that way.  Bread is probably my favorite food and I am pretty picky, so I naturally was a little nervous about having to give sincere feedback to the baker.

Gina is happy and vibrant.   She’s got ponytails and a big smile and she is visibly (and understandably) proud of the line of gluten free baked goods she sells – from pizza shells to chocolate chip cookies to cinnamon raisin “bun” bread and everything in between.  

When Gina presented me with two fat slices of her “DreamaWeat” bread, her most recent creation and the bread that most resembles traditional wheat bread, I knew I wouldn’t have to feign delight.  It is soft and moist, with big airy pockets and a dark, crunchy crust.  “I want you to see what it looks like before I toast it for you,” she tells me as she proudly hands it to me.  Toasted and slathered with peach preserves, I am sold.  And after eating that, I am also pretty full.  “I baked that two days ago, believe it or not,” she says.  

But the bread keeps coming.  Fresh out of the oven is her Ryeless Rye.  This is the bread whose scent greeted me at the door – rich with molasses, cacao, onion, caraway and dill – still warm and soft in front of me.  This is delicious and filling and every bit as enjoyable as regular bread.   

While talking with Gina, she politely excuses herself to take a few business calls.  She is thrilled to receive news that Buck’s Naked BBQ in Windham is interested in buying her rolls:  “I’m going to have my buns at Buck’s Naked!” she jokes.  She speaks with a new customer who is excited to order some bread for her daughter who can’t eat gluten and she speaks with another local gluten free baker who thanks her for a baking tip that Gina gave her recently.

Gina’s customers usually come to her out of dietary necessity, and so Gina often forms a personal bond with her clientele, learning about how their illnesses have landed them in the gluten-free zone.  Gluten-free bread sold in supermarkets is typically frozen, very dense and lacks air and taste, she said.  Good quality fresh gluten-free bread is hard to find, so it is very satisfying to hear the stories of customers who can enjoy bread again.  Her website attests to that – comments galore reflect their happiness in discovering tasty products.  

While being gluten-free can be challenging, Gina has decided not to play the victim.  “It definitely takes extra planning,” she said.  And of course, dedication.  Her kitchen is strictly gluten-free, because the slightest amount of gluten could cross contaminate her products and therefore cause problems in sensitive cases, like her own.  Her slogan, “gluten-free, lucky me” sums up her positive attitude.  

“I constantly ask myself, ‘how can I make this taste like something I am used to eating?’” she said.  The hard work and recipe tweaking has been worth it.  

Gina’s breads are served at J.P.Thornton’s and Dock’s Seafood in South Portland, Clayton’s in Yarmouth and Duffy’s in Kennebunk.  Plans are also in the works for her to have loaves of bread for sale at the future Bathras market in Willard Square in South Portland. She is working on pumpernickel bread, curry-onion-apple bread and bread that tastes like stuffing that will be perfect for those Thanksgiving turkey leftovers .  She has a full menu of baked goods, and lists all the ingredients on her website.  

Loaves of bread are $8.50 each when you one loaf and you receive a discount when you buy two loaves of the same variety. ($15.90  total, saving $1.10).   The loaves are very large, though, weighing two pounds.  While that may seem like a lot of money for a loaf of bread, customers usually don’t bat an eyelash.  Good quality is worth paying for.   

Gina places another slice of thick medium –brown bread in front of me  – this time warm Anadama bread, Gina’s first and favorite gluten-free bread.  An aroma of cornmeal and molasses and a satisfying dark crust, this is hard to pass up, in spite of the fact that I am about to pop at the seams.  I have a couple of bites and save the rest for an afternoon snack.  It turns out, I never get to eat it.  While writing this, a certain hungry 5-year old appears around the corner clutching a piece of bread she pulled off the counter, and it quickly disappears.  Another satisfied customer.  
Check out the website:  http://www.allergeena.com/ and then call her to place your order: 207-671-4397.  Gina updates her baking schedule weekly and emails it to her customers.  Click  “Now Baking” on her website to see the updated list.