[chrissie B]

i am having a problem with flour , i love to bake and dabble in to bread baking but every time i use flour i get what i call a flour cold , itchy nose and running  and if i do a lot of baking a pain in the temple , anyone got a solution or a pill to get around this      
Chrissie b
also if mabel's out there , do you get this with Greek flour as i was OK till i got here .

[Trillium]

Not sure if its the same symptoms for celiac disease, a severe allergy to wheat and all related products. Definitely sounds like you've got an allergy to it so it might be wise to get properly tested to see if it is indeed celiac. If it is and you keep eating wheat, it gets brutal down the line.

[chrissie B]

dont have a problem eating just the cooking part.
chrissie b

[Trillium]

It can still be an allergy. I don't eat grass or dust but have the same symptoms you do, so its worth getting checked and a professional recommendation for prevention. Yours can be more specific than mine which is decongestants, eyedrops and loads of tissues.

[chrissie B]

i get cold like symptoms and lotts of chesty stuff ,itchy throat lasts all day and then its gone .
chrissie b

[Trillium]

yep, so do I. Either don't work with what aggravates the condition or get allergy meds for it.

[chrissie B]

can't not use flour , how will i make cake , i think i will get a builders mask although they steam my glasses up and in this heat my head might shrink  
Chrissie b

[Trillium]

   

[jennyb]

what about trying other types of flour chrissie?  to see if that does make any difference?

 can you get hold of speciality flours like rice, gluten free, potato flour etc etc?  

of is it just the dust factor?  i mean does it happen with icing sugar for instance?

[Poolfield2]

I have substituted organic spelt flout for all my baking needs (although the bread is a bit of a challenge) and am much better but it's no help for celiac as it still contains gluten. I must admit that it's not handling it that gives me probs it's eating it.

[monkeybum]

Sounds more like an allergy in the mucus membranes of the nose etc like hayfever than coeliac. I am coeliac and when I eat flour based products I feel like I have been kicked in the stomach, that and throw up everywhere. Are you allergic to dust etc? May be worth going to somwhere like Holland and Barrett and getting a food alergy testing done. If it is a wheat based thing try Doves gluten free flour instead its pretty good, you just need to add baking powder if you want self raising etc. The results aren't the same as wheat flour but are pretty good nonetheless.

[Poolfield2]

Monkeybum do you just use your normal recipes and substitute Doves wheat free flour? When I tried that I ended up with the recipe for bricks

[monkeybum]

You can do but you need more liquid with the gluten free stuff. It took me a whole year to get a victoria sponge recipe that you couldn't bounce off the walls but it is possible. If its for cakes I use the plain cake recipe on the back of the Doves pack and re-jig it to suit (add coco etc). If its bread I am afraid I make my own, the shop bought stuff is like cardboard. It makes reasonable short crust pastry aswell though so at least I can have pastry if I really want it.

[Poolfield2]

Thanks, I'll persevere, friend gave me a bread recipe that works ok as long as I eat it with marmite or jam to disguise the taste but texture is fine.