Gluten-free baking has moved from the ‘fad’ pile to the ‘demand takeover’ pile with more gluten-free bakeries cropping up across the country. But it’s not just bread that’s the be-all-and-end-all of gluten-free baking with artisan bakeries and patisseries creating all kinds of new gluten-free treats.

Gluten-free baking has grown significantly in recent years with the total market share hitting a whopping $85.8 million AUD in 2023. This is expected to keep shooting up year on year so there’s no stopping for gluten free bakers and pastry chefs any time soon.

Gluten-free baking first became more popular when coeliac disease had its first reported diagnosis in the later 20^th century. With rising wealth and an increased supply of food, wheat-based products also increased, and people were beginning to have adverse effects to their main ingredient.

Gluten-free baking origins

From here many Australians began to adopt gluten-free or reduced wheat diets, whether they were diagnosed coeliac or not. With some saying it makes them feel less bloated and heavy and others needing to avoid wheat completely with a formal diagnosis of the disease. Following this an increase in gluten-free and wheat-free products started hitting supermarket shelves including bread, wraps, bagels and more to suit the lifestyles of now around three in 20 Australian’s who choose to consume a gluten free diet with a self-reported ‘intolerance’.

While the increase of gluten-free products in stores was welcomed, café culture and traditional patisseries were something many gluten intolerant consumers had to miss out on. This began to shift, however, and continues to shift in a more inclusive and positive direction. There are now many gluten-free bakeries across the country. Some solely making gluten-free breads and basic baked goods and others with a more specialised craft creating delicious, traditional gluten-free items such as croissants and pain au chocolat.

Although the product speaks for itself from most bakers and pastry chefs, running an exclusively gluten-free business does offer some alternative challenges. With different ingredients, different markets, specialised customer demands as well as diverse competition, selling gluten-free items isn’t entirely smooth sailing.

Mastering the gluten-free baking craft

Sebastien Syidalza from Sebastien sans Gluten

French pastry chef and owner of Sébastien Sans Gluten in Sydney, Sébastien Syidalza, understands all too well the struggles selling gluten-free items brings but also how rewarding it is.

Creating unique gluten-free treats including classic croissants, pain au chocolats, Paris-brest as well as some Aussie classics including sausage rolls and pies, his methods come from years of training and perfecting his craft.

“I’m trying to get to something that hasn’t been done in gluten-free or [for] people that either have been diagnosed recently and for people that have never had the chance to try it in their life because they’ve been diagnosed early,” Sébastien said.

“How I think about it is like ‘okay, can I use this? Can I make this? Is that possible? Yeah? Okay, let’s try’ and it worked.”

Sébastien offers a weekly special of a completely different pastry from the last each week so everyone has the opportunity to try all kinds of pastries but in gluten-free form really finding his sweet spot (pun intended) in the market.

After a bit of a false start with COVID-19 in opening his store, Sébastien has since successfully delivered unique gluten-free pastries for two years. Although the initial challenge of COVID-19 would be enough to put anyone off, Sébastien says he then also faced issues initially with the pricing of his products and the fallout that COVID-19 brought for selling price as well.    

“After COVID it’s like people had to get back all they lost before, which means that everything is out of reach anyway… if they did think, okay, I can’t go this week, it’s too expensive, at the end of it, I’m not able to pay my bills, because I can’t sell product. 

“But when I do what I love at some point, I hope it will pay off and I will be able to find a way to make it more affordable for me to make and more affordable for customers to buy.”

It’s no surprise, however, that Sébastien has customers returning again and again with the quality of his product and the effort that he puts into his work. Having won multiple silver and bronze awards at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show in 2023 for his pastries, Sébastien beat out non gluten-free pâtissiers and bakers with his finely curated products and the dedication he has to his craft.

“[Customers] are going to work in the morning, they see me in the kitchen, they come back from work in the evenings, the see me in the kitchen. They can see how much input I’ve got into that shop and into my product. 

“At some point, they [customers] realise that whatever the price is, is worth it. It might not be in [everyone’s] wallet to say, ‘I’m going take 10 pastries today’, but you can still afford to have one or two to have a good try.”

While some bakers find their flow in traditional pastries, others have branched out and found their niche that strays from the pack in a creative way.

Ken Chia is the owner of Butter Mafia, a gluten-free patisserie and bakery that sell unique gluten-free dessert bars. You can find some interesting characters among their dessert bars from the ‘Mob Wife’—a chocolate mud cake with raspberry pâte—or ‘The Secretary’—a burnt butter cheesecake, both entirely gluten-free.

Ken said it was through making cakes for his friends and then expanding out from there that he found success in his gluten-free baking—all while practising as a lawyer. It was lots of trial and error, trying new things and practise that helped him perfect his craft. 

“They don’t teach what we do in pastry school. So, with new chefs coming in, we need to train them up, but also, we have to find our own resources. And a lot of it has to be trial and error on our part,” Ken said. 

Although Ken has had great success with his products it has come with some challenges. He outlined that with the cost-of-living crisis it creates limitations not only on the cost of goods but also people being willing to spend the money on the product, but the experience they get far outweighs cost.

“[The] crazy increases in cost of ingredients and the cost of goods, it’s everywhere. Everything has gone up, and everyone’s feeling it,” he said.

“[Customers] tell us outright, ‘hey, we come in, we treat ourselves so, I’m absolutely happy to save up and come to you guys because it’s an experience’.” 

Sweet pastry from Sebastien sand Gluten

Creating a unique experience for customers who cannot eat gluten is something that many gluten-free pastry chefs offer alongside their products. For those who are diagnosed coeliac, they understand the value in a quality product and good service making them willing to spend whatever is necessary to get it. This is something that can set a business in good stead for the long-term bringing loyal customers back again and again like Ken and Sébastien’s customers.

“We do get something out of our coeliac and gluten free customers who come to us and go, thank you so much for making this and saying to us ‘your products are beautiful, I haven’t been able to have one of these for the last 10 years’,” Ken says.

While choosing to produce gluten free products offers up many challenges it offers just as many rewards. Finding your niche and refining a product that your customers will resonate with—in taste and experience—can set you up for the long haul as a business owner and baker or pastry chef. Whether you want to find a new twist on a traditional pastry or find your own unique style, there are plenty of ways to do gluten free for your customers.

Gluten free baking business tips

Focus on the consistency  

From a technical standpoint, gluten-free baking products remove some binding elements that you would find in standard flours. Finding the appropriate binding agent for your products as well as the perfect consistency is key to balanced flavour and texture. Sebastien outlines that, “Because different types of flours require more water than others the result again would not be the same. You can have a recipe you try to adapt using gums to match what you would have on the gluten side. But if the moisture is not met, things can go quick.”  

Trial and error 

Although there are some resources for gluten-free baking out there, finding the right balance for your specific product needs takes time and a lot of trial and error. Ken outlined that he likes the challenge—as frustrating as it can be—but it isn’t a simple swap-out every time.

“With a lot of them, you can’t just swap it out. So, the gluten does play a really important role in giving us flexibility in terms of giving it structure and all that. So, we have to [find] other ways to do that, or we have to figure out alternatives.”

Find your niche 

You can find plenty of cakes, biscuits and other goods that are gluten free in supermarkets and other bakeries. You may see an orange and almond cake or a gluten-free macaron, but it’s finding a unique item that stands aside from the rest. Although Sebastien creates a traditional French style of pastry, he has honed his craft and continues to innovate and create something new each week.

“Try to be different. The thing is, today, if you look at what we sell in gluten free, a lot of people they sell orange poppyseed cake, they sell carrot cake, they sell donuts… people deserve more than what’s already on the market.”

Gluten free binding alternatives

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is a popular food additive that’s often added to foods as a thickener or stabiliser. It is created when sugar is fermented by a type of bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris. When sugar is fermented, it creates a broth or goo-like substance, which is made solid by adding an alcohol. This can be used as an alternative to gluten to bind ingredients and replicate the processes gluten does when cooked. 

Guar gum 

Guar gum is also called guaran and comes from the legume called a guar bean. When water is added it creates a goo-like paste that can be used as a binding agent in gluten free baking. It is used in many products like ice cream, yoghurt, soup, cheese and many more. 

Chia Seeds 

Similarly, to how chia seeds expand and create a slimy consistency when water is added, can they be added to baking processes. Chia seed flour is used as a binding agent for baking and is relatively popular and they also contain more health benefits such as added fibre and plant-based calcium.