Teresa, this bread is so good even after making major screw ups. Decided to try it in the bread machine on dough cycle with baking in the oven. Just as I was preparing to drain the fruit and add it, I found out a person I'd contacted about getting some fertile chicken eggs from to set under my broody hen had six for me. Out of show quality roosters and for free. And he said come and get them now. The bell rang for the addition of the drained fruit and nuts. I knew I hadn't drained the fruit enough, but I was in a hurry. Took off and halfway to my destination realized the dough cycle would be over a good while before I'd get back home. Sorry, but I really wanted those special eggs. The guy showed me all his show birds and got a lot of info from him. By the time I got back home I think the dough cycle had been done for two hours. I had a very wet dough that had risen in the pan then collapsed. Oh well, try to save it. Dumped it out on a liberally floured surface and kneaded in more flour, put it in the pans and let it rise. It did rise a little over the top of the pans.Tried my best and stuck it in the oven. It came out at 25 minutes completely done and beautiful except I didn't get the fruit and nuts distributed well. I've already eaten nearly half a loaf. Love it! Next time I think I'll add more cinnamon, follow the recipe on draining the fruit and not running out in the middle of it to get fertile eggs. Madonna

I can't tell by your post if your husband has undergone screening to see if indeed he is a celiac. One doesn't "get there". It's a genetic issue and there is a blood test that will help with the determination of celiac. But, the catch is you have to be eating normally, with all the gluten stuff found in normal diets. I had biopsies but couldn't do the blood test. It was decided I am gluten sensitive because of the lack of blood testing. Whateverm the treatment is the same. Avoidance of the offending food. And it's EVERYWHERE! Originally I gave up gluten in an effort to help my thyroid. Wheat can aggravate autoimmune issues. The quick result was I could move easier and I just felt overall better. More recent results show really positive improvements with my thyroid and autoimmune markers. Yay. Not so yay for lipids but that is a work in progress. I have been GF for 8 years. I mention all this because it's forever and I know I don't look at food the same as before I made the change. Thinking back, I had this problem forever but it presented without any gastro issues. You may need to find a really good Gasteroenterologist and nutritionist. Celiacs and gluten sensitive people can become deficient in certain nutrients, for instance, B Vitamins. All our grains are fortified. If you eliminate them, you probably will need to supplement in a different way. I am an avid cook and baker. I have converted many recipes but it's very tricky because of chemistry. Sometimes, it's just easier to not eat it instead of being dissapointed. I have many web sites that offer gluten free recipes. For instance, chinese food is out of the question because of soy sauce. But Tamari sauce can be the basis for making my own teriaki sauce. So now I have several Asian inspired recipes. Italian, same thing. I buy rice pasta or use Spaghetti squash. I use oatmeal in my meatballs, Grind it in your food processor, blender. Then measure the same way. Just check it's not too wet or dry and adjust accordingly. Cooking takes longer and requires planning. I would suggest 14 main course recipes and rotate them every two weeks. Have a file of things you might like to try and sub them in the rotation for variety. I always keep homemade soup for lunches and one dinner. You can't go wrong with a protein and veggies. America's Test Kitchen " How can it be gluten free cookbook" is a definite winner. They give you a recipe to make your own all purpose flour. Every recipe I have tried has been wonderful, complete with pie crusts and making bread. All recipes website has many GF recipes to choose from. Gluten Free Girl and The Chef just published a book of classics remade to be gluten friendly. I have made many of their recipes with good success. Last year at Thanksgiving we were invited to relatives house. I volunteered to bring sides and desserts ( so I could eat). I even made awesome gravy and green bean casserole. There was one actualy celiac, just recently diagnosed. I think she posted a pic on facebook of this pumpkin cheesecake " slice ", like half the cake. The whole afternoon she kept coming over and asking me if she could eat all this food. She was amazed. It looked just like a normal Thanksgiving table. All it takes is time, Planning, Preparedness and a lot of work. Believe me, I am already thinking about it! Don''t look at this as what your family can't eat but as a way to make really good healthy food choices. Take your grocery store flyer and use it to plan your meals. Double up certain things, like meatballs or meatloaf so you have something in the freezer for those nights when things are crazy. Brown Rice tortillas make a decent base for individual pizzas. Test Kitchen book has a good pizza crust recipe, but it requires planning. Oatmeal: Bob's Redmill GF old fashioned oatmeal. My grocery has it in the special section for GF items. The nut allergy isn't that uncommon but does make things more difficult. You may be able to get a crust with a rice flour mixture, corn flakes or potato chips. Ghee is another option for oil/fat. It's cooked to remove the dairy solids. Many people with dairy issues can tolerate ghee. Gluten free breads are dry by chemistry nature. You won't find a prepared one that is soft and has that nice mouth feel UNLESS you make it. That will get you close but still, it's different. And it will only last that day and then you will need to freeze your bread. I have Udi's in the freezer for those times when I need it. Rudi's is also fine for me. I do find that if I am preparing a sandwich, I very lightly toast it so that it will hold together. Gluten is the glue that holds the bread together. Without it, the bread will sort of fall apart. Gluten free plain bagels make awesome croutons to go on top of GF Clam Chowder or Potato soup. If he is eating out, he can always order sort of al a carte, a protein and veggie or salad. BTW, salad dressing is dangerous. I find the only thing I can tolerate is a vinagerette. Just stick to really clean, plain food. Seasonings can be another landmind area. BTW, if you are out, tell your waiter you have food allergies. Most restaurants now have a menu just for that. I visited friends near Disney world. I only had to ask IF they had a GF menu and the chef came out to personally take my order. Disney really gets this and is so helpful. But, always ask if you are out. Don't assume it will be okay. One of my local restaurants has chili on Saturday. One would think Chili would be okay. NOT! Ask, don't assume. A celiac may or may not have a gastro issue but silently there is damage going on in the gut. For me, I am sick for days, yet no positive test. I guess the best thing is you and your family are not alone. This is more of an issue than most people would think. Start slow with just one recipe. Try to get him involved. He can't be GF just at home. Life is about choices and he needs to know how to make them. And read every label. Just because it was fine the last time you bought it doesn't mean they didn't change the formula. Shop off times, like late at night or early morning so you can read without interruption. Whole foods has a "class" where they take you around the store to show you options. A nutrionist might do the same thing. It's all so overwhelming, I know. I remember when I could eat whatever I wanted. I could go to any restaurant. No more Now I have food anxiety, geesh. It's a really good thing I like to cook otherwise I might starve or be broke from buying GF food which is always so much more expensive than the comparable non GF food. And they say it's just a fad. Wll, that just makes my blood pressure go up. Thank heavens wine is GF. BTW, liquor can be a problem so you want distilled like some Vodkas and it goes without saying normal beer is out of the question but there are some GF beers out there. Then there would be those who would say, why bother??? LOL! Best to you and yours!

Please, let me know how your bread turned out. Because I make so many breads to sell weekly I buy my flours at a nearby co-op in bulk - like 25# and 50# bags, xanthan by the ounce, fresh baking powder, almond meal, dry milk powder, and yeast in bulk, plus dried fruit, chocolate, nuts and honey, etc. They do offer on-line sales, you don't have to be a member to order, no minimums, and have thousands of products. The Grain Mill Grocery Cooperative www.grainmill.com; you can pick up in Wake Forest NC or Myerstown PA, or have it delivered to you. You may want to check locally for food co-ops or call your County Extension Agent. You might be surprised to find one quite close to you. Another on-line store I like is Barry Farm Foods (www.barryfarm.com). You can buy some of their products on Amazon but going to their website to order is less expensive and much more comprehensive. You can buy a huge variety of flours in 1# or discounted 5# bags but they also have an abundance of cooking and baking ingredients, and all gluten free things are clearly marked and verified. When you buy cornstarch locally check the price per pound. The fancy yellow plastic packaged containers cost $1.59 to $2.39 per pound - for the same stuff as the plain white box off brand box for $1 at my local grocery store. It pays to check prices on everything gluten free because it is a "fad" so a lot of places have inflated their prices. I'd be cautious buying from stores like Trader Joe's, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods. Yes, the things are available but I find prices quite high relatively, so even if I buy on-line and pay shipping it's cheaper, especially if you buy in larger quantities than the little 22 ounce pre-packaged bags. GF flours keep a very long time, unlike wheat flour, so buying in bulk saves you money, and you know you are going to use it in the near future. A little advice for storage - buy some good food-grade storage containers for your bulk flours. The disposable Glad, Rubbermaid, Zip-lock, Hefty bags and boxes, even plastic wrap and freezer boxes breathe. Pantry pests can get in along with oxygen that degrades them quickly. Containers that are rigid plastic, or glass, that are noted as air-lock and/or spill proof are best - Snapware, Glasslock, Pyrex, Cambro, even my favorite - Mason jars. For big quantities I use food grade 5 and 7 gallon buckets with very tight lids from the restaurant supply store, where you can also buy good smaller storage containers. Never use your vacuum sealer bags to store flours or other loose ingredients - they make them taste and smell funny. Using the sealer on Mason jars is a better option to remove the air in the jar. Nancy

I'm BAAAACK! Thanks so much for your many good ideas and links. And, yes, I'm thinking more of a grainy, nutty, seedy bread with _some_ softness and some bits of seed/nut and dried ginger or bits of tart dried fruit, but not too much. I thought that I'd never escape Verizon Customer Service Con-Fusion Hell. Now, a neighbor is caught up in their Rabbit Hole machine. Pray for her. (I mean, put down your spatulas, get on your knees, and really pray.). She told me she'd lost her Internet and TV; I offered that was because Verizon gave them to me. Now it's her turn to speak with Any-Which-Way call centers -- all with conflicting advice and opinions and no one overseeing things or lending cohesion to the proffered "information." For about a week I could only get Internet access via an old "smart" phone and slow 4G. And the phone working memory space is lean. Then (now, still) my arm is sore. I think I lifted something a tad (x25) too heavy. My biceps deltoid hoopalongacepts muscle-tendon whatchamacallit is crazy painful. Even reaching for a cup of coffee, or reaching around behind me (for remote) is painful. And today is already too hot for me (Iceland and Northern California sound great). Back to bread (finger typing with sore arm, so please excuse errors): Some of you suggestions look really good. With my sore arm muscle, I truly might need to resort to a bread machine or Kitchenaid with dough hook. For the past year, I've been experimenting with my "lazy-busy-sore-hand" pizza dough recipe: I pretty much follow the Bob's Red Mill Artisan flour recipe for pizza dough, but make it a bit wetter. Then I let it rise at cool room temperature or fridge temp inside a thinly coated EVOO poly bag. When it rises to ~ double, I stretch/fold over the dough. After about 24-38 hours, I use it for pizza dough. Someday, I hope to learn Ann-T's recipe and technique. However, I want to try and not consume too many simple carbohydrates (the type that quickly raise one's blood glucose). I am a lover of things like pies, pastries, breads and cakes, but I am no longer 18, so must pay attention to what I eat. In another week or so, I will try either using my Kitchenaid with dough hook or the bread machine (ack) to make some multi-grainy, nutty-seedy bread. I will report back on how it goes (but don't want to bore the many accomplished bakers here). April was cold, snow, rain and wet. Then I had paper work to take care of. I never got much of anything planted, and now it's very hot (for me) in interior New England. My body hates heat and humidity and is _not_ supposed to be in this climate. Cornwall would be better ;-) Our garden rhubarb is ready and is even starting to bolt. Maybe I can find a way to make a few rhubarb dishes that won't send my body's blood sugar into sustained hyperdrive. I've not gotten any our our rhubarb for three years -- always some volcano, flash flood, or "other" to grab my time. Maybe I can freeze some and use some for a smart tart (galette) or bars.