True Light Bakery is all gluten-free
Amy Hosier of Farragut recently started True Light Bakery this month in her home to provide all-gluten-free baked goods to the community.
“My main thing is sugar cookies, like decorated sugar cookies, so I just got some Valentine’s Day ones that I’ve made,” she said. “I’ve done a couple of baby shower cookies.
“I have cinnamon rolls, sweet breads,” Hosier added. “I’ve got a couple orders I will be doing for birthdays.”
She also does chocolate chip cookies — and “everything’s gluten free.”
Hosier chose to go gluten-free for her family.
“My youngest daughter (Sydney) was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2018,” she said. “And, my husband has an intolerance to gluten. We found out not long after” her daughter’s diagnosis.
Hosier explained celiac is an autoimmune disease, where “the gluten (a protein found in foods containing wheat) will (trigger an immune response and) actually attack your (small) intestines.
Gluten also is found in barley and rye.
“In your intestines you have villus, finger-like projections, that help absorb nutrients,” Hosier said. “What happens with celiac, is (the gluten) attacks and causes inflammation there … smooths out (the villus). You don’t absorb nutrients the way you’re supposed to.”
According to the Mayo Clinic website, over time, the reaction damages the small intestine’s lining and prevents it from absorbing nutrients, a condition called malabsorption.
“My daughter was just having a lot of stomach pains, always complaining of feeling sick,” Hosier recalled. “We thought it was nerves” but realized “something’s not right.”
At the doctor’s office, “they tested my DNA — I’m a carrier,” she said.
On the other hand, her husband has reactions like an allergy. “It’s not attacking him like it does (Sydney),” Hosier said. “He has reactions, like not feeling well.”
Still, “our whole house is gluten-free because we need to keep them safe,” Hosier said about the transition.
With gluten-free, “you have to be careful of cross-contamination,” Hosier said. “It’s like 20 parts per million can cause a reaction to celiac.”
Additionally, “I have a lot of friends and family who have celiac,” she said.
For Hosier, baking comes naturally. “I’ve been baking since I was a kid,” she said. “I’ve always loved baking and cooking. It’s always been a passion of mine.”
Hosier recalled 11 years ago, even before the celiac diagnosis, she and her husband talked about opening a bakery. But when her daughter was diagnosed, the girl feared she would no longer be able to eat foods such as Little Debbie snack cakes or Gold Fish crackers she enjoyed.
“No, that’s not true,” Hosier said. “So, I just started experimenting with different flours, different cake mixes, different things. Luckily, we’re at a day and age that (flour blends) are starting to become more readily available. Ten or 15 years ago, you had to make your own blends.”
To order Hosier’s items from True Light Bakery, visit the website, www.truelightbakery.com, e-mail to truelightbakery@gmail.com or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/truelightbakery1 or Instagram at truelightbakery
