Here at Manoosh we are all about offering a diverse menu that anyone can enjoy. Aside from our delicious vegetarian and vegan items, we offer a gluten-free option for our entire range of delicious pizzas.
What Is Gluten?
Gluten is a family of proteins that are found in grains such as rye, wheat, oats, spelt and barley. Gluten is an important constituent of dough as its viscoelastic properties help give it elasticity when uncooked. It also helps dough rise when in the oven and gives it a chewy texture when eaten. It basically acts as the glue that holds dough together.
Gluten is common in many things we eat everyday, mainly due to the use of wheat, barely and rye as the base for many foods.
Wheat is used to make a huge amount of staple foods across the world, including bread, pasta, soup, baked food, cereals, sauces. Barley is used in a number of common foods and beverages too including malt, food colouring, some soups and beer. Rye is less common but is still used to make cereals, bread and even whisky.
Although gluten is present in many grains we use to make flour (particularly wheat) there are some grains that are gluten-free such as sorghum, millet, brown rice, buckwheat, wild rice, amaranth, quinoa, (polenta) and teff.
Is Gluten Bad For You?
Gluten often gets a bad wrap because it can cause some health issues in certain people. These people are known as gluten-intolerant or gluten-sensitive. The negative reaction to gluten is due to an abnormal immune response when breaking it down during digestion.
The most common form of gluten-intolerance is celiac disease. When someone with celiac disease consumes gluten, it triggers a reaction in their intestines that can cause issues with being able to absorb vital nutrients.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is another condition exacerbated by gluten. Gluten is very high in starch and sugars that can be fermented by bacteria present in the gut causing stomach cramps and other issues.
Some people also have wheat allergies, but they aren’t necessarily set off by gluten.
What Is Gluten-Free Pizza?
Our gluten-free pizzas use a special type of dough that won’t cause any issues for our gluten-sensitive or gluten-intolerant customers.
Gluten-free pizzas use a dough that does not contain any products from grains like wheat, rye or barley. Instead, gluten-free flour is made from things like rice, teff, tapioca, sorghum, potato starch, buckwheat and garbanzo – none of which contain gluten! Xanthan gum is commonly used as a binder to replicate the viscoelastic properties of gluten; this makes the dough nice and elastic!
There are many gluten-free flour options out there. We use a superior blend that makes excellent dough – perfect for our pizza bases.
If you don’t eat gluten and are looking for somehwhere in Sydney that makes excellent gluten-free pizza, look no further than Manoosh. Simply order from us online or drop by and see us in person and ask for the gluten-free option – we guarantee you will not be disappointed.