faq's

Why bake Gluten-Free?
What do you use instead of wheat flour in your baked goods?
Many companies claim to make the best-tasting products. How do we know Stowe Meadows Bakery products are as great as you claim they are?
Are your products really made by hand?
What is the shelf life of your products?
Do your products contain preservatives or additives?
Where can I find Stowe Meadows Bakery products?

Why bake Gluten-Free?

Caroline, one of our founders, was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (allergy to gluten and wheat) several years ago. Caroline's diagnosis came several years after several of her sisters and brother were diagnosed. Everyone's symptoms are somewhat different, but all five children had to remove wheat, gluten and in some cases, dairy, from their diets. As they all discovered, this is not an easy thing to do!

One of the most difficult aspects of gluten-free eating is finding great-tasting, freshly baked items like breads, cakes, freshly made pasta noodles, etc. "Each of us lives in a different part of the US. From North Carolina to Texas to Vermont, we have forwarded websites to each other, we have even mailed one another food samples and shared baking ideas to try to find a product that tastes "normal" and doesn't crumble", said Caroline.

Finally, like many people who have food allergies, Caroline started baking her own gluten-free breads and cakes. She shared them with family and friends and the new products were served at Stowe Meadows, a new Bed & Breakfast Inn in Stowe, VT. "When our neighbors, customers and friends said, "This is the best chocolate cake I've ever had", we started wondering if we really could make gluten-free foods that were just as good, if not better, than the gluten-filled counterparts we had grown up with." Why not?

And so, in 2005, we started selling Gluten-Free and Wheat-Free baked goods to our customers at the Inn. We branched out to a few local coffee shops and small grocers......and now, we are thrilled that you have found our new Web Store!

Our gluten-free idea has now spread beyond baked goods. We have introduced gluten-free, hand-crafted goat's milk soap at our Inn and Gluten-Free trail mix.

Several of our customers requested gluten-free bath products, so we partnered with our neighbor Bunny, who makes her own goat's milk soap right here in Morrisville, Vermont. She makes a few fragrances just for our Inn, and we're happy to pass along those terrific, gluten-free and wheat-free soaps to you!

Trail mix is a Stowe Meadows original creation. Many of our guests are hikers, bikers, and come to Stowe for the outdoor activities. They asked about "snack" foods that were high in nutrition, easy to carry and tasted great. We have introduced our new Meadows Trail Mix and are excited about this brand new offering.

What do you use instead of wheat flour in your baked goods?

We started our baking business using gluten-free, organic mixes that we created by combining existing commercial mixes. We found that, while many ready-made mixes are good, none had the taste and texture that we were looking for. We started experimenting with our own mixes and have found that combining rice flours (brown and white), corn and tapioca flour with potato & corn starches, we are able to achieve the best baking results.

Many companies claim to make the best-tasting products. How do we know Stowe Meadows Bakery's products taste as great as you claim they do?

We take a somewhat unscientific approach to taste testing.   Some companies have famous chefs taste and comment on their baked goods......other companies have blind tastings pairing gluten-filled and gluten-free items.

At Stowe Meadows Bakery, Julia and Hannah (the owner's daughters), are the chief taste-testers.   Julia is 13 and Hannah is 10....and they are both tough customers!
When they both give a "thumbs up" on a recipe, we know we have passed the first hurdle. We also send treats to school in lunch and snack bags. When we get orders to send more for sharing with friends at school, we move to "phase 2 testing".   The new products are added to the menu at the Stowe Meadows Inn (the couple's Bed & Breakfast in Stowe, VT). Customers try new items and the ones that are the most popular are added to our national on-line menu.

Some items are "seasonally" available. We bake them only at a specific time of year based on the availability of local ingredients. But all of our menu items have been tested by our customers and all have been declared "better than with gluten!"

Are your products really made by hand?

All products available from Stowe Meadows Bakery are handmade in small batches. We often make product to order, meaning, we don't freeze or store product in anticipation of an order. We make the products daily based on our orders received from our website, local stores and based on what our customers at the Inn request.

We roll all of our rum balls by hand (just like GrandMama Kat used to). We do not use commercial bakery space and we do not mass produce. We focus on a few items and we select and measure our ingredients ourselves. Every batch will have slight variations in texture or color, but all will be to our exacting standards.

What is the shelf life of your products?

All of our baked products will stay freshly baked for about 7-10 days when kept in an airtight container. You may want to place items in your refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy them.

All of our products freeze extremely well and can be kept in your freezer for several months. Simply remove the items from your freezer, allow them to thaw in your refrigerator or on your counter and enjoy!

Do your products contain preservatives or additives?

No, our products do not contain preservatives or additives. They are also free of hydrogenated oils.

Where can I find Stowe Meadows Bakery products?

Stowe Meadows Bakery products are available nationwide from our website. In Vermont and New Hampshire, they can be found in select specialty stores. For retail outlet information, please see where to find us.