When Juanita Wilkins talks about earning a little bread – she’s not kidding.
Wilkins is turning the Mother of Necessity into a small business.
She said many years back, “out of necessity” she had to move away from wheat-based products. The question was, how to fill that gap.
Wilkins found she was disappointed with the taste of commercial gluten-free breads.
So, she started baking her own at home, working with different flours to create the right taste and texture.
She uses a variety of flour, depending on the baking – such as rice, tapioca, arrowroot, potato, and bean.
“Used in different combinations, you can do a number of different things when baking,” she said.
Wilkins was also instrumental in the creation of the Minto Farmer’s Market that opened this year, so it seemed only natural that she would have a booth offering some of her baking. She only intended had to offer a small sampling each week. “The response has been great,” she said.
Wilkins said it is keeping her very busy just to keep up with the demand. She is currently offering a wide selection of gluten-free products from breads to hamburger buns, and from French breads to butter tarts.
“The tarts have been a big hit.”
She generally makes between seven to eight dozen a week that are quickly sold. Her goal is when people try her baking, “They do not automatically assume it’s gluten-free.”
And because of the response, Wilkins is getting ready for the next step – her own bakery.
She hopes to open the Red Hen Bakery sometime in the coming months.
