Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Bangert.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Before I was a baker, I was a mathematician. I held a position as a published researcher and tenure-track professor, studying in the field of combinatorics. But a few short years into my career, my health began to degrade rapidly. I had to sit on a stool to get through my lectures. I was fatigued and always unwell. I left my position and was ultimately diagnosed with POTS, and later celiac disease.
I was so grateful to have a diagnosis, and my health has improved dramatically since then, but the transition to a gluten-free diet was devastating and hard. I had always loved baking and was known for my no-knead Italian bread which I shared generously with friends and neighbors. The celiac diagnosis was a blow, like an important part of me had been snatched away overnight. I stopped baking. What else could I do? Gluten was required for making beautiful bread.
After some time had passed and my family had tried every gluten-free bread available at the store, out of pure desperation for something tasty and familiar, I got back in the kitchen. I wanted to make bread for my family, with a taste and texture like we were used to, without sacrificing my commitment to using clean, simple ingredients. I also found in myself a desire to nourish and provide for others in the same situation: the seed of an idea.
Having no professional culinary training, I had to learn everything from the ground up. But that was okay as I’m always up for a challenge. I worked day after day for close to two years, reading and learning, refining my recipes, deciding on a business model, and checking items off my master list. Finally, I closed my eyes, held my breath, and made a public launch. Caroline’s Cottage Gluten-Free Bakery was born.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Living with chronic illness continues to be a challenge for me every day. I spend a lot of time managing symptoms and working to prevent them. Despite being extremely cautious with my diet, I still occasionally experience a gluten exposure. Continuing to run a business during that time can be tough, but with the support of my family, I make it happen for my customers.
However, the biggest challenge by far is baking without gluten! Traditional bakers draw on the knowledge of generations of talented bakers before them. Much of this knowledge is irrelevant to gluten-free baking. So we gluten-free bakers have to learn from each other or figure it out on our own. It’s not unusual for me to work for six months or more to develop a new recipe to my satisfaction. Yet despite the challenges, I choose to push against the limits of gluten-free bread every single day looking for progress and small wins.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Each week I open preorders from Monday to Friday. Working out of my dedicated gluten-free, state-inspected home kitchen, I prep Saturday and bake fresh for pickups on Sunday. I offer artisan loaves every week, and currently rotate weekly between NY-style bagels, pizza crusts, and cinnamon rolls. I also offer a line of grain-free items that includes bread and granola.
Our home and kitchen are entirely gluten-free, including cleaning supplies. I’m health-focused and committed to living chemical-free, and my baking reflects that: no additives, no preservatives, no unnecessary ingredients, and as organic as possible. All items are gluten-free and dairy-free, and almost all items are vegan. Items that are free of refined sugars and seed oils are also available.
My primary mission is to provide safe, delicious breads for people living with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. My secondary mission is to provide novel food experiences and a feeling of free choice. Gluten-free folks are used to having extremely limited options, so I include as many flavors as I can and I’m always working on new recipes and ideas.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I feel that I’ve had a lot of good fortune in life, but above all else, I believe the thing that gets me where I’m going is that I practice an attitude of gratitude every single day. I look for silver linings, hidden blessings, stars amid the darkness, rainbows after the rain. I choose to view every hardship through the lens of what I learned from it, how much I grew because of it, and how it made me stronger. I’m grateful for every stepping stone that got me here, because without even one of them, I might be somewhere very different. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than right here bringing healthy, delicious, beautiful breads to your table.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hotplate.com/ccgfbakery
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ccgfbakery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccgfbakery
