SPRINGFIELD – Do you or someone you know suffer from Celiac disease or have a wheat allergy?
If so, it can be challenging to find baked goods that don’t have the texture of cardboard. As someone who is allergic to wheat (which is different from Celiac disease), I often feel the pull of Christmas cookies, only to regret giving in to that temptation when I feel sick afterward. For those with Celiac disease, even traces of wheat can result in extreme digestive distress.
For those looking for a gluten-free treat nearby, Estelle Bakery, a dedicated gluten-free facility, is in Springfield. They have been located at 349 Main St. since May 2025, and are the only bakery in Springfield to provide a gap in the community for those who are gluten-free.
“It is great places are offering gluten-free options, but with Celiac, if there is contamination, even if you use the same pan or toaster, that is enough for a Celiac to get a reaction,” said Rachel Rossi, bakery owner.
Rossi’s middle name, and the bakery’s namesake, was her grandmother’s first name, who also enjoyed baking.
Rossi was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2008 and wasn’t ready to give up her favorite foods.
“Unless it is a GF free facility, you can’t completely avoid it,” she said. “This isn’t an allergy; it is an autoimmune disorder. The body attacks itself and your gut. Even a crumb… I had to quit working at a pizza place because of the flour in the air.”
So, she started experimenting, selling gluten-free products at local businesses and markets in Portland. Estelle moved to Eugene in November 2020 – right in time for Covid. When the bakery reopened in 2022, they sold items at the Lane County Farmers Market and the LCFM Night Market, and, for a time, provided GF bagels wholesale to restaurants like Crema and Bloom in Springfield and Lion and Owl in Eugene.
In 2026, Rossi hopes to start expanding to include a Friday and Saturday dessert/wine bar, though she isn’t quite ready yet, with a three-month-old baby and having just opened earlier in the year.
“It isn’t something I planned on purpose, to do both in one year, but it happened that way, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Rossi said.
Amateur mistakes
For amateur bakers experimenting, Rossi doesn’t recommend trying gluten-free puff pastries. “We get tied to certain foods because it is like a memory, and we want to replicate that specific thing. Certain things just don’t work; even if you make that thing, it won’t be as good as the gluten version of it. It is better to find something else that works better.”
Rossi explains that the flaky layers of croissants aren’t possible in gluten-free, but a galette is her best and closest attempt. Cinnamon rolls are also tricky.
Other mistakes amateur bakers make when converting recipes include not being able to substitute 1 cup of gluten-free flour for 1 cup of flour. Gluten-free blends lack elasticity and are more absorbent. As a result, they are too gummy or too dry. Either more fat or liquid is needed.
Customer Darylll Lynne Evans said he was thrilled to learn upon entering the shop that everything was made at the GF facility.
“The apple cider donut cake is divine. The spices are so perfect. It’s sweet but not too sweet,” Evans said between making noises of satisfaction that would rival Meg Ryan’s character in “When Harry Met Sally.”
Ingredients for success
Because Rossi is so conscious about dietary restrictions, she makes her ingredients available for customers who ask. They use a blend of rice, potato, sorghum, and tapioca. She avoids almond flour as a base due to nut allergies.
Nuts are listed in the title of items that contain them. She clearly labels soy-free, dairy-free, and nut-free for people with allergies. Each week, she posts a new menu on Tuesday night for the first day of the week they are open, which is Wednesday.
Right now, they cannot produce GF bagels because the flour they use comes from Italy, and tariffs make it too expensive to import. Rossi hopes to make them and sell them in their new shop when prices go down.
Until that time, their other savory items are galettes and meat-and-vegetable pies in puff pastry.
Other popular menu items include pumpkin muffins, apple cider cake donuts, and carrot cake muffins, which are perfectly moist. Those three were sweet enough to be satisfying, but not too decadent for breakfast.
The cherry bars (now out of season) were so delicious; I can’t wait for them to come back.
The almond in the pear bars was pleasantly bold. The sweetest treat is the pecan pie bars, which are less like a traditional pecan pie and more like a caramel pecan bar with extremely dense caramel.
I am excited to try the chocolate Madeline cakes; however, they are always sold out when I come in.
Sarina Dorie is the arts writer for The Chronicle.
