Gluten Free Goat Is Back

An iced sweet bread from Gluten Free Goat, scheduled to relaunch on April 16.

Bakery lovers, this one’s for you: Gluten Free Goat, a longstanding allergen-friendly bakery, is relaunching, with a whole new approach to their business and their doughnuts.

The bakery, a familiar face at local coffee shops and once a fixture on Penn Ave. in Garfield, closed its brick-and-mortar in early 2020. Now under new ownership, with Selina Progar, former executive pastry chef at Altius, leading the baking operations, the shop will focus on retail, wholesale, and direct-to-consumer options.

Progar and Ashley Jones, the shop’s general manager, said the rebranded Gluten Free Goat will focus on three “Cs”: collaboration, curation, and connection.

In an interview with KDKA, the duo explained this trio, saying that collaboration will bring in work with other local restaurants (currently, they’re working with an area eatery to develop a gluten-free sandwich bread).

Gluten-free goods not made in house, like spices, jam, and honey, will be curated and sold in their online marketplace. Jones notes in the interview that the bakery “can’t be the best at everything,” so what they can’t make, they’ll source.

Connection covers their partnerships and wholesale production for area shops and restaurants. To start, Gluten Free Goat will provide treats to Adda Coffee & Tea House, Mediterra Bakehouse, and the Speckled Egg.

With this relaunch comes a new menu, including a recipe update to their beloved doughnuts. (If you haven’t had a Gluten Free Goat apple cider doughnut yet, you’re missing out.) In a release, Progar said the made-over, vegan, yeast-risen doughnuts are among the things she’s most excited to share with longtime customers.

Doughnuts aren’t the only revamped recipe. Progar and Jones are bringing a new approach to their variety of cookies – including a line without xanthan gum – soft pretzels, muffins, bagels, and bread.

“My vision for Gluten Free Goat is to create baked goods that are gluten-free, soy-free and peanut-free that taste just like ‘regular’ baked goods,” said Progar in a press release. “We are also specializing in dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and vegan items. I want this bakery to give people who have dietary restrictions the options of a regular bakery.”

“Ultimately, I would love for a person with zero restrictions to taste what we make and not be able to tell the difference between a gluten-free and traditional baked good,” she continued.

The Gluten Free Goat will celebrate their relaunch at an outdoor pop-up celebration at Add Bazaar in Garfield on April 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. with live music, coffee, and free desserts.