Joan Popkin's GF Great Bakes has its own commercial kitchen in Bellmore, N.Y., near her home. She has a staff of seven who bake in small batches and use stand mixers like yours and mine to blend rice and tapioca and garbanzo bean flours; nonfat proteins such as whey powder; egg whites; and very little dairy. Her bagels are her biggest sellers; there are six varieties that come in a package of five for about $8. Even cinnamon raisin. What did a real connoisseur make of GF Great Bakes? I presented Joan's frozen bagels, English muffins and Sicilian pizza to Erin Hartigan, D.C.'s Gluten Freebird. 'I was wowed,' she chirped. All the samples I gave her passed Freebird's texture/moisture/consistency test. Her verdict: two snaps up. Bonnie S. Benwick is deputy food editor of The Washington Post and contributor to the All We Can Eat blog on washingtonpost.com, from which this is adapted. 