Baker and entrepreneur Dana Pollack has made a name for herself by proving that gluten-free desserts can be every bit as indulgent as their traditional counterparts. Now the award-winning founder of Dana’s Bakery in Bethpage is sharing her secrets in her newest cookbook, “Bake It Gluten Free: 100 Recipes for Classic Treats,” published on Oct. 21.
Pollack, who lives in Roslyn with her husband and two daughters, said the book is a true labor of love.
“Cookbooks are really special to me,” she said. “They’re something you can pass down and save. I find cookbooks, especially baking ones, very special—it’s like having a baking bible full of tricks of the trade that are timeless.”
A former photo editor, Pollack left her publishing career more than a decade ago to pursue her passion for pastry at New York City’s Institute of Culinary Education. It was there she fell in love with the French macaron—a treat that inspired her to launch Dana’s Bakery in 2012.
“At the time, nobody was doing nostalgic American flavors,” she said. “Everyone was making lavender or rose macarons and I was like, what about s’mores, red velvet or cookie dough?”
Dana’s Bakery began as one of the first online-only bakeries in the country, long before nationwide shipping became common. Today the business operates out of a 160,000-square-foot facility in Bethpage with more than 140 employees. The bakery isn’t open to the public, but its treats ship nationwide.
“We’ve always been an online bakery,” Pollack said. “That’s our bread and butter—it’s how we started and it treats us really well.”
Although her macarons are naturally gluten-free, Pollack didn’t initially plan to run a gluten-free business.
“People assume that I’m gluten-free, but I’m actually not,” she said. “That’s what makes it funny—because I know what the original versions taste like, I can make gluten-free recipes that taste just as good. There’s no reason to sacrifice flavor or texture for a food sensitivity.”
Her new cookbook reflects more than a decade of that experimentation and refinement. Divided by dessert type—cakes, cookies, breads and bars—the book offers classic recipes and step-by-step guidance for home bakers.
“I have a background in photography, so I’m extra picky,” she said. “We shot everything at my house over two weeks—it was madness, but it was so much fun.”
With “Bake It Gluten Free,” Pollack hopes to demystify gluten-free baking for both seasoned bakers and skeptics alike.
“You don’t have to be gluten-free to enjoy these recipes,” she said. “If you love chocolate chip cookies or red velvet cake, you’re going to love this book. The best compliment is when someone eats a dessert and says, ‘Wait, that’s gluten-free?’ That’s when I know I’ve done my job.”
