Udi’s creates lightest, softest whole grain dinner rolls…from freezer to oven to table

Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Seeded Whole Grain Dinner Rolls – $8.99+

It’s amazing how you never realize how much you miss something until you no longer have the option of having it.  Like…a dinner roll.  Something that simple.  And at first, maybe you just say…”I don’t need that anyway.  I don’t need those calories…”  But after awhile…when everyone else at the table has something to scoop up their sauces with…you sort of miss having the option.

Maybe not to the extent of being jealous.  But sometimes…the social binder that is the bread basket at dinner on the holidays or at gatherings does leave a void…when you are a Celiac or gluten intolerant.

But…that’s all about to change.

Awhile back, Udi’s introduced a couple of new bread products to their line-up.  Among them were a gluten-free French baguette, classic French dinner rolls and seeded whole grain dinner rolls.  All of which I had been dying to try…but never quite allowed myself to purchase when on my strict grocery budget.  But…a Groupon happened to come around for a local natural foods store…and I purchased it.  As the expiration date was swiftly approaching, my roommate and I ducked in there this past weekend (during the chaos of a Vegetarian Tasting Fair) to get some products we really wanted to try.

One of the first products that was overwhelmingly decided on were…Udi’s Gluten-Free Seeded Whole Grain Dinner Rolls.

My usual mojo is that items end up sitting in my freezer or pantry for awhile as I use up other items that came before it.  But I had nothing quite like these…and I really, really, really wanted to test them out.  As I was making a pasta dish for dinner the other night, it would be the perfect side dish to accompany the meal.

Nothing could be simpler.  Open bag of frozen dinner rolls, remove, place on a baking sheet, and warm in an oven at for about 10-15 minutes…and they are ready to serve.  Yes…really that easy.

Before I get into the taste, let’s start with the basics.  The serving size is one roll.  Yep. One roll.  These rolls are about 2.5 inches in length and about 2 inches in circumferance, so they are a very good size.  You only really need one.  Each roll is 100 calories (not bad for bread!), 4 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.  It’s pretty much a powerhouse.  Where does all that protein come from?  Simple.  Udi’s makes their Seeded Whole Grain Dinner Rolls with healthy chia, sunflower, and flax seeds.  Right there is a healthy combination that you wouldn’t get with regular bread.  They are even healthier than Udi’s own Gluten-Free Classic French Dinner Rolls.  How about that?!

Now…I’ve utilized these in two ways…

The first two times I ate them, I ate them just as a side dish.  This was the perfect side for my pasta dish.  And then, last night, my roomie and I each had a roll with my Chickpea Teriyaki over Steamed Spinach.  I simply toasted these in the oven, sliced each roll in half, and gave them a light schmear of vegan butter.  It was perfect like that for each dish.  What was the best part of eating the rolls like that was that I truly got to taste the bread.  My pasta didn’t have a sauce with it (I coated it with vegan butter and Parmesan), so again…I could taste the bread.

My roommate found that it tasted a lot like a honey wheat bread.  She loved it…and she can have regular rolls!!  She isn’t the one that has to eat gluten-free.  She does…because I have to.  We both agreed…these got a nice crispy crust on the outside in the oven…but were so soft and fluffy on the inside.  They aren’t heavy or dense at all.  Amazing.  I probably could have eaten another one each time…but resistance was futile.

And the reason for that being…tonight I took the last four rolls and made each of us gluten-free and vegetarian “meatball” mini-subs.  OH. MY. GLUTEN. FREE. GOODNESS.  No…for real.  This was probably one of the best ideas I came up with.  I simply threw some marinara sauce into a pan on the stove while my oven warmed up.  In went the vegetarian meatballs (I used Franklin Farms Veggieballs) to heat through while the sauce simmered.  Then, I placed the rolls on the baking sheet and put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 400°F.  When 5 minutes were up, my sauce was simmering and the veggieballs were heated through.  Perfect timing.  I pulled the pan from the oven and turned on the broiler.  Then, I sliced each roll down the center, making sure I kept the bottom in tact.  I opened it up (sort of like a baked potato) and spooned two veggieballs inside, coating them with some of the remaining sauce.  I threw some Daiya vegan mozzarella shreds on top, tossed the mini sub rolls under the broiler for about a minute…just long enough for the cheese to get a good melt on it, and BAM.  Dinner was served.  And these rolls made the best mini sub rolls I could have asked for.  Honestly.  Still light with the crusty outside, it made holding them and eating the sandwich easy and less messy.  Texture is important and these were spot-on.  For real.

I’m already putting these on my grocery list this week because now I can’t imagine not having a bag in my freezer.  They are super delicious.  Super easy to prepare.  And best of all…good for you.  Especially where gluten-free breads are concerned.

Hunt these down in your local grocery stores.  Find them.  And try them.  I guarantee you…you’ll fall in love with them too.