Product Review: Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread

Product: Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread – $4.99+

You know…I’ve been searching for the newer additions to the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery bread selection since they were first introduced back in early 2014.  But, it seems that no store in the Louisville area carries anything apart from the traditional three: White, Multigrain, and Cinnamon Raisin.  That is all I can ever find around here.

So, imagine my delight upon a stop at my favorite Columbus, Ohio, store – Raisin Rack, and spotting the two missing pieces of my Rudi’s Gluten Free bread dilemma.  I could only afford 1 loaf this time around, and after a little back and forth with the roomie, we decided on the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread.

And no soon had I transported it home and put it in my freezer…it was back out again.  I’ve been spending a lot of time out on the road, and to save money, and time (because fast food is not exactly easy for a gluten-free vegetarian)…I’ve been packing peanut butter & jelly sandwiches to eat for dinner.  Yep.  That’s how I roll.  And while I had two slices of a previous, regular Rudi’s Gluten Free White Bread loaf in my freezer, I delegated that for my roommate’s sammie while I went ahead and tried the Deli-Style.

I can’t say the overall appearance of the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread looks much different from the other varieties on the market.  It doesn’t.  BUT…my blonde self (haha!) didn’t quite register that this was a loaf of bread that was definitely geared more toward delicatessen-style sandwiches…like…those with meat in them.  And since I don’t eat meat…not exactly a bread that would normally find its way into my freezer.  Nope.  That didn’t register at all.  So, here I was, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the Deli-Style bread, not even considering that this bread was made to be like a rye bread and that the caraway seeds might add an aromatic anise-like flavor.  I just thought it was like the sprouted seeded bread I had been eating recently.

So, you can imagine my extreme surprise when I unwrapped my peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread…and took a bite.  NOT A GOOD TASTE!!  Nope.  The bread definitely had that rye and anise flavor to it, which is all fine and good with a savory sandwich…but peanut butter and jelly is anything but a savory sandwich.  This combination did not work at all.  I somehow managed to finish off the sandwich regardless…but I was…beyond disappointed.

And then…I remembered one of my favorite foods in life to dine on is avocado toast.  And while the Rudi’s Gluten Free Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread was an awful match for PB&J…it was a delightful flavor enhancer for the avocado toast I often toast up for breakfast…and sometimes dinner.  When I toasted up this bread and mashed an avocado over it, seasoning it with a hit of bereber…that was so much better.  To me, I think when I saw Deli-Style, I was thinking size of the bread.  The caraway seed part didn’t even register.  So, after an initial taste that went…not so well, the next few times I ate this bread, I ate it in a savory way…and it tasted perfect.  The hit of dilliness with the caraway seeds perfectly complimented the avocado and seasoning…and for that, my confidence in this bread was back.  So, if you are a fan of rye bread, Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery is bringing it to you…and you can have it back in your life with their Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread.  My one compliant (as is the case with most gluten-free breads) is that some of the slices had some pretty massive holes in them.  Sad face.

Let’s talk ingredients, shall we?  Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery prides itself on using real ingredients…so it is no surprise that this holds true for their Gluten Free Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread.  This bread is made from water, potato extract, tapioca starch, rice flour, high oleic canola/sunflower oil, inulin, rice starch, psyllium husk, egg white, yeast, sea salt, caraway seeds, xanthan gum, ground caraway seeds, vinegar, sodium bicarbonate, and natural enzymes.  It is non-GMO, soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, kosher, and contains no high-fructose corn syrup.

As far as nutritional information goes, the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread looks amazing in print.  The serving size is 1 slice of bread.  This slice will provide you with 70 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 16 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 1 gram sugar, and 1 gram protein.  It isn’t a very filling bread, a common problem with gluten-free breads…but it sure is delicious.  Pair it with the right thing, and you have a very filling breakfast, lunch or dinner.

So, at first bite, I was not in love with the Rudi’s Gluten Free Bakery Deli-Style with Caraway Seeds Bread.  Not at all.  But I had paired it wrong due to not fully understanding what deli-style bread was all about.  Once I figured it out and paired it with the right sort of topping and filling, that was where I learned to enjoy it.  It’s all about the food you pair with it.  Not recommended for PB & J or something like a french toast…but for any sort of savory sandwich…or even a grilled cheese, it just might work better.  So, if you love rye bread, this one is perfect for you.