Category: Gluten-Free

Product: Katz Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread – $6.19; Katz Gluten-Free Wholesome Bread – $7.99; Katz Gluten-Free Sliced Challah Bread – $5.79; Katz Gluten-Free White Bread – $6.19; Sample Pack – cost of shipping (varies per state)

So, it finally happened today.  I got tired of fumbling around in the freezer and working around the sample pack of gluten-free goodness that I got from Katz Gluten-Free awhile back…so I decided my roommate and I would feast on the five remaining items for breakfast today.

What remained was a slice of the Gluten-Free Marble Cake (I’ll get to that next blog…) and a variety of breads, all thinly sliced and ready for sampling.  So, before heading out for my long run this morning, I placed them all on the counter to thaw.  When I returned home, they were perfection.

Once my roommate dragged herself out of bed, I switched on the oven and began to unwrap the four varieties of bread to lightly toast and see what we thought of them.  In the Katz Gluten-Free Sampler Pack, the four varieties of bread included were: Whole Grain Bread, Wholesome Bread, Sliced Challah Bread, and White Bread.  I placed all of them on a cookie sheet and lightly toasted them in the oven before dressing them up with either strawberry cream cheese (à la Laughing Cow) or a little vegan buttery spread and some cinnamon and sugar.

So…let’s start at the top:

Whole Grain Bread:  Katz bills their Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread as a great source of protein that is not only wholesome, but delicious.  They do recommend toasting the bread to bring out the maximum level of taste and crispiness.  I can understand that.  This slice of bread is made up of fiber, sorghum flour, whole grains and brown rice.  I think this variety would have been less impressive if it weren’t toasted.  However, when I did toast it up, it lightly crisped, enough to become sturdy enough to support a schmear of strawberry cream cheese (and a couple strawberries).  I think, had I not toasted (though the little plastic wrap it was in instructed me to) the texture would have been off completely.  So, if you like to toast your bread up before making a sandwich, this one might be for you.  Truthfully, it was one of the ones I wasn’t as impressed with.

Wholesome Bread:   What exactly is in Katz Gluten-Free Wholesome Bread?  According to the ingredients – fava bean, garbanzo bean, teff, chia seed, flax seed, and honey.  Again, this one came with instructions to lightly toast it to bring out the best flavor possible.  I think toasting it also lightened this up.  This was the heavier of the four slices of bread and the one I was least impressed with.  Maybe I just don’t think beans belong as a bread ingredient.  Call me crazy.  Even the strawberry cream cheese and berries on top failed to impress me.  It wasn’t bad…it just wasn’t as good as the others.  I couldn’t imagine eating this one untoasted.  Way too heavy and dense.

Sliced Challah Bread: Katz Gluten-Free Sliced Challah Bread was one of my favorite in the sampler.  It is soft and fluffy right out of the freezer.  No need to toast it (although I did for cinnamon-sugar dusting purposes).  Very light.  Not dense.  And even better…fantastically delicious.  This bread is made up of a gluten-free flour mix, water, eggs, palm oil, brown sugar, honey, xanthan gum, dry yeast, salt, flax seed, and apple cider vinegar.  What emerges is one of the most amazing slices of gluten-free bread in the world.  Honestly.  I brushed this one with some vegan margarine and a dash of cinnamon-sugar and it was perfection.  It was slightly sweet, which worked well with the cinnamon-sugar topping.  While mine was toasted, this would have been just as amazing without it.  Two gluten-free thumbs way up.

White Bread: Believe it or not, I, someone who prefers any other gluten-free bread to a gluten-free white bread, loved the slice of Katz Gluten-Free White Bread that I got in the sampler.  It had a slightly sweeter taste than the Sliced Challah Bread.  Again, this one didn’t need to be toasted up to correct any strangeness with the texture or feel of it.  I lightly toasted it however, because I was making cinnamon toast with it.  And it was freakin’ fantastic.  Very soft and light, delicious.  This variety of bread is made with a gluten-free flour mix, water, canola oil, eggs, honey, salt, xanthan gum, and dry yeast.  The result is a sweet, light, delicious bread that would be perfect for sandwiches, French toast, or whatever your gluten-free bread-loving heart desires.  This was so yummy, especially with the light toasting with a vegan margarine and a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar.  Yum yum!

So, it really was a mixed bag when it came to the bread samples that I was sent.  I know one of the biggest things people will notice is how small the bread slices are.  I find this to be a common thing with gluten-free breads, so it rarely makes me bat an eyelash these days.  But, it is sad to put it up against a regular sandwich and you feel like you are only getting half.

But…the long and the short of it is…I liked two of the four breads I was sent.  None of them were horrible, but two were just off on texture, taste, and density for me.  I just didn’t fall in love with the Whole Grain Bread and the Wholesome Bread.  However, the Sliced Challah Bread and the White Bread won me over hands down.  These were both soft and light, and didn’t need to be toasted to enhance their flavor or texture.  I like that.  When you can simply pull something out of the freezer and take it for what it is…that means the product is perfect.  And those two breads were perfect.

I am quite fond of other breads, so ordering these from Katz is probably not in the cards, but the samples were awesome to have to see what other options were out there.  Then again…that Sliced Challah Bread might have to come my way sometime soon.

Some good…some not so good…but nothing bad.  Katz Gluten-Free still has it.

Product: Cheese Smarts Gluten-Free Parmesan Crackers – $2.30+

Remember Cheez-It’s and Cheese Nips?

Cheese crackers used to be the go-to snack for every cheese lover.  I mean, who hasn’t opened up a box of Cheez-It’s and just grabbed a handful to snack on?  Everyone has done it.

Unfortunately, for the gluten-free…the cheese cracker craving isn’t so easily quelled.  Granted, the market out there is littered with a variety of gluten-free crackers to try.  I just haven’t had any that have come close to reminding me of the glory days of those ‘I don’t know why they are this shade of orange or why I’m addicted to them but I can’t stop eating them” cheese cracker by the handful snacking kind of days.

Then…I hit up Big Lots one day during one of their 20% off everything sales.  And on a shelf with a lot of snacks and food items that are from Europe, my roommate spotted a box labeled Cheese Smarts.  Right there on the front it clearly stated GLUTEN FREE.  Could it really be?

Oh…it was true…so a couple of flavors made their way into my shopping basket.

The first one up was the Cheese Smarts Parmesan Cracker.  These little baked snack crackers hail from Greece.  A serving is 12 crackers, which will only set you back 90 calories for the day.  Compared to Cheez-It’s (150 calories) and Cheese Nips (150 calories), that’s not such a bad deal at all.  So, for a snack cracker, nutritionally standing, not too bad.  But…how do they taste?

Well, they are quite crunchy…but I think much of that has to do with the fact that they are baked.  I’ll take that over the alternative any day.  As for the actual flavor of them…well…if you ever have had Cheez-It’s or Cheese Nips…that is exactly what they taste like.  No joke.  They have that cheesy flavor that is just sort of…mysteriously there.  Cheese Smarts, however, bake real cheese into the cracker.  So, while they look like the poor man’s Cheez-It…they are actually nutritionally superior…and probably manufactured better overall.  Rules in Europe regarding food are far stricter, sadly, than here in the United States.

Are they blow-me-over delicious?  Nope.  Are they a suitable snack for the afternoon munchies?  Of course.  They satisfy the need for that salty, crunchy snack without setting you back too much in the nutrition factor.  And…with them tasting so much like the brands I grew up with but can no longer eat due to food intolerance, well, a handful of these will certainly do in a pinch.

Are they the best gluten-free cracker out there?  No.  Hardly.  Far from it.  But they are surprisingly good.  Would I buy them again?  Eh…maybe.  But I have certainly tasted better gluten-free cheese crackers.  But these definitely fit a bit better into the budget.

All-in-all…enjoyable, smart, cheese snacking…for a budget.  If you’re looking for snack greatness…these crackers aren’t for you.

Product: Daiya Foods Jack Style Wedge – $5.99+

In the area I live, normally new products on the market take at least 6 months, if not a year, to hit the shelves at the local grocery stores.  Even the specialty food stores take awhile to get products in.

When I heard that Daiya Foods was coming out with vegan cheese wedges, I was ecstatic.  They were producing three different flavor varieties – Cheddar, Jack, and Jalapeño Garlic Havarti.  I figured it would be awhile before I ever saw them, however, so I just sort of put it in the corner of my mind.

And then, I was walking through Whole Foods the other day and there it was.  A package of the Jack Style Wedge from Daiya by the other vegan cheese options.  I’ve had a lot of luck with Daiya’s vegan cheese options.  It really is top of the line.  So, without any hesitation, despite not really needing it, this was added to my shopping basket.

The other morning, after baking up a loaf of gluten-free bread in my bread maker, I was creating a breakfast entree with a toasted slice of bread, a schmear of cream cheese, spinach and a poached egg.  Well, that’s what my roommate got.  However, I got out the Daiya Jack Style Wedge for mine and pulled back the wrapping.  Beneath it was a lump of cheese.  Seriously.  It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting…but I kept an opening mind.  I guess when I saw the term “wedge” used, I figured it would resemble those little triangles like Laughing Cow offers.  Not one large lump.

But, I was not deterred.  I pulled out a knife and sliced off a bit of the wedge to spread across my bread.  It spread beautifully.  Honestly.  It didn’t even need to be warmed or melted.  It just spread so easily across the toasted bread.  I topped it off with the spinach, the poached egg, and some hot sauce and went to settle in for my breakfast.

One bite and I was in vegan cheese heaven.  I loved the flavor and texture of the cheese in the wedge even more than the shreds.  Honestly.  There was a nice hint of spice from the Jack flavor wedge.  It was a nice texture and great flavor.  It was the perfect compliment to the bread, the vegetables and…even the egg.  The Jack Style Wedge had just enough kick as to not overpower the dish but give each bite a nice hint of heat.  I absolute loved it, bite-for-bite.

Believe me when I say that a lot of vegan cheeses tend to fall flat, but not Daiya.  They are the top-of-the-line.  And the Jack Style Wedge is just more proof of their superior grasp on the vegan cheese market.  I’m hooked.  And now I want to get the other varieties and find new ways to serve them up.

Product: Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix – $6.59+

My love for anything and everything that Pamela’s Products does for the gluten-free community is not unknown.  Hands down, Pamela’s has the best baking mix out there.  Every time I use it in a recipe…I get nothing but perfection.  No exaggeration there either.  It’s the truth.

So, awhile back, a bag of Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix was on the Manager’s Special table at the local grocery store.  Knowing that I’ve had a lot of success with Pamela’s stuff, I snatched this right up and vowed to use it as soon as possible.

And then…it sat.  Not that there weren’t a lot of options out there for me to use it with…but I really wanted to dig out my bread maker again.  It has been laying dormant since I had to go gluten-free over a year ago.  So, over the weekend, my roommate busted out the cleaning products and gave the bread maker a good scrub down and made it a dedicated, gluten-free bread maker.

I immediately dug this mix out of the pantry.  Good thing too as it was nearing the expiration date.  And it is a rule in this apartment that no gluten-free products go to waste.  Ever.

I followed the instructions on the bag for the loaf of bread done up in the bread machine.  Simple.  Place 1/4 cup oil and two eggs into a measuring cup.  Add enough warm water to take the ingredients up to two cups exactly.  Pour into the bread maker and add the mix.  Then add the yeast.  Turn on the bread maker on the white bread, medium crust setting and let it run.

It was a thrill to be using my bread maker again.  I used to make bread every week.  Sometimes more than one loaf.  So to be able to do it again made me happy beyond words.  And it did really well in the bread maker too.  I was nervous because this would be the first gluten-free loaf of bread I’d ever baked in it.  So, I’d watch it carefully whenever I passed by the kitchen.  But it started to rise, and then it began to bake.  It smelled amazing while it was baking up.  I couldn’t wait for it to finish up.  And when it did, I lifted the bread out of the machine, inverted it onto a cooling rack, and the perfectly toasted, browned loaf of bread slid right out.  Perfection.

I allowed it to cool for a couple of minutes before finally slicing into the loaf.  The crispy outside was only the beginning.  Inside the medium-brown crust was a loaf of soft, warm bread just begging to be consumed.  My roommate and I agreed to split a piece, as it was getting late into the evening.  So, with the end piece lopped off, we each took a bite.

The texture of the bread loaf reminds me a lot of freshly baked banana bread.  It feels a bit heavier and denser than most breads.  I think this mix would be ideal for any sort of bread…aside from sandwich bread.  It is way too heavy for a sandwich bread.  That being said, the flavor was amazing.  I think  next time I’ll add a touch of herbs and seasoning to the mix and really get creative with it.  But as it was my first go at this, I played it safe and opted for plain.

There are countless ways to prepare this mix on Pamela’s Products Web site.  No, really. If I had gone there in the first place I might have used this mix long before now.

I love the flavor and taste of this bread mix.  I think it reminds me of freshly baked bread from a bakery.  It made my kitchen smell like a bakery as it was cooking up.  Nothing wrong with that.

If you want to give gluten-free bread making a go…I say start simple and give Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free Bread Mix a whirl.  And if you don’t have a bread maker, no worries…you can bake it up in the oven just as easily…or try one of the recipe suggestions on the Web site.

It’s tasty bread in the end…any way you slice it!

Product: Schãr Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts – $8.99+

Schär has once again surprised me with another one of their fantastic products.

I am always so skeptical when I open up one of their products, ready for it to disappoint me or, even worse, turn me off from the brand entirely.  But…so far…it has surpassed expectations and made me a true believer in the products that they give to the gluten-free community.

The product that I was trying this time was Schär’s Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts.  I had never seen these in my area, but my roommate and I spotted them while out at a grocery store in Birmingham, Alabama, shortly after the Gluten-Free Expo we attended.  The moment I saw them I knew I had to at least try them.  Pizza nights are kind of a big deal in our apartment.  I love to experiment.  But when I went gluten-free a year ago…pizza nights became less frequent and more trial-and-error when it came to the base to stack the toppings on.

Being completely honest from the start, I was more than a little disappointed when I opened up the box of pizza crusts and removed the vacuum-sealed bags that held two pizza crusts.  I was only doing up one pizza (and topping it with some plum tomatoes, walnuts, goat cheese, vegan mozzarella cheese, caramelized onion, and spinach), and the box led me to believe the product I was getting was actually a good deal bigger than it was.  That being said, I went ahead and opened up one of them, setting it in the middle of my pizza pan.  It seemed so small laying on there.  It felt almost dry and rubbery before baking and I was very nervous about using it because of it.  However, I went ahead and spritzed it with some extra virgin olive oil, then layered on my toppings, save the spinach, which I added at the last minute to simply just wilt.  Then, into the oven it went at 425°F for 10 minutes it went.

What emerged from the oven was a success and a surprise.  The crust bubbled up a little to perfect, crunchy-but-chewy perfection.  It wasn’t grainy as some tend to be in texture.  And it definitely held up all the toppings without turning to mush.  Crusts that get soggy are my pet peeve, and this one did not have that issue at all.  It tasted flaky and like pizza you could get at a pizza place in town.  I still wish the crusts were bigger, however.

These pizza crusts are a little higher on the calorie side than I usually like for my pizza crusts.  For only 1/3 of the little crust, you are tacking on 130 calories, and that’s before adding the toppings.  That being said, comparing it to other gluten-free pizza crusts I’ve had, this is lower…but some you can have an entire crust to yourself or at least half of one for just about the same amount.  And these do make really small slices of pizza when you slice into it.

Each pizza serves 3 people, but you may want to consider a salad or something to go along with it, because the slices are far from filling when all is said and done.  However, I will hand it to Schär for once again making a delicious gluten-free product that is not only easy prepare, but bakes up to pizza crust perfection.  And, even better, the other slices sat in the refrigerator for two days and when reheated in the microwave, still weren’t soggy and maintained that crispy, but chewy texture of a perfect crust.

These crusts might be small…but they are mighty.  And mighty good.