Product: Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread – $5.99+
Udi’s Whole Grain Bread has the distinct honor of being the first gluten-free bread I ever tried. Seriously. I had gone gluten-free a couple months before I actually tried it, but had avoided buying any bread (basically, I had cut it out of my diet completely) due to the high cost of the shrunken loaves offered in grocery stores. Let’s face it…the gluten-free bread loaves contain about half the bread of a normal loaf, and the size of the slices…about half that of normal bread. It’s frustrating from a budget standpoint…so I just wasn’t going to have it.
And then…I made my annual trip out to Denver, Colorado for a convention. And in order to stay in a budget, my roommate and I shop the local grocery store for food, allowing one meal out a day. So, as we were shopping, we spotted a display of Udi’s bread at a very reasonable price. This shouldn’t be a shock, as we were in Denver – where Udi’s is based out of. So, we picked up a loaf, grabbed a jar of peanut butter, and called it a mission successful.
But we didn’t get to try the bread right away. We had other plans the following morning, including a drive to Boulder, Colorado to tour the Celestial Seasonings factory and then…brunch at The Buff. It just so happened that at The Buff, the menu includes the option for your toast to be gluten-free. And what kind of gluten-free bread does The Buff use? Udi’s.
So, my first taste of Udi’s bread was in an plain toast form…served up with my giant (and delicious) omelet. And, it was good. REALLY good. This meant the stuff back at the hotel room wasn’t as scary as I was making it in my head, right? Absolutely right!
The following day our breakfast consisted of a peanut butter sandwich, with said peanut butter smeared and smooshed between two slices of Udi’s Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread. It was so full of flavor, so soft, and it reminded me of what real bread tasted like. I was so worried that the gluten-free products would lack texture, or flavor…but not Udi’s. The texture was spot-on for bread – soft, but sturdy. You know, able to at least contain what gets sandwiched in between without going soggy and falling apart. The flavor was amazing. If I didn’t know I was eating gluten-free bread, I’d never suspect it. Fantastic flavor. It won over my bread-loving heart. In fact, I vowed that the high price was now worth it when it came to gluten-free bread…as long as it was Udi’s. Bread was back in my diet again.
And so…the gluten-free bread snob in me was born. I admit it. Nothing else would do. I couldn’t buy any other type of gluten-free bread. Udi’s was it. When something is done so well, why risk your budget on something that may not be as satisfying. Stick with what you know and what you love.
Yes, the slices of bread are rather small, but they still fill you up. I promise. My only complaint is that in more loaves than not, the slices have large holes in them. I can work around that when eating a peanut butter sandwich, but when I do up my grilled cheese, holy bread isn’t really an option. So, be mindful that your loaf may not be as “whole” as you like. But the taste will amaze you and you’ll fall madly in love with the Udi’s brand…just as I did. When it comes to choosing gluten-free products, I have yet to be let down by Udi’s. And while I have blogged about other products, this type of bread still remains the reason I fell in love with Udi’s in the first place.
Toast it. Grill it. Eat it straight out of the bag. Brush it with olive oil and some seasonings and make garlic toast (yes…I’ve done this!) to have with gluten-free pasta. Whatever your wish. Whatever suits your fancy…this bread holds up to anything you can do to it. However you enjoy your gluten-free bread, enjoy it with Udi’s.
Fall in love with bread again. Fall in love with Udi’s.
The Celiathlete 