The yummy homemade GF loaf I just made!
Breads. We love ‘em, but not always when they’re gluten-free, right?
To get a really good loaf of gluten-free bread, we’ve always had to make them from scratch (and boy are those good). But if you want to walk into a store and buy a loaf of pre-made gluten-free bread, until recently there haven’t been any truly palatable options.
Frozen gluten-free loaves have historically been called “bricks”
Gluten-free store-bought bread is nearly universally found in the freezer section of specialty food stores and more progressive groceries; it is rarely found “fresh” on the shelves. On the one hand, it’s nice to have a loaf of bread in the freezer for those “emergency sandwiches;” on the other though, frozen is never as soft and moist as fresh.
Given that universal truth, I have been pleasantly surprised recently to taste some new offerings from gluten-free bread producers. As noted in my earlier posts, I poured over the samples at Natural Products Expo West, but I also have been doing some extra homework on the side, tasting more breads at other expos and trying some others at home. I’m happy to share with you some of my exciting finds that you can now ask for in stores near you!
My caveat at this point though bears repeating: I am judging these breads against one another, not against fresh homemade bread. Refrigerating bread, and to a lesser extent freezing bread, will dry it out. All of these breads (with the exception of one, which I’ll get to in a moment) are better toasted than “fresh from the freezer,” but you could try a light zap in the microwave instead. In that case, I recommend wrapping the bread in a paper towel and reheating it at a low power, just until warm.
Again, to recap: I offer my reviews on only the newly released products I tasted. Trust me when I say that I tasted many, many more, but I don’t think anyone is well-served by a negative review. All of the reviewed products contained egg, but were dairy-free.
(See my Intro to Expo and my philosophy behind my reviews, as well as my other new product reviews on Granolas & Bars,
Gluten-Free Baking Ingredients, Gluten-Free Main Dishes and Gluten-Free Cookies!)
Udi’s at Expo West with chef Robert Landolphi
Udi’s –
The stalwart in the gluten-free bread business has recently, and now solidly, become Udi’s Gluten-Free Foods (the same company, but different facility as Udi’s Organic Bakery – not gluten-free). Most people have tasted their breads by now, and there’s nothing new to report on those, but they did launch several new products at Expo West which I was able to try for myself.
Udi’s introduced hamburger and hot dog buns (“classic” hamburger and hotdog, and “whole grain” hamburger), but they were serving the buns with mounds of pork barbecue, which as a vegetarian, didn’t excite me. I did manage to get a nibble of an unadulterated bun, but the products that really caught my attention though, were their new “Ancient Grain Breads” — “Omega-Salba” and “Millet-Chia.” Both Salba (a variety of chia seed) and Chia seeds have recently garnered a lot of attention as super nutritional ingredients, particularly prized in gluten-free products. Millet is another seed that has been popping up in many muffins and breads, offering crunch and a nutty taste along with protein and fiber.
In Udi’s new breads, these yummy ingredients add real flavor that I haven’t tasted in any other pre-made gluten-free breads yet. As someone who has been unimpressed with the “light white” gluten-free breads on the market thus far, these “Ancient Grain” additions are most welcomed.
By the way, if you’re looking for an Udi’s coupon, you needn’t go far. Nearly any search in Google for anything remotely gluten-free will turn up a pop-up ad or link to an Udi’s $1 off coupon. But to save time, here’s the perma-link to save a buck on Udi’s, any time you need. (Note – signing up for the coupon signs you up for their email list, as well).
Glutino –
Glutino is smart. Genius, in fact. They decided not to reinvent the wheel and instead went “across the pond” to partner with Genius Breads. For those of you who haven’t heard of Genius Gluten Free, they have been making big waves with their gluten-free breads in the UK for years, and even launched a £3 million advertising campaign last year. Knowing all this, I was super excited when I got to taste their new bread, “Genius Gluten Free by Glutino,” at Expo West. I’m going to reserve judgment for now though, as I think the samples I tested had been sitting out too long at the show. Let me know what you think if you get to do your own taste-test.
Another fan favorite, Rudi’s has a prolific offering of organic (not GF) as well as gluten-free bread choices. I love that their gluten-free breads are certified by the GFCO.
Tasting their breads in the past, they certainly hold their own in this category , so I was excited at Expo to sample their just-released multi-grain hamburger and hotdog buns and even a pizza crust. Unfortunately, when I stopped by at Expo West, the only gluten-free offerings at Rudi’s were grilled cheese sandwiches. I have nothing against a grilled cheese, but as someone who must avoid dairy (and let’s not forget most celiacs are lactose intolerant!), it would have been nice to just be able to taste the bread. What’s more, frying bread in butter, with melted cheese in the middle, isn’t the purest way to showcase a bread. Chime in when you get to taste their new products and let us know how you like them!
I was really excited to taste Canyon Bakehouse’s new offerings. I sampled nearly everything they had and was pretty impressed overall. Their hamburger buns, however, were outstanding. I haven’t tasted anything this good in pre-made gluten-free bread … I’m going to say, ever.
These truly rivaled homemade buns; I wouldn’t hesitate to buy these for a picnic full of gluten eaters. Soft, not crumbly, and toasting wasn’t necessary! That’s right – pre-made gluten-free bread that doesn’t need to be toasted. Way to go, Canyon. I’m really looking forward to trying your mock-rye when it is released soon, as well. I expect great things!
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i stopped eating bread after tasting rudi’s and udi’s i would rather do without than to have eat either one of those they are nasty they crunble and taste like dried out wet cardboard and if you toast them then they make great dog chews katz’s has a couple good gluten free breads if you need bread i have not tried canyon bakehouse or julian bakery yet i just cant see paying $8.00 for a loaf of bread and $15.00 shipping i will wait until i get to the city and pick up a loaf katz’s has a great sampler
I have bought Jules GF Bread Mix; the package does not include bread machine directions; it says to find them on the site. I’ve searched the site and cannot find them. Can you send them to me, and perhaps post them on the Products page next to the Bread Mix, or some place more apparent than where they are now?
Hi Gary- thanks for posting your question. We are in the process of updating our product website, but the info is on the left column under “Bread Mix” – here’s the link.
I have easy access to Udi’s since our local grocery in my small town carries it, but after reading some info online about Canyon Bakehouse’s bread I ordered some directly from their website and I love it! Udi’s is more of a white bread but the Canyon Bakehouse bread (red wrapper; I can’t recall exactly what they named the flavor) is like a light multi-grain wheat. I had begun to despair of ever having that texture or flavor again, but it CB’s works for me. It is worth the effort to order online, and if you know other people who can’t eat gluten or have the freezer space, there is a case discount. Will have to try the buns next.
Hi Jules-
Thank you for stopping by to see Udi’s @ Expo West.
I wish I could have been at the booth to meet you. I could have brought you to our food truck! We partnered up with L.A. food truck “Nom Nom” where we were serving tofu banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches on our new hot-dog buns. It was the vegetarian/dairy-free haven at Expo. I’m thrilled to see you are as excited as I am for the new ancient grain breads.
Lastly, I feel like I should mention our bakery has also been certified by GFCO (since May 2010), therefore all of our products are certified gluten free too.
Thanks again,
Jillian, Social Media Coordinator @ Udi’s Gluten Free Foods
HI! As someone who knows (and misses) the delicious taste and chew of “real” bread, it was a GODSENT finding Udi’s bread! Will all of your new products be available at Whole Foods?? I live in Dallas, and can’t wait to try the buns, rolls, and ancient grain breads! Thanks, and please keep up the good work! English muffins, possibly??
P.S
Thats awesome that you paired up with Nom Nom…loved them on Food Truck Revolution!
Love this post, Jules; was such a pleasure seeing you at Expo West! Thanks for including me in this post…Have a great weekend and can’t wait to see you soon for some more gluten-free fun. Keep up the amazing work!
Aime, can’t wait to see you at our 1in133 event in DC! Less than 2 weeks away!!!!
I buy Canyon Bakehouse products at a store called Celiac Specialities. Their bread and burger buns are nice and soft….they don’t get dried or crumbly at all. I’m really excited to find out they are coming out with a “rye” bread.
Ohhh my goodness, my mom came home from Spouts the other day w/ 4 bags of Rudi’s multigrain bread, and when I had some for dinner that night I was in heaven. I felt like I was truly eating a piece of whole grain bread. It was a bit “airy”, but had a wonderful nutty, crunchy taste to it. I grew up on whole grain bread, HATE tasteless white bread, so I’ve REALLY REALLY missed a good dense whole grain bread–well Rudi’s is going to suit me just fine. My only dislike, is the “airiness” of the bread, I would love it even more if it were a bit more dense. But I can live w/ airy. It’s just nice to have multigrain again–or a very close likiness.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, I’ve got a bunch of new products I’m anxiously watching for at Sprouts (or to a lesser extent Whole Foods) that I have learned about from your reviews.
Thanks for the review.
I didn’t get this part of the post, how’s Udi’s burger bun? Since Whole Food is already carrying Udi’s I assume it is more likely for it to carry its burger buns as well if it is out. I am looking for a easily available brand of burger bun. Canyon Bakehouse sounds good, but I don’t know how to get my hands on them.
Side note, I tried Rudi’s, and it was GREAT for about 1 day or 2, but then it turns very crumbly. Am I the only who have this problem, lovers of Rudi’s? I stick with Udi’s so far.