I’ve been sitting here, keeping a list of the gluten-free items we have tried, their ingredients, and whether we liked them or not. My goal is to come up with a list of ingredients (and a percentage of each ingredient) so I can create my own gluten-free baking mix that we will enjoy. Then, I’ll basically use other people’s recipes (like Gluten Free On A Shoestring).
I originally was planning one long post on our findings (please keep in mind that these are just our opinions) but I keep finding new products to try. So, this will be my first post, reviewing what we’ve tried and whether we liked them or not. I have added all the foods we liked (and would buy again) in my Amazon store (at the top of the page) but all the photos on this page link back to the companies websites.
I know that not only will tastes differ between nationalities but within regions of the United States. Let me preface this to say: I’m basically a displaced Okie (I just felt my Grandma smack me upside the head for using that term). Both sides of my family moved to California from Oklahoma. So, that is the family background on food. My immediate background revolves around being born and raised in California. My favorite types of food lean toward Mexican and/or Chinese. My husband is basically the same way (with more of an emphasis on Mexican food). His mother did more cooking with vegetables than anyone in my family has ever done but deep down, we are both “Meat and Potato” people, with a little bread on the side (oh, if we could find some San Francisco style sourdough bread that was gluten-free, we’d truly be in heaven). So, that’s my disclaimer. Keep this in mind when I review the following items.
The first gluten free product we bought was this:
Udi’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust at Papa Murphy’s:
At first, it was great (not “Oh, this is just like pizza crust” great but edible). Then, the pizza started cooling of and it took on the texture of a flour tortilla that had been heated, then left uncovered (tough). So, as long as you eat the pizza really fast, it’s great.
Then:
Three Baker’s Gluten Free Bread
This bread was crumbly, dry, and tasted like binder paper. Now, to give them the benefit of the doubt, the freezer this was being stored in was bad. The loaf had ice crystals all over it, so that could account for the texture. The taste, however, was not of freezer-burned bread (yes, I have eaten such). The flavor was as if they forgot to add any salt.
The next one we tried was this:
Udi’s White Bread
This tasted just like plain old white bread (though the sliced are just so small). We loved it! One thing to note: the size of these loaves makes them extremely cost prohibitive to purchase for a family to eat. I still have not figured out how a gluten-free family could afford to survive financially on these pre-made foods.
Udi’s Whole Grain Bread
This was alright. The texture was great but the bread itself was a little sweet. If that’s what you like, this is the bread for you!
Next, our ultimate favorite thing yet:
Krusteaz Gluten Free Pancake Mix
OMG! This stuff right here is better than regular pancake mix! If I remember right, this is the only gluten free item (at this point in our tasting journey) that has sorghum flour in it. So, I’m thinking sorghum flour might be best reserved for sweeter mixes, like muffin and pancake (wow, I really want some more right now).
Next:
Food For Life Gluten Free English Muffins (Multi-Seed)
Yuck. These were not only bland but gummy. Have you ever tried making a yeast bread and something messed up and you ended up with something that resembled rubber? Well, that was these, even though they were toasted and drowned in butter.
Snyder’s Gluten Free Pretzel Twists:
These are harder than Rold Gold pretzels but not as “break a tooth” hard as Snyder’s typical pretzels and they are good! You can tell they aren’t gluten pretzels but they are close enough to make us happy.
AND last for this list (though we just bought some more gluten-free snacks at Rite Aid Drug Store yesterday):
Breton Gluten Free Herb and Garlic Crackers
Have you ever had a water cracker? You know, those round almost bland crackers you typically eat with brie? Well, add some garlic to them and that’s what these taste like. They are good (if you like those kind of crackers). I bought hubby some deviled ham and that was really good spread on these crackers.
I hope this list helps a little in your search for gluten-free alternatives. I know the search is helping us and we have been pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of products out there that are gluten-free (I sure wish there was this wide of a variety for low carb foods). Remember, I have added all the foods we liked (and would buy again) in my Amazon store (at the top of the page) but all the photos on this page link back to the companies websites. This will make it much easier for me to remember what I have already posted about (and what products I still have to share with you).
Until next time,
Brenda
