Starting with Bread

If you have been eating gluten free for very long, you know one of our biggest food challenges is finding a bread that is edible. Lots of breads say on the package that they are better toasted. That’s fine for breakfast or for a BLT, but sometimes I just want a sandwich with soft bread.

Ener-G Foods Light White Rice Flax Loaf

Purchased at Kroger in the GF food section
Price: about $4.40 per 8 oz. loaf
1 slice per serving, 50 calories per slice, 1 g fiber
http://www.ener-g.com
Main ingredients: rice flour, tapioca starch and flax meal. Not sure if the bakery is dedicated GF.

The package says the bread will stay fresh on the shelf for one year before opening and one week after opening. Toasting is recommended. Each slice felt lighter than a typical slice of bread. As recommended, I toasted two slices to eat with peanut butter – my typical breakfast. It browned a little bit quicker than other breads. As I chewed the toast, it took on an unusual almost gummy texture in my mouth. It felt as if it was sticking to my teeth while I chewed. (No, it was not the peanut butter sticking – it was the bread.) It has a slight aftertaste that is hard to explain. It’s not a good taste, but I can’t explain it. My recommendation is to skip this bread.

La Brea Bakery Gluten Free White Artisan Sandwich Bread

Purchased at Kroger in the bakery department, though it is prepackaged bread
About $5.00 per loaf 2 slices per serving, 140 calories per serving, 2 g fiber
https://www.labreabakery.com
Main ingredients: gluten free blend with corn starch, modified tapioca starch, tapioca starch, potato starch, sorghum flour, rice flour, amaranth flour. It is NOT a dedicated GF bakery.

What amazed me is that the La Brea is soft. I squeezed the loaf, and it was nearly as soft as any regular bread I used to buy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I started writing that I noticed it is made in a facility that makes wheat bread, so it is not certified GF. The bread doesn’t seem to go bad quickly. I had a half loaf several days past the buy by date, and there was no sign of mold and it wasn’t stale. I was brave and tried this bread in a BLT – not toasted. The taste is pretty good and the texture was very good. The only issue was the moisture from the tomato made the sandwich soggy very quickly. The soggy sections were a little bit gummy, too. Toasted with peanut butter, this bread was very good. To my husband, who is not celiac, it does not taste like regular bread, but the taste does not bother him. It isn’t overly salty and doesn’t have an unusual after taste. And the texture is close to a regular loaf of wheat bread. Because this bread is not baked in a dedicated GF bakery, I cannot recommend it for celiacs. If you are not celiac, but choosing to reduce gluten, this might be a good, affordable alternative.

Whole Foods Organic Hearth Prairie Bread – Seed Delicious

Bought at Whole Foods, frozen food section
Price: about $8.00 a loaf
Frozen
Serving is 1 slice, 140 calories, 1 g dietary fiber
https://www.instacart.com/whole-foods/products/28421-whole-foods-market-gluten-free-bakehouse-all-natural-prairie-bread-28-oz
Main ingredients: white rice flour, tapioca starch, with pumpkin seeds, millet, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, salt, and poppy seeds

This was not a fair apples-to-apples comparison since this is a seeded bread, not a “white” bread. I tried this one on the recommendation of a friend who is also celiac. He loves it and compares it to a sour dough, but he buys the regular version. (I bought the wrong bread.) The package says “Best Enjoyed Toasted!” It took noticeably longer for this bread to toast compared to other breads. And it is dense. Each slice is noticeably heavier than a slice of the rice bread. I toasted two slices and ate them with peanut butter. This bread is chewy and dense. I’m not fond of the taste, but I can eat it. And there is a slight aftertaste that bothers me. I don’t know what it is about the taste that bothers me, but I don’t like it. I like breads with texture, so the seeds were nice. I was a little surprised that the serving size is just one slice and that there were so many calories per slice. Then again, this bread is dense. If you like heavy breads, it is worth a try. If you prefer light sandwich breads, this might not work for you.

CONCLUSIONS

• Ener-G Foods Light White Rice Flax Loaf – Unusual texture. Did not like the taste.
• La Brea Bakery Gluten Free White Artisan Sandwich Bread – Good texture. Good taste. Not certified GF.
• Whole Foods Organic Hearth Prairie Bread – Seed Delicious – Heavy. Chewy. Some aftertaste.

NOTE: All of the products mentioned in this blog post were purchased by me. The prices are estimates since I neglected to save my receipts.