I must admit, ever since my early days of gluten free living I’ve tried to steer clear of any loaf of bread that resides in the freezer. I just remember the very first loaf of gluten free bread that I tried, the misshapen slices of bread that I had to chisel away from the frozen loaf not only looked unappetizing but tasted and felt just how I had feared. Needless to say, ever since then I’ve not tried any loaves of gluten free bread that come from the freezer.
Being an avid bread consumer for the years prior to going gluten free, I suppose made me a harsher critic to one of the hardest gluten free products to make and make well. I’ve had this idea that gluten free bread would one day resemble regular breads with a light and airy texture and even be able to sit on the shelves alongside it’s counterparts in the grocery store with a similar price tag. While some parts of that dream are slowly coming to fruition, we still remain far off on others. Don’t get me wrong, more recently I’ve tasted some phenomenal gluten free breads out there from my daily choice of Schar to Canyon Bakehouse, Bread SRLY, and Udi’s, proving that we have come leaps and bounds from my earlier days of discolored, misshapen, and yucky tasting frozen gluten free bread.
While I was grocery shopping the other day I noticed that one of my favorite gluten free brands. who just released gluten free bagels. also added frozen loaves of bread to their brand too. Even though frozen bread doesn’t usually appeal to me, seeing Schar’s logo in the freezer case did and I couldn’t help but be intrigued by it’s taste and flavor. Even though I haven’t tasted it yet, I should also mention a huge pro for this product and that’s the price. At my Shop Rite, there frozen loaf of bread costs $2.99 versus it’s fresh, shelf counterpart which costs $5.99. A huge savings and a definite pro to push me into trying it out but not without printing out this coupon first.
If you’re interested in trying Schar’s frozen loaves of bread then make sure you save $2 on one each loaf when you do. Let me know what you think!
Growing up, I went on some pretty memorable family vacations, but one that really stands out is our cross country adventure. For a whole month one summer, my parents hitched a trailer to our suburban and drove us from New Jersey out to California and back again. We saw so much of the countryside traveling this way and got to stop at some pretty cool places too like Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Alcatraz, Muir Woods, and the Grand Canyon. Not to mention visiting some quirky sights too like the Corn Palace, a place made entirely of corn, riding the trolley cars, and walking the crooked street of San Francisco. It was a jam packed vacation that took us to places we may have never been to otherwise. Thanks to my parents I’m able to tell my little girl more about this country than I ever dreamed I could.
Some of my favorite times on our cross country vacation were spent in California where I met a whole other half of our family for the first time, where we went to Disneyland, and where we walked the streets of Los Angeles and San Francisco, taking in all of the sights, sounds, and tastes these cities had to offer. I still remember like it was yesterday, spending a morning seeing San Francisco’s Alcatraz and then walking along Fisherman’s Wharf, picking out a place for lunch. We decided on soups and/or sandwiches from a delicious restaurant nestled right in the wharf, offering authentic San Francisco sourdough. It was so chilly and windy, a perfect San Francisco day for soup and sourdough bread. I remember my mom and dad’s huge sourdough bread bowl, overflowing with piping hot soup inside, it was a sight to see for sure and apparently tasted even better than it looked. Never being a huge soup fan, I had a sandwich on sourdough bread and I can still taste the delicious flavor. The crust was so crunchy on the outside and the inside was light and filled with wholes, but chewy too, just how a perfect sourdough roll should be. Years later, and we haven’t been back to San Francisco but the flavors and textures of that lunch have not been forgotten.
Gluten Free Sourdough By Bread SRSLY
Since going gluten free, my diet has been left with many holes in it, without gluten free substitutions to fill them in. As the hype and popularity of this diet/lifestyle grows, there seems to be more and more unique gluten free options out there. We’re far from where I hope we’ll end up one day but just being able to find new items like this gluten free sourdough is really encouraging. Which brings me to the beauty of Twitter. I was blogging not too long ago and stumbled upon a gluten free sourdough bread company in San Francisco, Bread SRSLY. Just after one glimpse, I was instantly transported back to my family’s time in San Francisco and couldn’t help but crave a taste of that crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside sourdough bread. But would these gluten free rolls and loaves of bread compare to the ones that stood out in my memory? Well there was only one way to find out.
Happy delivery day in the Gluten Free Mom To Be’s house!
A little chat later, and the generous gluten free folks at Bread SRSLY in San Francisco were sending along a couple of samples of their gluten free sourdough bread. I couldn’t have been more excited for their arrival and thankfully didn’t have to wait too long. I opened the box like it was Christmas morning and found three brown paper packages of gluten free sourdough in a few varieties, including rolls, a loaf of regular bread, and a loaf of kale bread. I couldn’t wait to dive into one of them, so that day for lunch I decided on a warm sandwich of fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes between two halves of a sourdough roll.
Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced Tomatoes, And A Gluten Free Sourdough Roll
Looks tasty doesn’t it? Well, I’m happy to report that these rolls taste just as good as they look. After unrolling the top of the paper package you get a whiff of sourdough. The rolls are bit darker than your classic white sourdough rolls but texture and flavor are right on point. You can enjoy them with or without toasting, both ways they taste good. The crust on the outside is crispy and the inside is chewy and light, just like the sourdough deliciousness I enjoyed years ago. Of course you can enjoy these anyway you’d like, but I highly recommend heating up a couple of slices of mozzarella and tomatoes on a toasted gluten free sourdough roll. You end up with a warm, gluten free sandwich, with all of the fantastic flavor and texture of the sourdough roll, that would be perfect being served in Fisherman’s Wharf for a breezy and cool San Francisco day.
Gluten Free Sourdough Rolls By Bread SRSLY
Bread SRSLY has joined the ranks of companies that have seemed to accomplish the impossible. They’ve produced a gluten free product that is 100% unique to the gluten free world that resembles it’s regular version remarkably well. We all know that perfecting taste and texture of gluten free products, especially those in the bread family, is incredibly difficult but seems to be done flawlessly by some of these smaller companies. My favorite feature of these sourdough rolls is that you can taste the love that’s baked into them. You can just tell that so much thought, trial and error, and passion has been put into making a great product, which just makes them taste that much better.
Take a look at the Bread SRSLY site to see the entire list of gluten free products that they offer. And if you’re not in the Bay area it’s not a problem, neither am I, but I can still order some of their sourdough products on their site and get them sent right to my front door. These rolls are yet another fantastic addition to the gluten free world and one that I’ll add to my pantry whenever I can. Congratulations Bread SRSLY on your gluten free success!
If you haven’t met Canyon Bakehouse, let me introduce you to my all time favorite gluten free bread brand. They offer gluten free varieties of breads that I haven’t seen ever in my gluten free life. Better yet though, their gluten free versions look, feel, and taste exactly like their non-gluten free equivalents. My favorite out of their gluten free products is by far the Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia, which is incredibly light and moist, just how I remember good focaccia bread to be. You can use it for your favorite cold sandwich or panini or be a little creative and try it in my Gluten Free Garlicky Focaccia Appetizers. Either way, it certainly will not disappoint, just as none of their other gluten free products will either. Excited to try a Canyon Bakehouse gluten free product? Here’s something that’ll make you even more excited; you can save on Canyon Bakehouse products today with this coupon. Either fill out your info on their website on the link provided or like them on facebook and you can get a $1 off coupon. I hope you enjoy Canyon Bakehouse products as much as I do!
I’m always on the lookout for a delicious new gluten free bread option that bears some resemblance to non-gluten free bread that I once enjoyed. A few years back, I used to enjoy Panera sandwiches on all sorts of different breads, but one of my favorites by far was their focaccia, it was so light and perfectly seasoned. Flash forward several years and Panera sandwiches are off of our list of safe gluten free dinners out. I’m not going to lie, not being able to enjoy a soup and sandwich at Panera is a hard one to lose, especially since this restaurant holds a special place in my heart. I still remember my years in college when my parents would come up and visit me and we would head over to the local Panera. It was such a great environment for us to sit, eat, and catch up on my days at school. Not to mention, we would top it off by sharing a dessert or two and they’d always send off their poor college student with a to go bag of treats.
All grown up now with no more gluten allowed, my Panera days are something of the past and so are those delicious bread choices (tear). Much to my surprise though, a couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon gluten free focaccia by Canyon Bakehouse. They’ve accomplished the impossible it seems in the gluten free world and have produced a fantastic product. Their focaccia is soft and moist and perfectly seasoned with rosemary and thyme, take a peak at how beautiful Canyon Bakehouse’s Focaccia is. It is definitely one of my new favorite breads and is perfect for a sandwich, dipping in some olive oil and seasonings, or something a bit fancier like my Gluten Free Garlicky Focaccia Appetizers, topped with caprese and spinach artichoke toppings. Top with either set of toppings and you’re good to go with some delicious appetizers or a side to your dinner. My little one and husband gobbled these up so quickly, I’m just lucky I got to try some too! Enjoy!
Note: Feel free to use as much or as little of each topping ingredient as you’d like. This recipe only lists the combination of topping ingredients you should use but really depends on which variety and how many of the focaccia appetizers you wish to make.
Ingredients:
Canyon Bakehouse Focaccia
Butter (I use Smart Balance.)
4 tbsp minced garlic
Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to season
Caprese Toppings:
2-3 plum tomatoes
Fresh basil leaves
Spinach Artichoke Toppings:
Spinach (I like the frozen steamer bags of spinach.)
Artichokes (Jar of Cento artichokes are gluten free.)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice focaccia lengthwise and cut into four long slices (2 from the top of the bread and 2 from the bottom).
Spread a thin layer of gluten free butter across each slice of bread.
Add 1 tbsp minced garlic to each slice of buttered focaccia and spread across the slice.
Cut focaccia in half lengthwise and spread butter with minced garlic on top.
Toast focaccia in the oven for 15 minutes.
While focaccia is toasting, prepare desired toppings to either do half caprese and half spinach artichoke or to do all of one or the other.
Slice 2-3 medium tomatoes.
Prepare frozen spinach.
Rinse and chop artichokes.
In a small bowl, combine even parts (about 1/2 cup, this amount really depends on which route you go with toppings) spinach and artichoke and add 2 tbsp shredded part-skim mozzarella and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese.
Remove toasted focaccia from the oven and carefully cut into small squares.
To sliced focaccia bites, add toppings. For the caprese garlicky focaccia bites, add a single slice of tomato and basil leaves on top. For the spinach artichoke garlicky focaccia, add 1 tbsp of spinach/artichoke mixture to bread.
Toast focaccia for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, then top with caprese or spinach artichoke toppings.
On both versions, top with part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used slices, but I’d use shredded next time I make these.).
Top with cheese.
Toast focaccia bites in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
Carefully remove hot appetizers and add to serving dish.
Carefully remove bread from baking sheet and add to serving dish.
Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper if you’d like.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Delicious!
After making both varieties and having them taste tested by my toughest critics, the non-gluten free eaters in the house, seeing as not a crumb was left of each of them, I’d say that both are winners! The fresh basil combined with the tomatoes was so delicious, just like my favorite caprese summer salad; while the spinach artichoke bites reminded me my creamy spinach artichoke dip that I love to make, but instead of the dip part, a delicious piece of garlicky butter bread was in its place. In my opinion, you certainly can’t go wrong with buttering up and adding garlic to a tasty piece of bread, but why not take it a step further and add your favorite appetizer flavors too.
Thanks to Canyon Bakehouse, these focaccia bites will be making an appearance in our house on a number of occasions in the future and will surely please all of our diners. The possibilities are truly endless with this kind of bread, so if you have any extra after making these appetizers, feel free to use it for your next lunch meat sandwich or cut it up and dip it in your favorite spices and olive oil! I can’t wait to incorporate this bread into another one of our meals in the near future!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
Gluten Free Garlicky Focaccia Appetizers
2014-06-30 07:54:25
Toasted focaccia garlic bread, topped with caprese and spinach artichoke toppings.
Spinach (I like the frozen steamer bags of spinach.)
Artichokes (Jar of Cento artichokes are gluten free.)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice focaccia lengthwise and cut into four long slices (2 from the top of the bread and 2 from the bottom).
Spread a thin layer of gluten free butter across each slice of bread.
Add 1 tbsp minced garlic to each slice of buttered focaccia and spread across the slice.
Toast focaccia in the oven for 15 minutes.
While focaccia is toasting, prepare desired toppings to either do half caprese and half spinach artichoke or to do all of one or the other.
Slice 2-3 medium tomatoes.
Prepare frozen spinach.
Rinse and chop artichokes.
In a small bowl, combine even parts (about 1/2 cup, this amount really depends on which route you go with toppings) spinach and artichoke and add 2 tbsp shredded part-skim mozzarella and 2 tbsp parmesan cheese.
Remove toasted focaccia from the oven and carefully cut into small squares.
To sliced focaccia bites, add toppings. For the caprese garlicky focaccia bites, add a single slice of tomato and basil leaves on top. For the spinach artichoke garlicky focaccia, add 1 tbsp of spinach/artichoke mixture to bread.
On both versions, top with part-skim mozzarella cheese (I used slices, but I'd use shredded next time I make these.).
Toast focaccia bites in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese has melted and begun to brown.
Carefully remove bread from baking sheet and add to serving dish.
Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper if you'd like.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to use as much or as little of each topping ingredient as you'd like. This recipe only lists the combination of topping ingredients you should use but really depends on which variety and how many of the focaccia appetizers you wish to make.
By Gluten Free Mom To Be
Gluten Free Mom To Be http://www.glutenfreemomtobe.com/
