Packaged Breads Vs. Packed Mixes

[elmuyloco5]

I'm new to all of this and have my bread machine on order (waiting patiently for it to be shipped). So in the meantime, in order to make this whole transition easier for my three kidlets, I bought some Ener-G Tapioca and Brown Rice bread. Well, the Tapicoa is ok, I guess. I toasted it to help it stay together.....and the kids were troopers and ate all of their sandwich. But, it's really not like regular bread in taste or consistency. I haven't tried the brown rice yet so I can't comment on it's taste.

I live in a small town and it's quite hard to find all of the different flours that one needs to really bake gluten-free, but I have found that I can order Bob's Red Mill, Pamela's, and the Gluten Free Pantry mixes for a good price on Amazon.

What I'm wondering is, are these mixes any better tasting than the premade bread loaves? I was really kinda hoping for something a little more "bread-like". Not trying to be picky and maybe I'm am being a little too much......but it's gonna be hard to give up real bread for the rest of our lives if they all taste like that tapioca loaf.

Thanks!!

[Takala]

You need this thread:

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"Top Three Worst gluten-free Products"

And then you need this thread:

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"The most delicious Home made Gluten Free Bread I've Ever Tasted"

of course after reading that huge discussion, you might feel slightly intimidated, so here is a quick bread that uses baking soda instead of yeast:

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Quick and easy flax bread

Instead of pre heating the small skillet in the oven, it can be heated on the stove top (but still use an oven mitt. It also can be baked in a mini loaf pan, for a longer period of time. Yogurt could be substituted, I would add a teaspoon of vinegar if using plain milk, and it also can be made with different flour mixes.

the above quick bread recipe is very similar to Bette Hagman's Yogurt and Honey bread, which is another yeast free quick bread that has surprised me with how close it behaves to normal bread, it can be used for sandwiches without going thru the mumification ritual of freezing, thawing, microwaving, and toasting. It seems to bake well in the smaller sized loaf pans, I will use 2 mini loaf pans or an 8.5 x 4" instead of a 9 x 5", adjusting by using a shorter baking time, and I end up testing to see if it is done by tapping it on top, and then plunging a table knife thru it all the way down and pulling it back out to see if there is any sticky residue on the end, if so, back in the oven again for 5 to 10 minutes. I also play around with the gluten free flours, skip the egg replacer, skip the extra egg white, just using 2 whole large eggs, skip the lemon peel, add different spice, use more honey or agave in place of sugar, use 2 teaspoons baking soda in stead of baking powder, use vinegar for the dough enhancer. It STILL comes out. I found it posted on the web at this page of this blog here:

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if you use agave and honey, and then a more earthy gluten free flour mix, it will be brown inside when it bakes to doneness instead of white.

If you don't use dairy products, do not dispair, other alternative milk products can be subsituted if you add extra vinegar to "sour" them to activate the baking soda. If you do not use eggs, egg replacers can be used. If you don't like bean flour, leave it out and use something else.

If you don't use any grain products whatsoever, it is still possible to make nut meal baked goods, but at that point I think you almost have to use eggs as a binder. Maybe not.... haven't tried xanthan gum on a nut meal bread yet.

Don't leave out the zanthan gum on a quick bread with gluten-free flours. That's helping hold it together in place of the gluten in the missing wheat.

[larry mac]

No matter how bad your homemade gluten-free bread may be, it will be better than the frozen store bought gluten-free bread.

best regards, lm

[WW340]

I have not found any premade breads that I liked for sandwiches. The mixes are far better than anything you can buy off the shelf or frozen.

Pamela's and Breads from Anna were the best mixes I found. These made a decent edible bread. I didn't care for the gluten free pantry bread mixes, but a lot of people like them and they are easy and can be bought in bulk.

However, the really best bread is made from scratch. There are some good recipes listed in the links provided by takala. I can't tolerate flax or sorgum, so I don't make lorka's bread anymore, but it does turn out nicely.

It will probably be a while until you are ready to tackle those. I started with the mixes and bread machine which at least got me by. I now have branched out into experimenting with recipes from scratch.

[blueeyedmanda]

I never tried to bake my own bread...my baking skills on not up to that par yet. The EnrG breads disappoint. The best bread I found was a frozen bread, its made by The Grainless Baker.

[Guhlia]

I really like the Kinnikinnick cheese tapioca bread. You can buy it online at www.kinnikinnick.com. Their white sandwich bread is really good too. The Ener-G bread, well, our birds won't even eat it (though I have to admit it does make an ok grilled cheese).

The gluten free pantry favorite sandwich bread mix is amazing. It tastes very similar to regular bread and the texture is as close as it comes. I like to put garlic, onions, and peppers in it.

[Tim-n-VA]

I doubt that it will surprise you that there are varying opinions on this.

The only pre-made, frozen bread I've found that I could enjoy eating was the sandwich bread from the Whole Foods chain's gluten-free bakehouse. Of the mixes I like the gluten-free pantry but it seems that Pamela's gets more support on these threads.

[Green12]

I think it depends on personal tastes and preferences.

Sometimes it's nice to have anything closely resembling bread, no mater how bad it tastes

Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse breads are my favorite packaged bread out of everything I have tried and have access to in my area.

I haven't baked any bread from a mix or scratch, but I would imagine it would be hard to beat freshly baked bread.

[elmuyloco5]

Thanks everyone, we're off tomorrow to purchase some and try them out! I appreciate the opinions as it's a 4 hour round trip to the nearest store to get them, and we wanted to be sure before we spent any money on them!

[luvs2eat]

Both Anna's and Pam's bread mixes are my faves. I don't have a bread machine but do have a Kitchen Aide mixer. I make a loaf a week and they are as good as any wheat bread I remember.

Early in my gluten-free days, I think I tried one of the Ener G loaves... first and last. Anna's and Pam's mixes are all I use now!

ps... Anna's can be ordered here and Pam's can be ordered on Amazon Gourmet.com. Enjoy

[Auntie Lurlynn]

I'm new to all of this and have my bread machine on order (waiting patiently for it to be shipped). So in the meantime, in order to make this whole transition easier for my three kidlets, I bought some Ener-G Tapioca and Brown Rice bread. Well, the Tapicoa is ok, I guess. I toasted it to help it stay together.....and the kids were troopers and ate all of their sandwich. But, it's really not like regular bread in taste or consistency. I haven't tried the brown rice yet so I can't comment on it's taste.

I live in a small town and it's quite hard to find all of the different flours that one needs to really bake gluten-free, but I have found that I can order Bob's Red Mill, Pamela's, and the Gluten Free Pantry mixes for a good price on Amazon.

What I'm wondering is, are these mixes any better tasting than the premade bread loaves? I was really kinda hoping for something a little more "bread-like". Not trying to be picky and maybe I'm am being a little too much......but it's gonna be hard to give up real bread for the rest of our lives if they all taste like that tapioca loaf.

Thanks!!

I hate gluten-free packaged bread!!!!!! Mixes are sooooooooooooooooo much better

[Phyllis28]

Most of the options people have listed were not available when I was diagnosed nearly 30 years ago. What was available was only on the edge of edible. I am not much of a baker so I chose the option to live without bread substiutes. I eat salads and left overs when the average person would eat a sandwich. I usually use rice cakes and corn tortillas in place of the bread.

Good luck on your shopping trip.

[CMCM]

I really don't like the pre-made breads, usually sold frozen. Horrible texture, not a good taste. I make breads in my bread machine (takes about 2.5 hours start to finish)....so far my favorite is the Pamela's bread mix. It comes out lovely, soft, pretty much a "normal" bread texture. My family absolutely loves it and gobbles it down. They'll eat the whole loaf if I let them! It's soooo yummy warm, actually GOOD tasting. I usually manage to save a few slices for the next day....in a plastic bag it keeps quite nicely. Also good toasted later on.

I've tried Bob's Red Mill white bread.....I thought it was OK, texture was good, but some in my family detected a beany unflavor (it's made with garfava flour, I guess). I also tried a Gluten Free pantry "white french bread" one, but I still like Pamela's best of all. I think it also has the best texture.

[debmidge]

As to the frozen breads, I also think it depends on how long that bread was frozen in that freezer at teh store. I've had Kinninnick that was frozen too long and it was awful ....but that same bread when fresh was great.

[NorthernElf]

Truly bread like - impossible !

I like Kinnikinnick sunflower & flaxseed bread - and then I tried their mix & it is even better. I make a loaf, let it cool, slice it, lay it out on the breadboard and freeze it for an hour or so, and then put it in a bag in the freezer for handy use. A few slices never make it to the freezer - fresh it is awesome !

I never make true sandwiches - I only eat open face style. I toast it, lay two slices on a plate and place my toppings on the bread and eat it like that. Two slices of gluten-free bread on top of each other - no matter which brand or mix - is too dry !

[JNBunnie1]

I have found the best gluten-free white bread ever, but it's made by a local restaurant and I don't think it's available online. I actually had a piece of soft buttered white bread without having to toast it. Thus far, the best gluten-free frozen bread I've had is the Whole Foods brand. Makes lovely french toast.