Brazi Bites

Around the holidays I decided I was going to be as grain free as possible which also happened to be the same time a bunch of bread samples were delivered to my front door. Throughout the winter I incorporated Brazi Bites into my meal planning as to spread out my grain consumption.

Brazi Bites is a small company based in Portland, Oregon who has a great product line, although I don't consider it unique. The rolls are good, there's no doubt about that, however they are like any cheese roll or dinner roll that I've ever made: Hard on the outside and still very doughy in the center as if to make the baker think that the product isn't done,  and inevitably you'll end up overcooking them.

If you don't like to bake or you need something super quick for a dinner party sure these are great. In fact that would be my recommendation to this company is to head in the direction of food service, catering, And working with local hotels and restaurants to provide gluten-free breads for travelers, But as a stand alone product on the shelf I just don't think this is unique enough or good enough to stand up against its competitors.

Bread SRSLY

Anyone with a food allergy has pretty much experienced the challenge of finding a food alternative to what used to be there favorite comfort food. For most of us it is the bread that tempts us; we dream about it, and bake endless loaves trying to find the right combination of ingredients to achieve something close to what we used to known of as bread. The owner of Bread SRSLY, Sadie Scheffer, is like many others, who have perfected a recipe and is trying to make a name for themselves. Bread Srsly is a biking bakery service that specializes is one of those special bakery breads people just love: Sourdough, gluten-free style.

Only a year of working hard in the kitchen, experimenting with the recipe, people demanded loaves from Sadie and so living in the city, she combined her love of city biking with delivering bread. Since August of 2011 she has been taking orders by email.  The bread is currently made in a shared commercial kitchen in the mission district of San Francisco and is well cleaned before baking to ensure it reamins free of dairy, egg, nut, soy, chickpea, potato, tapioca, and, of course, wheat. She also offers pre-made sandwiches featuring her bread.

You should be seeing Bread SRSLY around, appearing at more bay area farmer's markets, and aims to be selling her bread in speciality grocery stores in San Francisco, Oakland and the North Bay soon. Her bread has also been featured on Zen Belly's pop up dinner throughout the summer. She has plans to move into a dedicated gluten free kitchen in the coming future in order to guarantee that the breads are gluten-free.

I think with the right business model Bread SRSLY has an opportunity to be a mainstream gluten-free bread. While delivered in a well sealed brown bag, this bread does not need a fancy wrapper to distract you. While it is still the small loaf of bread from your basic bread pan, the flavor is right on. It has a nice outer crust, and a soft, flaky inside. After the first day or so this should be popped in the fridge, which can make the very center almost a little gummy, but put a slice in the toaster and do what you love to do with sourdough. If you're even in San Francisco and in need of some fresh baked bread you should send her an email; I beat she would try and meet up with you.

Millet Bread

I really liked Udi's when they first came out and I still consider their pizza crust my go to premade option if I'm in a pinch, but I kind of feel like the more they expand the quality of their products might be suffering.  I recently tried their Millet-Chia bread, and it is a healthy bread option with 5 grams of protein and fiber, and low sugar. The bread was really good toasted with my eggs, but when I attempted to make a sandwich the bread pretty much just fell apart. It absorbed the moisture from the mayo before and it seemed to disintegrate when I picked it up to take a bite. I was disappointed.