Gluten Free Food Reviews

I picked up this 22 ounce Gluten Free Pantry gluten free bread mix from Nature’s Pantry for $5.19. I thought it would pair well with yummy chicken soup on a chilly spring evening. I was not disappointed!

The prep for this bread was fairly simple with the help of my KitchenAid Artisan Mixer mixer. I added vinegar, milk, honey salt, melted butter, and eggs and let it rise for 40 minutes. I brushed the top with egg and baked for 40 minutes. The dough was sticky and a bit fussy to spread in the pan, but with the help of a wet spatula, it smoothed just fine. Total prep and cook time totaled 1 1/2 hours.

I have to tell ya, fresh from the oven this bread smelled just like “regular” french bread. I thought I hit the jackpot!

The exterior of this gluten free french bread was golden, chewy, and slightly flaky that provided the perfect crunch. The inside of the bread is soft, spongy and chewy, which was a little disappointing. After some cooling time, I sliced it warm with an electric knife. Yum! It tasted great warm from the oven- something that doesn’t work for many other gluten free breads.

This gluten free french bread isn’t a perfect replacement for “regular” gluten french bread, but it will definitely curb your craving if that is what you want.

PROS: wonderful french bread smell, slightly flake crust, slices fairly well

CONS: you have to add lots of extra ingredients, texture is a little spongy

Rating: 4 stars

Want to try it for yourself? Click the link below:

Gluten-Free Pantry - French Bread and Pizza Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: white rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, guar gum, granulated honey, salt, yeast

Want to make homemade gluten free french bread? Check out the following recipes to get you started:

Karen at Gluten free Sox

Ashley at Recipezaar

Mike from Gluten Free Blog

AOL Canada

Gluten free Pantry Gingerbread Cake Mix, originally uploaded by Gluten Free Food Reviews.

I used to love warm spice cake in the fall. It just seemed to fit with crunchy leaves and crisp fall evenings. Even though I do not consider it a staple, or favorite dessert, it is nice every so often. When I found this 14 ounce Gluten Free Pantry Spice Cake & Gingerbread mix, I thought it would be fun try it. It cost $4.69 at Nature’s Pantry.

I decided to try the gluten free spice cake version by adding eggs, oil and buttermilk. I mixed the cake by hand and baked the 8 x 8 pan for 35 minutes. Simple prep- just my style.

The cake smelled great fresh from the oven- and looked even better, just like a “real” gluten cake. Yum! I topped it with whipped cream and dug right in.

I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed. The flavor of the cake was quite bland- not the strong spice flavor I was hoping for. However, the texture and crumb was great- no coarse or gritty crumbs. The cake was soft, somewhat moist, springy, and rose nicely in the center. The cake also lasted about 48 hours on my counter top before it dried out. I think by adding just a little more cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves, it would taste just right to me. My sample piece was warm from the oven, sliced easily, and would pair well with a variety of toppings ( whipped topping, cinnamon cream, powdered sugar, apple compote)

I checked out the recipe for the gingerbread on the back of the box, and it looked promising with the addition of molasses and ginger. I think this is a decent, basic mix that has potential - just a bit more spice and it would really be great.

PROS: great texture, minimal crumbs, quick and easy prep

CONS: the flavor is pretty bland, needs more spice

RATING: 4 stars

Want to try this gluten free spice cake & gingerbread mix for yourself?

Click the link below:

Gluten-Free Pantry - Spice Cake and Gingerbread Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients:white rice flour, sugar, potato starch, brown sugar, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, sodium bicarbonate, cinnamon, salt, xanthan gum, ginger, nutmeg, cloves

Click HERE for more Gluten Free Pantry Reviews!

Beth’s gluten-free all-purpose flour is a new product my local natural foods store. I was really excited to try it, because the Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour I used in my recipes was a bit too heavy and dense. I purchased this one pound box for $3.99.

I am still new to gluten free baking with a variety of flours- I just don’t have the patience or confidence ( yet!) to experiment and combine two, three, four or more flours in my baking and recipes. I want my recipes to turn out the first time! So for now, pre-blended gluten flour mixtures are what I usually use.

Beth’s gluten-free all-purpose flour mixture is made from white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, guar gum and salt. I liked the consistency of the gluten free flour mixture- it wasn’t too powdery and seemed easy to measure and handle.

I made the Nestle tollhouse cookie recipe, and substituted this flour blend cup for cup. I am one of those people that eats raw cookie dough (gasp!) and this cookie dough tasted wonderful with the gluten free flour blend! My children could not taste the difference, which is a big deal because they are experts at tasting rice flour, and usually don’t care for it.

YUM!

The final product was just as tasty- my family inhaled these cookies! They did not taste gluten free AT ALL! I also substituted Beth’s gluten free all-purpose flour in apple crisp, gravy, other varieties of cookies and sweet breads. I found the flavor to be great with limited graininess and minimal crumbling.

Overall, I really like this gluten free flour blend, and it is my favorite to date. It is not heavy and dense like the corn or bean based all purpose flour blends, but it is more substantial than straight rice flour. The only downside I found was that the box only contains three cups or so of the gluten free flour mixture. The mix is great if you need to substitute a few tablespoons of flour, or a half cup of gluten free flour here and there. However, if you like to bake and cook more, you will find the amount in the box insufficient.

PROS: easy to measure and handle, great in a variety of foods, affordable price

CONS: Each box only contains aprox. 3 cups- doesn’t go very far

Rating: 5 stars

Try this gluten free all purpose flour for yourself! Click below:

Ingredients: white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, guar gum, salt. May contain traces of soy.

At the holidays, I just love pie- pumpkin pie, key lime pie, buttery southern pecan pie, and my all time favorite- french apple cream pie. Yummmmmm. The only time I make pie is at Christmas and Thanksgiving, so when I make it, it better be good.

When I went gluten free last spring, I panicked- what about my famous holiday pies? I can easily adapt the fillings to be gluten free, what I wasn’t so sure about the crust. (My attempts at a homemade crust were less than tasty.) Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I decided to experiment with the Gluten Free Pantry Perfect Pie Crust mix. Since most of the other mixes are decent, I had high hopes for this one.

One mix makes two crusts, or enough for one double crust pie. I decided to make one pumpkin and one lime custard pie, to see how the crust reacted to the different fillings.

I found the mix simple to combine and roll out, even though I had to add seven of my own ingredients ( Gf Baking powder, sugar,10 tbsp. butter, 10 tbsp. shortening, eggs, water and cider vinegar). I have to admit, that was a little annoying. However, when it came time to transfer the pie crusts to the pie pan, it was a bit tricky due to cracking and splitting. However, I fixed the cracking fairly easily with my water-dipped fingertips.

After baking for 45 minutes ( average for both), the crust crumbled profusely when I tried to slice a piece of the pie. Uh-oh, not a good sign.

This is not a light and flaky crust. It is thick and dense (despite the crumble factor), and reminds me more of a shortbread cookie or biscuit. I also thought the crust could use a bit more sweetness; the flavor seemed a bit bland to me.

I did not care for this Gluten Free Pantry pie crust mix with either my lime custard or pumpkin pie. This just wasn’t what I expected or hoped for. I guess I will have to keep looking, since I haven’t found my perfect gluten free pie crust recipe or mix- yet.

PROS: easy to mix

CONS: you have to add alot of your own ingredients, very crumbly, dense and heavy texture- not light or flaky

Rating: 2 stars

You may purchase this mix at:

Gluten-Free Pantry - Perfect Pie Crust
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Guar Gum, Granulated Honey, Salt.

Read what the following bloggers and forum posters think about this mix: Stephanie from What I Eat, Gluten Free Girl, posters at the Gluten Free Forum, S’Kat and the Miscellania, Sea at the Book of Yum, and glutenfreeworldgirl

This mix caught my eye when I was searching for the Gluten-Free Pantry’s chocolate version. Since I haven’t found a decent yellow or vanilla cake mix yet, I thought I’d give this a try since most of their products are decent and reliable. I purchased this 15 ounce mix for $3.99, and it makes one eight inch cake.

Mixing this batter was incredible easy. I used my stand mixer to whip up the added butter, eggs, milk, vanilla and mix. The batter was thick and the consistency resembled thick pudding. This made it easy to spread in the pan with little mess, which I appreciated since I can get my kitchen pretty messy when I cook or bake. According to the directions, I baked this cake for the designated 28 minutes, and for once this seemed to be perfect.

The first thing I noticed when cutting this cake it that it is very crumbly and a bit fussy to work with when frosting or serving. The cake was perfectly moist and had a fine texture with a hint of the rice flour it contained ( you know that rice flour taste and texture- if you eat gluten-free, you know what I am talking about). The cake did rise some, but I would not consider it fluffy or spongy.

The flavor is quite neutral with the slightest hint of vanilla, and would pair well with any frosting or topping. It is just sweet enough to be good, but not so sweet you couldn’t smother it in a good chocolate butter-cream frosting if the craving hit you. I used Cherrybrook Chocolate Frosting Mix to make the pictured creation and turned out really yummy. I think this mix would also make a great base for different cake variations since the flavor is so mild. Really, the options are endless!

Although I wouldn’t use this cake mix for a formal affair ( sorry, Kristina, no wedding cake winner here), it would be great for a casual birthday or dessert with a homemade touch. I also plan to try the cookie recipe that is printed on the box- it looks like it would be good.

PROS: moist and not too sweet, pairs well with all frostings & flavors, affordable price

CONS: very crumbly!

Rating: 4 stars

Hey, That looks good! Where Can I Buy this Mix?

Gluten-Free Pantry - Old Fashioned Cake & Cookie Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients:White Rice Flour, Sugar, Potato Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Xanthan Gum, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate.

I finally got it right! After my first flop at making this cake mix ( thanks to accidentally turning off the oven) second time’s a charm. This 15 ounce box makes one 8 inch cake. However I made about a dozen cupcakes.

This mix was easy to prepare with my Kitchen Aid mixer and just as easy to fill the cupcake liners. The batter is somewhat thick and comparable to a traditional cake batter. I baked these cupcakes 22 minutes, as the package recommends baking for 22-23 minutes. The cupcakes really didn’t rise much and had firm smooth tops- perfect for frosting and decorating. Likewise, they are easy to unwrap since the cupcake liners remove easily and cleanly.

The texture is almost exactly like a traditional “regular” cake and has a mild and sweet flavor- great for chocolate lovers, but not overly sweet and rich for those that are missing a chocolate sweet tooth. These cupcakes are moderately dense- neither light and fluffy, nor thick and heavy. This is great, since it helps the cake keep it’s shape with little crumbling and breakage.

My only complaint about this mix is that it’s not very moist. My glass of cold milk really came in handy; of course, a scoop of vanilla ice cream can help with that as well !I am not sure if a reduction in baking time would help since I followed the directions perfectly. I would love to hear other comments from others about their experience because in every other way, this is a great mix.

PROS: Nice mild flavor, not too sweet, great texture, easy to mix

CONS: fairly dry- maybe reduce baking time to help with that

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where Can I Buy This Mix?

Gluten-Free Pantry - Decadent Chocolate Cake Mix
From: glutenfree.com

Ingredients: Sugar, White Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Cocoa Powder, Tapioca Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Salt, Guar Gum, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate.

I heard so many great things about the Gluten Free Pantry Chocolate Truffle mix, I just had to try it out! I made these for our Memorial Day cookout to rave reviews.

I purchased this mix from my local natural foods store for $3.99. It is 16 ounces and makes an 8×8 size pan of medium thickness brownies.

Mixing was fairly easy, just add eggs, melted butter and optional chopped nuts. The batter is very thick and a little difficult to spread in the pan. I used a touch of cooking oil on my fingertips to prevent sticking as I smoothed the batter in the pan by hand- spatulas and spoons just weren’t working for me. The instructions suggest 25-27 minutes baking time. Since I like fudge brownies, I opted to bake the brownies for 25 minutes. However, they were underbaked, even for my taste, so I would suggest baking the full 27 minutes for best results. Anything less, and it will just look, taste, and cut like brownie batter.

I also suggest completely cooling and freezing the brownies for at least an hour before cutting, as suggested on the package. These brownies are more like a slice of fudge than a traditional brownie, and really need that freeze time to allow for cutting clean lines. These moist brownies are very fudgey and have a rich chocolate taste, free from grittiness or significant crumbling ( just a bit at the edges ). The mix also contains chocolate chips that add another level of richness to the final result.

These truly are a decadent treat that anyone would enjoy. And they are just as good the next day, if they last that long!

Pros: wonderful flavor, moist, rich, chewy and gooey,

Cons: More like fudge than a traditional brownie, need long cooling/freezing time before cutting and serving

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Where can I Buy This Fudgey Brownie Mix?

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Ingredients: Sugar, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanillin), cocoa powder, white rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, xanthan gum, salt

I purchased this bread mix from my local grocery store. It is priced at $4.89 for a 22 ounce box, and includes a yeast packet.

To make the bread, you need to add water, oil and eggs. I mixed this in my Kitchen Aid mixer with no problems (there is a bread machine version, but I have not tried it yet). Speading the glue-ey mixture into the bread pan took some effort, and puffed up during the 40 minute rise time. After baking, the crust sounds hollow when tapped and is slightly crispy and a beautiful golden brown color.

I found this bread easy to slice both warm and completely cooled, with very little crumbling. The texture is slightly spongy, but thinly slicing the bread helped with this. This bread stored wonderfully in my refrigerator for three days and tasted and sliced like it was fresh. However, beware when freezing- it becomes dry and crumbly. The flavor was mild and balanced, not too “ricey” - just right.

This bread was really good hot out of the oven with butter and jam. It also made wonderful fresh and grilled sandwiches. I will definately buy this mix again!

Pros: easy to mix, stores well, slices nicely, great in sandwiches

Cons: Crust is pretty crispy out of the oven, doesn’t freeze well

Rating: 4 stars

Ingredients: white rice flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, skim milk, whey, corn starch, brown sugar, guar gum, salt, yeast packet