The word BREAD can strike anxiety, disgust and a slew of other thoughts in anyone who suffers from gluten sensitivity. Thus I was extremely skeptical when I was invited to try a range of products from Promise Gluten Free.
Since my celiac diagnosis a decade ago I have pretty much avoided bread. Bun for my vegie burger = lettuce. Sandwiches have turned into wraps using corn tortillas (which are tiny and don’t always hold up that great). In reality, sandwiches have turned into salads…
I have to be honest, the first “loaf” I opened was the lemon cake! It was delicious! Lemony and sweet perfect with my afternoon tea.
Second was the Rustic White Loaf… OMG… it felt like bread! It smelled like bread! It tasted like bread straight out of the package no toasting required! If you are celiac and have been around the bread scene for more than a day then you know ALL gluten free bread requires toasting to be edible (unless of course you have a local bakery close by)
I ate this loaf raw, toasted, turned into a grilled cheese (or 3), and made croutons out of the ends and the last couple slices that went stale. Impressed by all. I DO NOT impress easily.
Other Products Tasted
Seed loaf – I normally like seed bread but I found this one on the strong side. My son does not like seed bread in any way so his opinion should not be trusted. My hubby who grew up on homemade wheat-based seed breads quite enjoyed it.
Brioche loaf – I was excited for this one because I LOVE French toast! Really, French toast is the only reason I got the brioche. The bread itself is on the sweet side (as it’s supposed to be) so if you like sweet bread and miss a good brioche then this is for you. I personally only like sweet in my desserts so as a loaf bread I did not enjoy it for sandwiches (I’ll stick to the rustic white) but it did make for killer French toast.
Plain white loaf - it is what is says it is. If you enjoy white bread you will not be disappointed. Subtle in flavour, holds up well. This is a solid white bread perfect for picky little ones. I used this loaf to make garlic toast for the family, went perfect with my homemade split pea soup :)
Cinnamon raison bagels – I got these specifically for my son who both loves cinnamon raison anything and bagels! Perfect fit. He loved the flavour and thought the texture was good but he had trouble slicing them for toasting as our package was quite misshapen. The outer “crust” was the perfect bagel chewy but the inside was more like bread than bagel. Of course we are working without gluten soooo… we’ll take the chewy exterior and say it’s a win.
Other Notes
The packaging is very appealing in look but it doesn’t re-seal and tends to rip easily so we had to re-package every loaf/product.
While it is nice to have a counter bread we found that it was only good for about 2 days after opening (3 total) when left out which means we ended up making croutons and throwing out partial loaves.
The bread is reasonably priced for gluten free with good sized loaves. Bigger than some other GF producers which is great for families.
Verdict
Overall, myself and my family (2 Celiacs, 1 gluten intolerant and 2 “normal” eaters) were very happy with the products we tested. Each of us having our own favourites and no one left disappointed. Certain products will become regular additions to our weekly grocery shop and others as special additions for specific needs.
Flavour 5/5
Texture 5/5
Ingredients 3/5
Non-celiac rating overall 4/5
Since we are a mixed family with a gluten free kitchen I believe the opinions of our gluten tolerant family members carry the most important weight. When creating family meals we cook celiac safe (gluten containing bread is kept in the freezer for quick breakfasts and lunches when not eating together) we want every member of the family and any guests to enjoy their meals so we strive for the reaction “WOW that meal was GF! I never would have known”!
Rustic white loaf 6/5 I had to add an extra point for the “this is GF?!” factor.