Since I last wrote about Artisan Bread Organic’s products, I’ve received a comment from Ingrid, who is a staff member, or perhaps the owner. Not that that’s particularly relevant.
Ingrid feels very bruised by my opinion of their bread (so far published), and in particular the fact that I prefer what she regards as an inferior product – Genius brand bread. She’s also pointed out that the “may contain gluten” flash that I’ve highlighted is a legal requirement. However, the requirement is there because there is a possibility (however remote) of cross-contamination, and since the life expectancy of celiacs is directly proportionate to their adherence to a 100% gluten free diet, I still feel that the presence of this flash means they should avoid it.
Ingrid’s comments make me feel a little bit guilty – not a lot, but a bit. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. But equally, I don’t want to lie and say something is wonderful when, from my point of view, it’s not.
When I bought bread before I was gluten free, it was extremely rare for me to buy it as an artisan-type product, and equally rare to treat it as a health food. Bread at that time was for me just a wrap for sandwich fillings, or sometimes I would turn it into toast and eat it with eggs, or honey…
Now that I have to avoid gluten, I have had to give up sandwiches and toast until recently. I did try a few gluten free “breads” but in general wasn’t impressed at all – they mostly looked like faded Madeira cake, and tasted like Madeira cake without the sugar… And they fell apart far too easily to be any good for sandwiches anyway. I decided to forget about bread and started eating Corn Thins (I will write about these next time I manage to get hold of a packet).
That is why I was delighted when someone recommended Genius bread, and tried it – to find it was just like sandwich bread. That’s what I want bread for.
If you are the type of person who was into artisan bread before you went gluten free, and you are not a celiac, I’m sure you will love these loaves (including the 2 I’m about to write about below). But if you are looking for a substitute for yer average loaf of sliced bread, you won’t find it in these products.
Right, so let’s get down to today’s reviews. I’m doing the ABO rice loaf and the ABO quinoa loaf, both of which are listed as naturally gluten free.
The top 3 pics are of the quinoa loaf. The ingredients list for this is as follows:
Freshly milled (on our in-house gluten free mill) organic wholegrain quinoa flour (55%), revitalised filtered water, wholegrain demeter rice flour (13%), natural leaven* (gluten free), sea salt.
Contains
Naturally gluten free.
May contain
Sesame seeds, gluten.
This loaf is slightly more squishy than the first two. It tastes neutral, and doesn’t give you that “sand in the mouth” feel when you eat it. It goes well with jam, not so well with marmalade (which seems to disappear well before you’ve finished chewing it).
The rice loaf has the following ingredients listed:
Freshly milled (on our in-house gluten free mill) demeter rice flour, demeter whole rice, revitalised filtered water, natural leaven (gluten free)*, sea salt, Hildegard herbs: pellitory root powder, wild thyme, galangal root powder. Topping: organic millet.
Contains
Naturally gluten free
May contain
Sesame seeds, gluten
This loaf is quite neutral in taste. The millet adds a touch of crunch which is rather nice. It goes well with jam and honey, less well with marmalade.
As I’ve said, if you’re into artisan bread, these will probably be right up your street. Unfortunately, I’m not in the target market.
