Udi's frozen GF French baguette review

As my regular readers know, I don't eat a lot of GF bread, mostly because it disappoints me.

I did love a little brushetta back in the day, so when I saw these baguettes, visions of antipasto danced in my head. 

This bag was at Safeway for $5.99 and each bag has 2 baguettes. They are about 12" long and 2" in diameter. Just to let you know, they are dairy, soy and nut free also.

http://udisglutenfree.com/

I cooked 1 baguette as directed. From frozen, 400° for 10-15 minutes. I cooked mine approx 14 minutes. It was crispy, but in a good, crusty sort of way. 

Tonight I picked up some creamy garlic & herb goat cheese and vine ripened hothouse tomatoes. We usually grow our own tomatoes, but it is November...you take what you can get. 

I sliced my baguette in 1/2" slices, smothered them with goat cheese, topped with tomato and I was in heaven. I shared the baguette with my son. Ok....he had 3 pieces and I ate the rest. 

I think this was good enough to serve to my gluten loving friends and family. Next time I am picturing olive oil, mozzarella, fresh basil and tomato. I will post updated photos. I have only seen these once at Safeway, so I am going to buy a few if they still have them.

**update**

I cooked it a little less, approx 11 minutes and I liked the texture better. Then I topped them with a generous helping of pesto and goat cheese. 

Udi's frozen Gluten Free Uncured Pepperoni Pizza review

I have only tried 2 gluten free pizza crusts in the last 8 months, and both left me underwhelmed.

I saw this frozen Udi's pepperoni pizza on sale at Safeway, so I figured I would get one and save it for a rainy day. 

Last night was a rainy day (literally, I live in Oregon), so I thought I would give it a try. 

It is a small pizza and, well, it looked like a frozen pizza. I cooked it exactly as directed. 400°, directly on the rack, 6" from the bottom, for 12 minutes. This is what came out. 

Not too shabby. I picked up a piece to snap this photo to show the thickness and the pizza was limp, however the instructions say to let it sit for 5 minutes and it firmed up. 

Let me remind you, this is a frozen pizza. I did not have the expectation that it would be some amazing, life altering meal, but you know what? It was pretty darn good. 

My husband and I have an inside joke. Once we were starving and all we had to eat was a package of very stale Ritz crackers. When we ate them, it was the best damn Ritz cracker we had ever had. So, the joke it, it can be a crappy meal, but if you are deprived, it will be the best thing in the world. 

So I was unsure, was the pizza really good, or was this the best damn Ritz cracker situation? I had my gluten loving husband take a bite & he agreed, for a frozen pizza, it was pretty good!

I cook almost every night and try to limit my processed food, but I will be buying this pizza again for another rainy day. 

Homemade gluten free breadcrumbs

Gluten free bread is expensive, but gluten free breadcrumbs are ridiculously priced. I bought a standard sized container for $9.00 & they worked, but DANG, they were expensive!

As I was getting a new loaf of GF bread out of the freezer, I started to do what I always did, which was throw the heels (ends) of the bread away. Then I realized how simple it was. I put the heels in a ziplock bag & put them in the freezer. I just kept adding to that bag with every new loaf of bread. 

When I needed breadcrumbs for a recipe, I took a few pieces out & defrosted them in the microwave. Then you have 2 options, you can toast the pieces in the toaster, or, since I was doing several, you can put them in the oven under the broiler. I suggest broiling on high, several inches away from the burner. I keep a very close eye, toast them till brown, then flip over & toast the other side. You want the bread dry all the way through. Moist breadcrumbs don't work. 

I don't have a food processor (**hint hint hubby) so I used a blender & it worked fine. I only did 2 pieces of bread at a time. I broke them into chunks. I added granulated garlic & Italian seasoning, but that is optional. 

I used pulse until they were my desired consistency.

Easy breasy & practically free since I was going to throw the heels away anyway. 

By the way hubby, these would look marvelous in our kitchen :-)

Celiac Awareness Month fun fact #11

Potatoes don't contain gluten, so are French fries gluten free?

Potatoes in their pure form are gluten free, but most restaurants that make them use a fryer and oil that they also fry breaded items, like chicken and fish. That means some serious cross contamination! Some more progressive restaurants have dedicated fryers for French fries. Most Red Robin & Burgerville restaurants have dedicated oil for fries. Don't just assume though, make sure you ask.

Also, some brands of frozen French fries, sweet potato fries, hash browns and tater tots have wheat flour added to them. Always check the label. Even if you find a brand you deem as GF, check the label every time. Manufacturer ingredients change all the time.