Raindrops. Roses. Whiskers. Kittens. Gluten free bread

Ladies and gentlemen. I’ve eaten a lot of gluten free bread in my time. These days, I don’t eat too much bread, but every now and then I grab a loaf. I find it great to have some toast to boost my energy stores after a long run or hard workout, to savour with some soup, or to make a Sunday morning big brunch treat for myself.

I have seen it all. Bread bricks, bread doorstops, bread slabs. I ‘ve also been delighted to experience GF bread so darn good I ‘ve had the waitstaff at cafes double check with the chef that I’ve def been given gluten free bread (Janus in the CBD).

Here are a few of my tips for enjoying gluten free bread.

Moderation and education.

Bread shouldn’t be a stale in your diet. Even gluten free, sugar free, organic bread. Eating toast for breakfast, sambos for lunch and a slice of bread with jam for afternoon tea isn’t the best for you or your health. For many of my clients, I find bread often takes up space for more vitamin and mineral packed foods in our diet.

Check in why you eat bread.

Over my years in clinic I’ve found bread is a comfort food for more people than chocolate. Yup, that’s right. More of my clients ‘binge eat’ bread than many other sweet treats. If you’re emotionally eating bread, maybe we need to have a chat.

Toast it.

It’s rare that I’ve enjoyed gluten free bread as just bread. Gluten is what heaps give bread the elasticity and stretch it needs to form pockets of air that help to keep bread nice and light. Without gluten, bread tends to be denser, and often drier. Making gluten free sandwiches is normally a pretty dry, dense, disappointing experience. If you toast the bread, it helps to elevate your sambo from drab to fab.

So, without further ado, here are my top picks for gluten free breads.

Helga’s

Let’s be honest. Is it the healthy bread? Heck no. But do you wanna know why I love it? Because it looks and feels like bread. Sometimes a gal just wants a piece of bread, y’know?  She doesn’t want bells and whistles; she wants to make a cheese and tomato toastie on some plain white toast.

The other reason why I like Helga’s is because it’s easily accessible. To my clients who are new to switching to gluten free, Helga’s is available in the same bread aisle as all the other family favourites in the mainstream supermarkets. Perfect for: making the first step in GF living.

Nonie’s

The first piece of Nonie’s I ever had was in a café about a year ago. It was their Activated Charcoal and Quinoa bread, and it was amazing. Now, I’m not going to lie, Nonie’s isn’t cheap. This isn’t the sort of bread you send to school in a kid’s packed lunch with ham or peanut butter on it. Nonie’s is gluten free artisan bread that is free from preservatives, gums, and dairy as well. This is next level GF bread. Perfect for: complementing you homemade Charcuterie board.

Genius crumpets and bagels

I fell in love with bagels on my first backpacking road trip through the US. For about ten weeks I lived on bagels (and waffles) in hostels and motels. Granted this was before I was gluten free. There’s something so wonderful about a fresh bagel. Warm, soft, and a sweet and sourness. Oh, how I had missed bagels!

Then last year, whilst visiting a friend, I was introduced to Genius bagels. Oh, my word! Whilst they’re not EXACTLY like a NY bagel, they are pretty gosh darn close.  What’s more, these bagels, and the Genius range are available at major supermarkets. Perfect for: easy Sunday morning brunches with smoked salmon, feta, avo, and all the trimming!

Peter’s Gluten Free Breads

Peter’s Gluten Free Breads is a Blue Mountains local that delivers their breads to the Sydney metro region. All loaves are baked fresh thrice weekly, and promptly posted to your door. Peter’s only does a small range, but what they do, they do well. The Bush Tucker loaf has hints of lemon myrtle and wattle seed. Perfect for: a picnic lunch in the national park.

Gluten Freedom

I found this brand whilst working at a health food store. They do a small range of buns, loaves, and bagels. Most of their range is egg free, dairy free, and preservative free. This brand is great for folks with multiple allergies and sensitivities, or those who are doing strict animation diets to identify problem foods. Their sweet potato sourdough is the my favourite in the range. Perfect for: dunking into soups or chilli.

The last word

Just a quick word folk. I am not sponsored or affliated with any of these products or companies. I write these posts about my favourite things so that other folks who are new to gluten free, or dairy free, or cleaner eating don’t have to start from scratch.