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Food on Fridays with Ann
For a variety of health reasons, I am on a dietary journey to discern what foods I might be allergic to. Without going into details, one step has been to eliminate wheat (gluten) from my diet. We eat a lot of wheat products, but I was most sad about giving up a simple pleasure I had grown to enjoy this past year: one piece (or two) of cinnamon raisin bread for breakfast.My favorite was Aunt Millie’s.
A little butter melted on top and I was set.If Aunt Millie’s was sold out, Pepperidge Farm was a decent back-up.
Pepperidge Farm’s bread is lighter, airier; less substantial and satisfying. But, in the absence of Aunt Millie’s, it would suffice.Then came this gluten-free experiment. I’d heard that gluten-free pastas had come a long way in the past five years or so, but what about breads? Would I find a gluten-free alternative as satisfying as Aunt Millie’s?At Whole Foods, I grabbed a bag of Rudi’s cinnamon raisin bread from the freezer.
Curious, I got home and stuck a piece in the toaster. When it popped up, I spread a bit of butter on it and took a bite.Not bad. Not great, but not bad. This would do fine, I decided. I accepted it as my best option and toasted a piece of Rudi’s cinnamon raisin bread each morning for a week or so. I even picked up a second bag at Whole Foods, so that I would have plenty for the following week.Then, on a trip to Kroger, I spied a rack of Udi’s bread products in their health food section. I’m not sure why the name is so similar to Rudi’s, but Udi’s also makes gluten-free products, including cinnamon raisin bread. I picked up a loaf to try.I couldn’t wait for morning, so I toasted a piece the minute I got home. And you know what? It was good. Really good. In fact, I told the Belgian Wonder that I would eat a slice of Udi’s Cinnamon Raisin bread every morning even if I weren’t eating gluten-free.So, in my unscientific taste-test comparing those two gluten-free cinnamon raisin breads, Udi’s beat Rudi’s.
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Photos by Ann Kroeker. “Pin” these images in a way that links back to this particular page, giving proper credit.
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Hi Ann,
Nothings seems to taste like the much loved food item does it?
Wondering if you have tried the cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread.
I found it quite good!
http://www.foodforlife.com/product-catalog/ezekiel-49/breads/131C6-sprouted-whole-grain-flourless-cinnamon-raisin-bread
Happy Summer!
Oh rats…on further look, maybe it is not gluten free…hmmm.
Sorry about that!
I saw bags and bags of that brand in the freezer case, and I know that sprouted grains are supposed to pack a nutritional punch. But I think, sadly, you’re right: I don’t think those are gluten-free. But I’ll study them more closely, just in case one of them is. Thanks for the idea!
It seems a lot of people are eating gluten-free these days for a variety of reasons. And they seem to be enjoying it.
I hope your venture through Whole Foods and Trader Joes bears many delicious taste treats as you pursue a healthier life style. Now if you just find gluten-free crackers, I think my broccoli crumb casserole will still fit in the healthy category–sort of.
Please let me know, Ann, how to pin things on Pinterest. I think I have set up an account~not sure I’m ready for the venture but with Jordan leaving on July 18th, I’m getting back to writing and freshening things up a bit.
I like your new look here!
Blessings,
Janis
Thanks so much for the encouragement, Janis. I’ll bet I could crumble any number of crackers atop your casserole. I wonder if I could also use finely chopped nuts? Maybe almonds?
Pinning is easy and fun. After you install the “pin it” gadget in your toolbar, you can be at any website with a photo and if you like what you’re reading, you can create a board that will represent a category of interest (say, “Foods” or “Gluten-Free Foods” or “Interesting Theology” or “Travel”). Then, when you read and decide you want to save that information to revisit or share, you click “pin it’ and the photos available to pin will pop up on a screen. Click the image you like best to represent that page and choose the board that fits it best. It’ll be saved to that board for future reference. Once you start doing it, it’s easy, but it is a little confusing at first. I’ve often pinned recipes to the travel board and to the quotations board. But it’s easy enough to edit and put it under the right category. Does that make sense?
I’ve been wondering about gluten-free breads. My family and I can eat gluten, but I always like to keep up to date with the newest products, including those for special diets. It was interesting to read about the different brands. I must admit, I love raisin bread too – in fact, it’s been ages since I have had any. I must remedy that! This week I’ve shared a Vegetarian Appetizer Tray and a recipe for the – in my opinion 🙂 – Best Hummus Ever. Thank you for hosting.
I’ve got a bunch of Aunt Millie’s that I can no longer eat! I’d be happy to share if you lived closer! 🙂
Can’t I just come to your house?
Sure! I’ve got tons of raisin bread to serve you with tea or coffee. I’d love to sit with you. Later, after we digest, perhaps a jog?
A friend of mine loves Udi’s! Pepperidge Farm’s cinnamon raisin bread is one of those foods I miss. I’ve seen Udi’s at Giant. I’ll pick up a loaf the next time I’m there and see how it is.
I hope you enjoy Udi’s. All I can vouch for is the cinnamon raisin bread. I don’t know if their sandwich breads are as good. 🙂
After being gluten free for a time, the thing it to try something with wheat and observe your body. You should be able to tell right away if wheat is bothering you.
On occasion I do love raisen bread toast. Usually I eat 3 prunes, then in a bowl applesauce with a big spoon of yogurt and a spoon of flax meal stir well and enjoy with a cup of coffee afterwards.
That’s what I read, Hazel. In fact, they said make it as fully wheat as possible, I guess like eating shredded wheat cereal or something.
Your current morning routine sounds so healthy!
My son has multiple food allergies (wheat is one of them), and I’ve found
Udi’s to taste the best among the breads we’ve tried. Bread is probably the hardest thing for us to find. Fortunately, our local Trader Joe’s carries this bread, along with Udi’s hot dog buns and hamburger buns.
I’ve also found a wonderful website with great tasting gluten free foods:
http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
Her breads are delicious – I’ve tried a few.
I discovered last year that I was lactose-intolerant– not a major problem, but I’ve cut back on dairy and carry Lactaid tablets everywhere! 🙂 I hope you find some answers soon! Let me know if I can help you in any way.
Thank you so much for the recommendations! I have found glutenfreegoddess and only need a couple more ingredients to make some of her zucchini bread and more importantly: brownies!
And I just had Udi’s white bread to make a sandwich and then some toast. Seems like it’s going down fine, and taste is great. I might try those hotdog buns. We have an entire rack dedicated to Udi’s stuff at our local Kroger. Interestingly the demographic must be different in another part of town–I stopped by that Kroger about 20 minutes away: no Udi’s.
When I was growing up I’d eat anything my Daddy did. One thing he loved was the raisin bread with icing on top. Mom hated the mess it made of the toaster. I haven’t seen that for a long time but Aunt Millies is usually in my drawer. I even eat it with my eggs. I’ll keep my eyes open for Udi’s.