Fantastic Gluten-Free Bread at Reasonable Price
| Genius brand Gluten-Free Bread : Spiced Fruit Loaf Variety |
This bread is simply fantastic, gluten-free or not!
When I first encountered this gluten-free bread, with a brand-name of “Genius”, I could not help wondering if the bread would live up to its name. Without a doubt, it definitely does!
This is one of those rare gluten-free breads that I enjoy without toasting (worth noting, since toasting is a “requirement” for so many GF breads if you want the bread to have a decent texture and taste). This sliced spicy fruit loaf review does not require any additional bread preparation in order to achieve optimal taste: just eat it, and enjoy.
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As you can imagine, the bread tastes very nice toasted too, though it is wonderful even fresh and untoasted. I find myself eating it plain, or with a bit of almond butter on it, or occasionally toasted with a bit of butter. In all cases, the texture, crumb, and taste are very nice and I am thoroughly enjoying the fact I am eating tasty bread.
One of the keys to the fantastic texture of this Gluten-Free Spiced Fruit Loaf bread (apparently) is the fact it does not rely on the old-school and more traditional gluten-replacements — such as Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum — but instead it uses Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose, which is an inert polymer used as an alternative to animal gelatin (and, somewhat related to and along the same lines as the carboxymethylcellulose (i.e., Dow Wellence gluten-free gluten-replacement product), which I first wrote a blog about in September, 2012). And, I am please to further report: this stuff does not bother my GI tract like Xanthan Gum (which generally causes me pain).
This was my first encounter with a gluten-free product that used this particular gluten-replacement additive to mimic gluten, and I must say it does a fantastic job of doing so (best I have encountered in commercial gluten-free breads).
The full list of ingredients is as follows (quoted from their site):
Water, Tapioca Starch, Sultana (12{5676e3b156b07d12bd9df9fe13d641a85da396026abde11a1ff2d0afc1b3c015}), Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Yeast, Raisin (4{5676e3b156b07d12bd9df9fe13d641a85da396026abde11a1ff2d0afc1b3c015}), Currants (4{5676e3b156b07d12bd9df9fe13d641a85da396026abde11a1ff2d0afc1b3c015}), Caster Sugar, Psyllium Husk Powder, Humectant: Glycerine, Stabiliser: Hydroxypropyl Methyl Cellulose, Dried Egg White, Cinnamon, Maize Flour, Salt, Maize Starch, Mixed Spice (Coriander, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Fennel, Clove, Cardamom), Rice Starch, Preservative: Calcium Propionate.
Notice that Psyllium Husk Powder too: more fiber and texure! And, the dried egg whites are certainly going to help with that gluten-replacement also.
Reasonable Price for Great Gluten-Free Bread
I am actually tempted to call this not just “reasonably priced”, but rather low-priced gluten-free bread — especially given the absolutely ridiculous price of some gluten-free breads I have encountered in the United States (I have seen a small loaf of gluten-free paleo bread at Whole Foods Market for $11.00!! ouch!!). In fact, most commercially available gluten-free bread in the US is absolutely absurdly overpriced with typical tiny loafs costing in excess of $6 or $7, which is just crazy given that the base ingredients are usually quite cheap (potato starch, rice starch, etc).
Price is where the Genius Gluten-Free Bread shows its genius again: this loaf is only £2.50 (i.e., about US $4.25/loaf) and it is a nice sized loaf (400g, or approximately 14 ounces). Basically, it is pretty similar in size to a “real” loaf of raisin bread or similar fruit loaf.
Hopefully you will have a chance to try this bread. My product-review bottom line: Genius gluten-free bread is highly recommended!
Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available.
