5 gluten-free breads that actually taste good

[00:00:00] Can you believe it is 2024 and we don't have a single gluten-free bread that tastes amazing and is widely available?

[00:00:08] Like why can't I go into a fast food chain and order a burger with gluten-free bread?

[00:00:13] Like if we can send a man into space, we should be able to make good gluten-free bread.

[00:00:17] Hello.

[00:00:18] Anyway, I know a lot of y'all are gluten-free like me, whether you're gluten intolerant or have celiac,

[00:00:25] or just choose to cut gluten out of your diet.

[00:00:27] One of the most common questions I get is, hey, what gluten-free breads do you like that actually tastes good?

[00:00:34] Because so often gluten-free bread is so small and dry and just does not taste like bread at all.

[00:00:41] So I'm going to share today a few of the gluten-free breads that I've tried that I absolutely love.

[00:00:47] I've been gluten-free since 2018, so about six years.

[00:00:51] I've tried definitely over a dozen, probably dozens of gluten-free breads at this point.

[00:00:56] And these are my top picks.

[00:01:00] I'm Janesie, and this is Farm to Future, the podcast all about eating better for the planet.

[00:01:07] Okay, number one top of the list.

[00:01:10] The absolute best tasting gluten-free bread I've ever had is from this brand called Green Light.

[00:01:17] That's green like the color and L-I-T-E.

[00:01:20] So you can get it frozen at Whole Foods.

[00:01:23] They're actually made in Israel.

[00:01:26] They're fully gluten-free, and I will always get one of their artisan loafs.

[00:01:30] They are a loaf of bread that's pre-baked but frozen, and so you bring it home,

[00:01:36] you heat it up in the oven at 375 for 10 minutes, and it comes out so fresh and aromatic.

[00:01:45] And it's got that classic crinkly crust that you can actually cut into.

[00:01:51] And then inside it's the texture is amazing.

[00:01:53] It's soft, it's aerated, it's chewy like an actual artisan loaf.

[00:01:58] They've got a seeded loaf.

[00:02:00] They've got one with chia seeds and a white bread loaf.

[00:02:02] And those are all really, really good options.

[00:02:05] One loaf for me will last probably up to a week because I'll typically have toast

[00:02:10] with avocado and egg in the morning.

[00:02:13] And so I will bake this up on a Sunday or Monday, and it'll last me through the week.

[00:02:18] That said, it depends on how thick you cut the slices.

[00:02:22] I used to be pretty generous with them, and then when I was counting macros last year,

[00:02:27] I realized that two slices of bread was like 26 grams of carbs.

[00:02:32] And so if you care about that, you can slice the pieces thinner, which is what I do now,

[00:02:37] but still hands down best tasting bread I've had.

[00:02:41] They also make a baguette that is really good.

[00:02:43] They have a classic one and a multi grain with chia seeds taste like an actual baguette.

[00:02:49] It's crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, exactly what you want from bread.

[00:02:55] So green light, awesome option.

[00:02:58] The only drawback is that it does include ultra process ingredients.

[00:03:02] So the base is potato starch, tapioca starch, and soy flour.

[00:03:07] So it doesn't use rice flour, which is typically what a lot of breads will use.

[00:03:12] But the thing is they include soybean oil, which is a seed oil,

[00:03:16] and they also have xanthan gum and guar gum,

[00:03:19] which again very typical for gluten free breads because gluten

[00:03:23] is what binds the bread together and gives it that soft chewy texture.

[00:03:27] So without that you kind of have to replace it with something.

[00:03:30] So here they have tapioca starch and those gums,

[00:03:34] which do make it an ultra process product.

[00:03:37] So personally for me, even though I love love love the taste and texture of this bread,

[00:03:43] I won't buy it every week.

[00:03:44] I'll kind of switch off between this and other breads,

[00:03:47] but definitely for taste.

[00:03:49] This is number one, a very close runner up.

[00:03:52] Number two on my list is from the brand against the grain.

[00:03:56] So a while back I went to brunch with Bella who actually does social media for farm match,

[00:04:02] which is where I order my Amish farm food from.

[00:04:06] Bella and I went to brunch at this Brazilian restaurant called Samba in Montclair, New Jersey.

[00:04:12] And I went in with zero expectations, not even realizing that this whole restaurant is all gluten

[00:04:18] free.

[00:04:19] And so naturally I had to order their French toast and I was just blown away.

[00:04:26] Oh my god, it was just the dreamiest French toast I've ever had.

[00:04:29] I will go back to that restaurant.

[00:04:31] I will drive to Montclair just for that French toast.

[00:04:34] They used this baguette that was just like, you could not tell it was gluten free at all.

[00:04:39] The texture was so stretchy.

[00:04:41] It was soft.

[00:04:42] It had that crust and it just soaked up all the egg-y French toastness in the maple syrup.

[00:04:49] Oh, it was so delicious.

[00:04:50] And afterwards I asked the waiter like, hey, do you guys sell, you know, the bread that you

[00:04:56] use to make this?

[00:04:56] And they're like, no, sorry.

[00:04:58] And so but they had recipe books.

[00:05:00] And so I started, I tried to look in the recipe books for the bread they used.

[00:05:05] But the waiter actually went into the back and brought the bag to show me what bread they used.

[00:05:12] And it was this brand called Against the Grain.

[00:05:15] And again, this one is also available in Whole Foods.

[00:05:18] You can also order online.

[00:05:20] So they started out as a small bakery in Vermont.

[00:05:23] And their whole thing is that they make baked goods that taste amazing and just

[00:05:28] happen to be grain free.

[00:05:29] They've got bread.

[00:05:30] They've got bagels.

[00:05:31] They've got pizza and pizza crust.

[00:05:34] The one I've tried is their baguette.

[00:05:36] And it's also a tapioca starch based.

[00:05:39] But here's the kicker.

[00:05:40] The magic ingredient here is actually mozzarella cheese.

[00:05:45] If you are dairy intolerant or don't tolerate whey, this is not the option for you,

[00:05:49] unfortunately.

[00:05:50] But that is what makes this bread so good and so stretchy and honestly kind of cheesy

[00:05:57] is the mozzarella.

[00:05:58] It's very similar to if you've had those Brazilian cheese balls,

[00:06:02] I think they're called pal de queijo or keijo.

[00:06:05] It's similar in texture to that.

[00:06:07] So you get a nice crunchy outside and the inside is very chewy and very cheesy.

[00:06:13] This one also has a cleaner ingredients list than the green light.

[00:06:17] So it's just tapioca starch, water, eggs, olive oil, mozzarella cheese, milk and salt.

[00:06:22] So again, it does include dairy.

[00:06:24] It is very cheesy, very amazing.

[00:06:27] My one thing with this bread is that it is best eaten fresh.

[00:06:31] So right out of the oven, it's just the perfect texture and so good.

[00:06:36] I find that if you let it sit a day or so, it gets pretty dry.

[00:06:40] You can heat it up again with a bit of water, maybe toast it up.

[00:06:44] But that's why it's also a great option for making French toast

[00:06:47] because once it dries out, it can really soak up all the liquids.

[00:06:51] So against the grain, another great option.

[00:06:54] All right. Number three on my list is keto bread from the brand base culture.

[00:07:00] It's got the elephant logo.

[00:07:02] This is also an option from the Whole Foods freezer section.

[00:07:06] You can probably tell where I shop now.

[00:07:08] This one is another classic for me, especially when I am a bit more conscious about my carb intake.

[00:07:15] I've been trying to eat a bit more in tune with my hormonal cycle.

[00:07:19] And so half the month when I'm feeding my progesterone,

[00:07:22] I'll go for more carb heavy options.

[00:07:25] And half the month when I can deal with less carbs,

[00:07:28] I'll go for something like the keto bread.

[00:07:30] So my favorite ones that they make are the cinnamon raisin,

[00:07:33] which I love because it's a little bit sweet but not too sweet.

[00:07:37] There's seven nut and seed bread.

[00:07:39] It's just got a little bit of seedy texture, which is really nice.

[00:07:43] And then their original sourdough and sandwich bread are all totally fine as well.

[00:07:48] I find I can't really tell the difference between those ones.

[00:07:52] It's just a very consistent texture and flavor.

[00:07:56] So if we look at the ingredients list for the nut and seed bread,

[00:08:01] it's water, eggs, almond butter, arrowroot flour,

[00:08:04] golden flax seed meal, cillium husk, apple cider vinegar,

[00:08:08] flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds,

[00:08:12] sea salt, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and baking soda.

[00:08:15] The nice thing here is they don't use xantham gum or guar gum,

[00:08:19] and they do add in cillium husk and flax seed,

[00:08:22] which give you that extra fiber.

[00:08:24] So I'm pretty happy with the ingredients list.

[00:08:26] I'd say this is a solid bread option.

[00:08:29] You know, it's not going to be like an artisional amazing texture.

[00:08:33] It's just like it's a good sandwich bread, toast bread.

[00:08:37] It comes sliced in a bag.

[00:08:39] It is on the smaller side in terms of the loaf size.

[00:08:43] It does feel more like a typical gluten-free bread loaf,

[00:08:46] but it's got a clean ingredients list.

[00:08:49] And if you care about macros, it is low carb.

[00:08:51] So base culture is another great option.

[00:08:54] Okay, number four on my list is the brand Bread Seriously.

[00:08:59] They're a small woman-owned business in San Francisco, I believe.

[00:09:03] These guys are a little bit lower on my list

[00:09:05] just because they're more similar to a typical gluten-free bread,

[00:09:09] meaning the loaf is very, very small

[00:09:11] and the texture is, you know, it's fine.

[00:09:15] It's on the drier side, I would say,

[00:09:17] compared to the green light or against the grain.

[00:09:20] So you're not going to get like amazing mind-blowing texture,

[00:09:24] but it's decent, you know?

[00:09:26] So they have a sourdough.

[00:09:28] They have a cinnamon raisin, which is like not sweet at all

[00:09:33] if you're into that.

[00:09:34] And they come in loaves that are not sliced,

[00:09:37] which I actually like because you can customize the thickness.

[00:09:41] What I'll do is it arrives cold,

[00:09:44] and so I'll slice them up and then put them in the freezer

[00:09:48] for when I'm ready to eat them.

[00:09:50] The main reason I included Bread Seriously on this list

[00:09:52] is that they have three bread options

[00:09:54] that don't include gums,

[00:09:56] so that don't have xanthan gum or guar gum.

[00:09:59] And they also have options that are dairy-free, egg-free,

[00:10:02] lecdon-free, and rice-free.

[00:10:04] So depending on what sensitivities you have

[00:10:08] and your preferences, they've got a bunch of options.

[00:10:11] Also, their packaging is really cute.

[00:10:12] It comes in this brown paper bag that looks like a lunch bag

[00:10:17] and you roll up the top.

[00:10:18] It's just really easy to seal once you've opened it.

[00:10:22] Small detail, but I appreciate that.

[00:10:24] I don't think Whole Foods carries them.

[00:10:27] I ordered mine online.

[00:10:29] And I think I got their sourdough Mix 3 Pack,

[00:10:31] which comes with a seated sourdough,

[00:10:33] a classic sourdough, and their cinnamon raisin sourdough.

[00:10:36] And all of these were vegan as well.

[00:10:39] It's $39 for the 3 pack,

[00:10:41] which comes out to about $13 each.

[00:10:44] So a little bit on the pricier side.

[00:10:46] And I should have mentioned the pricing for the other ones.

[00:10:49] So the Green Light Artisan Bread is $7.99 alofa.

[00:10:53] The Against the Grain Baguettes are $5.99 for two baguettes.

[00:10:57] The Keto Bread is a bit more expensive.

[00:10:59] It's about $10 for alofa.

[00:11:01] And the bread seriously, like I mentioned,

[00:11:03] is about $39 for the 3 pack.

[00:11:06] Okay, so those are my top gluten-free breads

[00:11:10] that are safe for celiac, gluten intolerance.

[00:11:13] They all do not contain any sort of wheat.

[00:11:16] The other bread I want to talk about,

[00:11:18] and this is more a category of breads,

[00:11:20] is homemade slash local artisanal breads

[00:11:24] made using organic or heirloom flour.

[00:11:27] And I'll tell you why organic is important.

[00:11:30] Essentially, this makes the bread glyphosate free,

[00:11:34] which for a lot of people, myself included,

[00:11:37] may be the culprit behind your gluten intolerance.

[00:11:40] For me, I have noticed that when I have bread in Europe,

[00:11:44] for example, I'm actually headed to London and Paris

[00:11:48] next week. I'm so excited to have actual bread

[00:11:52] and pastries in Paris.

[00:11:53] The last time I went in 2022,

[00:11:56] I sort of dipped my toe in and tried a little bite

[00:12:00] of baguette here, a little bite of croissant there.

[00:12:03] And I tried to buy mostly from organic bakeries,

[00:12:07] but I found that I was totally fine.

[00:12:11] And this is a whole other topic

[00:12:13] that I could do a deep dive on.

[00:12:15] The wheat and grains in Europe

[00:12:17] and why they are cleaner, essentially,

[00:12:20] than the wheat and grains in America.

[00:12:23] Glyphosate has a lot to do with it.

[00:12:25] The EPA has a lot more lenient laws around pesticides

[00:12:28] and roundup formulation.

[00:12:30] And we have a much bigger, deeper industrial complex

[00:12:33] around ultra-processed foods.

[00:12:35] So glyphosate, there are a ton of studies

[00:12:38] linking glyphosate to gut dysbiosis.

[00:12:41] Let me read you a clip from Kelly Ryerson's website.

[00:12:43] It's glyphosatefacts.com.

[00:12:45] She's got a whole page just on glyphosate impacts

[00:12:49] on the microbiome.

[00:12:50] So it reads,

[00:12:52] glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides

[00:12:54] contribute to autoimmune disease

[00:12:55] by causing dysbiosis in the microbiome

[00:12:58] and contributing to leaky gut.

[00:13:01] When the blood-gut barrier becomes faulty,

[00:13:03] toxins are released from the gut into the bloodstream,

[00:13:06] causing a cascade of inflammation and immune response.

[00:13:10] In the case of autoimmunity,

[00:13:11] the immune system then mistakenly attacks

[00:13:14] the organs of the body.

[00:13:15] Glyphosate has been shown to cause damage

[00:13:17] to the microbiome, selectively harming beneficial strains

[00:13:21] while sparing more pathogenic bacteria.

[00:13:24] And she lists a bunch of studies here.

[00:13:28] A lot of them are mouse studies,

[00:13:30] where they looked at the impact of glyphosate and Roundup

[00:13:35] on myces microbiome.

[00:13:37] They also looked at anxiety and depression.

[00:13:40] There is a lot of evidence that glyphosate

[00:13:43] is linked to leaky gut and gut dysbiosis,

[00:13:46] which just means that your gut is out of balance.

[00:13:49] So I will link that page in the show notes.

[00:13:52] And if you want to learn more about glyphosate,

[00:13:54] we actually did a whole episode with Kelly Ryerson,

[00:13:58] also known as Glyphosate Girl.

[00:14:00] So I'll link that episode in the show notes as well.

[00:14:03] But why I mention all that background

[00:14:05] is that if you are gluten intolerant,

[00:14:08] not celiac, this doesn't apply to you if you're celiac,

[00:14:10] but if you are intolerant or sensitive to foods with gluten,

[00:14:14] you might actually have a chemical sensitivity

[00:14:16] to the glyphosate and not necessarily the gluten.

[00:14:19] In which case you want to look for organic wheat

[00:14:22] or heirloom varieties of grains that don't include glyphosate.

[00:14:26] If you live in North America, there are definitely options.

[00:14:29] I have had homemade focaccia bread

[00:14:32] that my brother-in-law made with organic wheat flour,

[00:14:35] and that was actually fine on my stomach.

[00:14:38] You can find organic heirloom flour online

[00:14:41] and try baking your own bread or sourdough.

[00:14:44] So a couple brands you might want to look into.

[00:14:46] One is called Better Basics Milling.

[00:14:49] They're based in Canada and they source grains

[00:14:51] from organic farms in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

[00:14:55] It's really cute.

[00:14:55] You can read about their three farmers,

[00:14:57] Mark, Will and Eric on their website.

[00:15:00] So they sell stone milled organic flour.

[00:15:03] So all of their wheat is not chemically altered.

[00:15:06] It is not bleached and it is not sprayed with pesticides.

[00:15:10] I have been meaning to check them out.

[00:15:12] If you try them and like them,

[00:15:13] please let me know what you think of Better Basics Milling.

[00:15:17] Another brand that actually Chef Dr. Mike recommended

[00:15:20] is called Bluebird Grain Farms.

[00:15:23] They are a regenerative grain farm in the Pacific Northwest.

[00:15:27] They care a lot about soil health

[00:15:29] and they're based in Winthrop, Washington.

[00:15:31] They're a certified organic grain producer and processor

[00:15:35] and they sell a variety of different grains

[00:15:37] from ferro to einkorn, rye, hard red wheat, spelt,

[00:15:43] and they supply flour for bread making and sourdough,

[00:15:47] but also for baked goods and pancakes and things like that.

[00:15:51] They seem really legit.

[00:15:52] I also have not personally shopped from them yet.

[00:15:56] So if you do check out Bluebird, please let me know.

[00:15:59] If you're a sourdough lover or looking to get into sourdough,

[00:16:03] I got a recommendation from a listener, Jen,

[00:16:06] that you should check out Cultures for Health.

[00:16:09] They have starters for everything really.

[00:16:11] They have starters for sourdough, but also kombucha and kefir.

[00:16:15] Even flavor kits for kombucha, which is really cool,

[00:16:20] but they've got a gluten-free sourdough starter.

[00:16:22] They also have a whole wheat one and a rye one,

[00:16:25] and they've got kits for everything you need to start baking sourdough.

[00:16:29] I've also been getting ads for this site called bloomhealthy.co

[00:16:34] and they offer a masterclass for how to make gluten-free sourdough.

[00:16:39] I haven't checked it out, but if you're looking for a resource,

[00:16:42] this looks like something to check out.

[00:16:44] If you're in the Northeast,

[00:16:46] one bread that I have been loving is the spelt sourdough bread from Prairie Foods,

[00:16:51] which is an Amish farm that I order from through FarmMatch.com.

[00:16:56] If you're interested, you can use my link, farmmatch.com, slash Jane.

[00:17:00] That gets you 10% off your first order.

[00:17:02] And FarmMatch has dozens of farms across the country.

[00:17:06] So if you live in the US, chances are you can find a farm close to you that can ship to you.

[00:17:12] And a lot of these farms will have some kind of bread option or sourdough or flour option.

[00:17:19] So Prairie Foods, they sell spelt flour,

[00:17:22] which is an ancient grain that is naturally lower in gluten.

[00:17:26] It's also organically grown, so they don't use chemical pesticides, no glyphosate.

[00:17:33] And I bought this bread twice now.

[00:17:35] It's very soft for a lower gluten bread.

[00:17:39] It's not technically gluten-free, so it wouldn't be celiac friendly,

[00:17:43] but it is probably the closest in texture to like a wonder bread.

[00:17:48] It's truly like a soft sandwich bread.

[00:17:51] It's like a generous sized loaf, and I'll just cut thin slices

[00:17:56] that I'll have for my toast in the morning.

[00:17:58] It's got a little bit of a sweetness to it too.

[00:18:01] I think they add raw local honey into it as well.

[00:18:03] Prairie Foods also sells the spelt flour itself.

[00:18:07] We also ordered some spelt pasta that I'm going to try this weekend.

[00:18:11] Very excited.

[00:18:12] I can let you guys know how that is.

[00:18:14] If you can find organically grown spelt, that is another great flour to try.

[00:18:19] Speaking of pasta actually, we tried the egg pasta from Vignoli,

[00:18:24] which is where we get our olive oil.

[00:18:26] And I was really curious because we had the founder Claudio Vignoli

[00:18:30] on the podcast a few months ago, and he was talking about his egg pasta,

[00:18:34] which uses 30% fresh Italian eggs and durham wheat semolina

[00:18:40] that's locally cultivated and milled in Italy.

[00:18:43] So I was very curious to try this.

[00:18:45] And lo and behold, I had the pasta and it was totally fine on my gut.

[00:18:51] Again, the food is just better in Europe.

[00:18:53] But this is made with wheat and so again, not celiac friendly.

[00:18:56] But if you are gluten intolerant, that could be a good thing to try too.

[00:19:01] I do have a promo code for Vignoli.

[00:19:03] If you use the code FARM to future, you can get 15% off any of their products.

[00:19:08] They carry olive oil, egg pasta, pasta sauce.

[00:19:12] They've got a bunch of good stuff, balsamic vinegar too.

[00:19:15] And everything is made locally in Italy.

[00:19:19] It's super high quality and it's shipped direct from Italy.

[00:19:23] It's the only olive oil we've been using for the past few months.

[00:19:26] It's so, so good.

[00:19:28] Okay, those are my wrecks for bread and pasta.

[00:19:32] I do have to mention since we're on the topic of gluten free,

[00:19:36] the best gluten free bakery I've ever been to.

[00:19:40] When it comes to sweets, I find that desserts and pastries are generally

[00:19:44] pretty easy to replicate gluten free.

[00:19:46] I make a mean sweet potato brownie.

[00:19:49] That's so good.

[00:19:50] And my friend Hina gave me this paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe that uses almond flour and

[00:19:55] coconut flour.

[00:19:57] Also make these great chocolate chip banana muffins.

[00:19:59] I can drop those recipe links in the show notes,

[00:20:02] but I find generally baking gluten free sweets is pretty easy.

[00:20:06] There's so many good recipes out there,

[00:20:08] but the one thing that is so hard to make at home is croissants,

[00:20:13] like French pastry, flaky pastries.

[00:20:16] So if you ever find yourself in Montreal,

[00:20:20] or honestly have a weekend to spare and want to take yourself on a gluten free adventure,

[00:20:25] you have to check out this one bakery.

[00:20:28] It's called Le Maquis.

[00:20:29] That's M-A-R-Q-U-I-S.

[00:20:32] It's in the Oldport district of Montreal,

[00:20:34] so the old town close to the water,

[00:20:37] which is downtown super easy to get to.

[00:20:40] And they sell classic French pastries like Pond Chocolat

[00:20:44] and Almond Croissants, a bunch of other things too,

[00:20:48] like matcha cakes.

[00:20:49] But the cool thing is if you're traveling,

[00:20:52] they actually sell frozen bags of Pond Chocolat and Croissants.

[00:20:56] And you can get a bag of six that's frozen.

[00:20:59] Bring it home with you.

[00:21:00] I've brought them on the plane with me.

[00:21:04] And oh my god, they are just truly the best thing.

[00:21:08] They are just French quality.

[00:21:11] You could not tell the difference and know that they are gluten free.

[00:21:14] You'll be like, this is a regular Pond Chocolat.

[00:21:18] It is that good.

[00:21:19] Last year my friend Maria was visiting from Montreal

[00:21:23] and she got me two bags full of these things.

[00:21:26] I made them last probably a good six months.

[00:21:30] Once a month, my time of the month,

[00:21:32] I would be craving a fresh baked croissant.

[00:21:35] So I would just pull one out of the freezer,

[00:21:37] heat it up in the oven,

[00:21:39] and boom, you get transported to Paris in your own kitchen.

[00:21:43] So lemaki, go check it out.

[00:21:45] All right, that is a wrap on my little gluten free addition here.

[00:21:49] I'm always looking to check out new products and new brands.

[00:21:54] So if you have recommendations for gluten free brands that you love,

[00:21:58] please, please reach out DM me on Instagram.

[00:22:01] I would love to know.

[00:22:02] All right, that's a wrap on today's episode.

[00:22:04] Thank you so much for tuning in.

[00:22:06] Hope you nourish your body with some yummy,

[00:22:08] yummy foods and I will talk to you next time.