Udi’s Review: The Best Gluten-Free Bread and Muffins

Most Udi’s Gluten Free products are soy-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. They are made in a dedicated gluten-free bakery in Denver, Colorado and sold in Udi’s cafes. While several of their products can be ordered online, Udi’s Gluten Free is also sold in some Whole Foods stores. Their gluten-free bagels are sold at three Einstein Bros bagels in Denver!

Udi’s sent me five products to review: white sandwich bread, whole grain bread, lemon streusel muffins, blueberry muffins, and pizza crusts. When I opened the box, the smell of the products was wonderful. The products are shipped frozen and intended to thaw during shipping.

They are good for 5-7 days on the counter, 21 days in the fridge, and 6 months in the freezer. The pizza crusts have directions to cook from frozen, so I froze them. I stored the muffins on the counter and in the refrigerator. The label on the breads said that they dry out in the refrigerator, so it is recommended to keep them in the freezer and then thaw on the counter as needed. No microwaving or toasting is needed to eat this bread! I kept the white sandwich bread on the counter and froze the whole grain bread.

Both muffin flavors are fantastic! They are surprisingly soft and fluffy. The air pockets throughout the muffins create the great springy consistency. The muffins are large and filling. Fortunately, the lemon flavor is not too strong. The blueberry muffin has 240 calories and 8 grams of fat. The lemon muffin has 280 calories and 11 grams of fat. They are made from a blend of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. After storing the muffins for one week in the refrigerator, they tasted very fresh when warmed in the microwave.

My daughter, who can eat gluten, loved the muffins and the white sandwich bread. In fact, she loved the white sandwich bread more than Wonder bread and ate many slices, including every last bit of crust. On the fifth day of keeping the bread on the counter in a Ziploc bag, she ate it for her school lunch. It was still soft, but not as soft as a few days earlier. She did not like the pizza crust because of the extra flour dusted on the bottom, but I liked it. The thin pizza crust had a nice crisp on the bottom and was doughy too. It is low in calories and fat.

I tried the whole grain bread last, and was extremely impressed. The whole grain bread is the best gluten-free bread I ever ate! I do not make my own bread, so I am comparing it to other store bought brands. Udi’s white sandwich bread is also good, but I liked the whole grain one better. My second favorite bread is Mr. Ritt’s Quinoa bread. So, what makes Udi's Gluten Free whole grain bread so good?

· soft and fluffy
· thick slices
· stays soft on the counter for days after thawing, which makes it great for travel and lunches
· no toasting or microwaving needed
· soft crust
· no crumbs
· stays together well, even for spreading and overstuffed sandwiches
· good mild taste
· tastes like gluten, similar to Roman Meal wheat bread
· contains teff flour and flax seed meal (also contains brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch)
· cost is only $5.00, which is cheaper than a loaf of other gluten-free bread.