Posted by glutenfr | Posted in Product reviews, bread | Posted on 15-06-2010
Tags: bread
Simply Wize bread mix
Get your oven gloves on because there is a new gluten free bread on the market.
This one is called Simply Wize and comes in two varieties: a free standing loaf (crusty bread mix) and a french loaf (french stick mix). I haven’t spotted it in the supermarkets yet but the folks from Momentum Foods sent me a pack of the french stick mix to test out in my non-scientific kitchen.
A sophisticated baker I am not – and I am afraid this loaf did prove a little beyond me. Not because the mix is terribly difficult to master but because the instructions were not as clear as they might be (for a non-baker) in a couple of places. For example in one place is says to roll out the dough – but I wasnt sure if this required a rolling pin or hands? In retrospect I have decided it was a rolling pin moment because my loaf was a little bit knobblier than the one on the packet and was more dense than I feel sure this loaf is intended to be.
Please do not be put off though. The nicest gluten free breads I have discovered took two or three attempts to nail and I certainly intend to give this one another go.
I have reviewed a few bread mixes now and two different categories are becoming apparent. One category is simple to bake, moderately foolproof and results in a nice loaf that toasts beautifully but does not have quite the silky texture of wheat bread, and becomes a little leaden after a few hours (so not so great for lunch boxes).
The breads of the second category are a little more demanding when it comes to their preparation and the skill level required to bake them, but they reward you will delicious, soft bread that is as near to the real thing as you can get. Simply Wize goes into this category along with Spring Hill’s Real Bread Mix, and FG Roberts Bread Mix.
Like FG Roberts, Simply Wize mixes are combined with a few other ingredients to create a real dough which is then molded and baked. In spite of the fact that I messed up one or two steps, our first-time-around results were encouraging and we will be experimenting further with the mix once it pops up in the supermarket.
Beware, though. The products that are higher on the delicious and soft end of the spectrum might not be as allergy/intolerance safe as the traditional loaves, as they do contain ingredients such as yeast and soy – which may or may not agree with you. So always read the pack!
[UPDATE: We have since spotted the Simply Wize in Woolies' and Coles gluten free section]
LH
May I confirm which bread mix you have seen in Woolies?? I have seen the Simply Wise bread mix but not(unfortunately) the FG Roberts bread mix. The later one we buy and make and we love it. It has also helped my husband’s IBS(not medically diagnosed, though) as well as my ASD child’s behaviour. It also has a high vegetable fibre content so is great to increase your fibre intake.
I just wish I could buy it in Woolies instead of paying freight from Victoria! This will not stop me from buying it, though.
Hopefully, one day…..
Sadly not the FG Roberts – I spoke to them about this at the last gluten free show at Homebush and they said they were having trouble getting it onto supermarket shelves because the retailers already had enough mixes. Sad eh? Perhaps we should keep asking Woolies and Coles to stock it!
I love this bread – it works really well in a bread maker too!