Category Archives: Bakery

Where to buy gluten-free baked goods

New Gluten-Free Delivery In San Francisco: Motek Treats, A Must Try!

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Motek Treats, a gluten-free bakery with a “Storefront” online at Zaarly. Motek Treats bakes their treats and delivers them to the Bay Area. They invited me to visit their store, and if anything piqued my interest Zaarly delivers to San Francisco for them on Mondays and Thursdays. Motek Treats hand delivered their food to my door. All I had to do in return was review them here, on my blog. I love reviewing freshly baked or handmade gluten-free foods! I’m always looking for a gluten-free food “find,” something that pleasantly surprises me. I went to the site and was very excited to see fresh pasta and pizza crusts. Of course they have cookies, scones and bread, but since I have never had freshly made gluten-free pasta that was something special to sample. Of course I chose the pizza crust, because I love pizza! The only place to get a good frozen pizza crust is Mariposa Bakery, and I’d have to drive to one of their two locations. This place delivers!

In the end I received pasta, pizza crust, a peanut butter cookie and an olive and sea salt roll, still warm from the oven. It looked so inviting that I took a bite. The roll was crunchy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. I dipped it in some good extra virgin olive oil and savored each existing bite. After enjoying the roll so much, I couldn’t help but try a peanut butter cookie too.

Soft & chewy, yum!

Soft & chewy, yum!

My plan for the pasta was make it for dinner that night. However having an infant means that plans always need to be flexible. Pasta dinner didn’t happen. When I finally did get to make it I brought a big pot of salted water to a boil and added some olive oil. I added the pasta and it swam through the water, unlike the dry stuff that clumps together. I poured the pasta in to a colander, tossed with olive oil and tasted it. The texture was exactly what I remember fresh pasta to be like. It was fantastic! I made a nice sauce to go with it and was in pasta heaven.

Fresh pasta!

Fresh pasta!

My husband who is not gluten-free loved the pasta too!

A few days later I tried the crust. I cooked it on my stone at 500 degrees and the crust was crispy. However the center of the pie, where I added sauce, didn’t cook through. I think I must have done something wrong, because everything else they made was incredibly delicious. I wonder if cooking the crust all the way through, and then adding the sauce and cheese, would have yielded better results.

Motek Treats has some great gluten-free food. The pasta and the olive roll were amazing! I truly felt like I was eating pasta and bread and that weren’t gluten-free. Having bread and pasta this delicious delivered to my door was incredible. Baked goods that are fresh from an oven being delivered to your door is a treat, a Motek Treat!

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Filed under Bakery, Delivery, Gluten-free specialty store, Product reviews, San Francisco Eats

Taffets, Previously Tote’s Gluten-Free Bakery & Store, is a great addition to Philadelphia’s Italian Market

Last week I was in Philly, visiting family and friends, when I found this great gluten-free bakery in the Italian Market, Taffets (previously Tote). My dad and I were driving on Washington Ave. and pulled over right before 9th street. I was looking for some delicious fruit for my flight back to San Francisco, which I found, but wanted to take a little walk around, because I love the Italian market. Not more than 1/4 of the block in I saw a sign for a gluten-free bakery. Always curious about a gluten-free bakery I headed over.
Just like many shops in the Italian market it was small, but packed with goodies. I saw freshly baked breads, cookies, biscotti and brownies, frozen pizza shells in a small freezer, and some Schar products. The gentlemen behind the counter (who as it turns out are the owners) were friendly and helpful. Since I was traveling and had very little room for carry on items I wanted to be particular about what I was buying. I grabbed a brownie, because I love sweets, but wasn’t sure what else to buy. I saw that there were two different kinds of sandwich breads that had been portioned out in to baggies with four slices each. One of the breads was made with teff flour (an Ethiopian grain) and the other with quinoa flour (the ancient grain). Both were regular sized slices, as opposed to the smaller slices I’m used to finding. I asked what the difference in flavor was before I made my decision. One was suppose to taste like a whole wheat bread and the other like white bread. A woman shopping in the bakery chimed in saying she liked the teff bread. Good enough for me since I’d had neither, and I bought a baggie’s worth.

When I got back to my dad’s car I pulled out my purchases and started snapping pictures on the dashboard before diving in to the brownie. It was decent, but not to die for.

It was a few hours later that my delayed flight finally took off and I knew it wouldn’t be much longer that I would be hungry again. Midway through the almost six-hour flight I ordered some cheese from Virgin’s in-flight menu (not bad I might add). I took out my bread, which was the PERFECT consistency, and tasted it with some cheese. I’m not sure how they did it, but this bread was fantastic! It had great flavor without the strange aftertaste some gluten-free breads have, the texture in my mouth was spot on, it held together and it was normal size. This was THE BEST gluten-free bread I have ever eaten, EVER! Not once did I wish I had a toaster.

I arrived home with two slices left so I could enjoy them the following day. When I opened the bag they were still gorgeous and I was still excited about my find. So excited that I took a couple more pictures to really show them off.

I really like the bay area, but they don’t have a bread here that even comes close to the bread at Tote Gluten Free Bakery & Store. I highly recommend this place to all Philly residents and visitors alike. The Italian Market is filled with great stores and this place is a perfect addition.

Taffets Bakery and Store
1024 South 9th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 551-5511

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Filed under Bakery, Food shopping, Gluten-free specialty store, Philly Eats

Delivery Gluten-free Bread in San Francisco, does it get any better than that?

Actually it does get better than that. Not only was this bread delivery convenient, but they also tasted delicious.

Last week I received an email from breadsrsly.com asking if I would try out her delivery bread and review it my blog. Now who am I to say no to a new product? Of course I agreed and then anxiously waited for my Tuesday delivery. Breadsrsly.com sells two different kinds of bread and two different sandwiches four days a week in San Francisco. Mondays and Wednesdays she makes and sells sandwiches on the Yerba Buena Center Steps and at the Beach Hut Cafe, at Crissy Field, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays she delivers bread via bicycle. To keep things interesting she sells different bread and sandwiches on each of those days. I passed on the sandwiches, because I’m not around Mondays and Wednesdays, but jumped at the opportunity for a Tuesday bread delivery.

The bread arrived in a brown paper sack. I excitedly removed the two loaves and immediately photographed them.

The loaves upon arrival

The two I received were cornbread and whole grain with fig and fennel.

I’m always looking for good sandwich bread and I found it in these loaves. First I tried the bread at home. They were both better toasted than fresh, but the fig and fennel was pretty good either way. First, I tried the corn bread toasted with butter, and quickly realized that it was more than a mere corn bread. Studded with sundried tomatoes, which I could swear, had a picante flavor I decided to top it with melted cheese. I used a creamy sheep’s milk cheese that was similar in consistency to Brie, and it was a great choice.

Corn bread with melted cheese

Since a slice of bread with cheese hardly constitutes a meal, I decided to make a sandwich with the whole grain bread with figs and fennel, leftover rotisserie chicken, tomato and mayonnaise (I was out of lettuce). I find that sandwiches with condiments and tomato are the best indicators of how good a bread truly is, and how well it’s going to hold up. Most of the time when I add those two components the bread gets mushy and by the time I finish the sandwich it is a pile of wet, doughy scraps. This was not the case. Perhaps it had something to do with me keeping the slices rather thick, or maybe it was the bread itself. Either way it was a fine sandwich. Check it out for yourself!

Chicken sandwich on fig & fennel bread

After trying the bread at home I decided to try it at work. I toasted the bread at home, packaged it separately from the egg salad I made, and joined the two at lunchtime. To my happy surprise the bread not only held up, but also was good. The toast didn’t get hard and crumbly, and when I added the egg salad it didn’t turn in to a soggy mess. This bread gets two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Check out the delivery schedule and the various flavors at Breadsrsly.com.

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Filed under Bakery, Delivery, Product reviews, San Francisco Eats, Sandwiches

Gone Gluten-Free has gone to Europe-Amsterdam

My trip to Europe was wonderful. I saw amazing sites, met fun and interesting people and ate some fabulous meals. My first stop was Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a beautiful city boasting more canals than Venice, some of the world’s finest museums, and friendly people who speak English. Navigating the city is easy, because the place is one big circle. The weather in early July was in the upper 60′s, which was fine since I arrived from San Francisco. The food is challenging, unless you are willing to lay it down and go to nicer restaurants. Since I spent lots of time alone I was happy munching on small things throughout the day and having nice dinners with my husband in the evening.

Before starting my day I would enjoy the hotel breakfast, at Hotel Pulitzer, with my husband. This included smoked salmon, fresh fruit, various sliced meats, three kinds of sliced Gouda and the sliced bread I purchased from Bakkerij Visser / ‘t Stoepje, on my second day (please click link for review of bakery). After breakfast off I went, exploring various galleries, stores and museums. Since everything is so close together I would stop by the room for a snack of bread and Gouda or grab frites with mayonnaise midway through my day. I drank a lot of delicious lattes and enjoyed a few local pubs, for drinks only.

Even though Amsterdam is not a foodie destination by any stretch of the imagination, there were a couple of dinners worth mentioning.

My husband and his boss were supposed to have dinner at the highest rated (by Trip Advisor reviewers) restaurant in Amsterdam, Brasserie VLAMING. They were having a business meeting with another gentleman so I wasn’t able to join them. Even though I made a reservation for this location when they arrived it was closed. There was a note for them taped to the door with a number to call, and a message offering to pick them up to bring them to the other location a couple of miles away – can you imagine such a proposal in SF or NYC. Assuming their companion wasn’t going to go they bailed on the idea and had dinner at the hotel. Their loss turned out to be my gain. The following evening I was invited to join them there for dinner.

We were seat and greeted with humble apologies. Quickly we had wine menus and drinks were on their way. We shared the starters and even though I couldn’t enjoy everything I certainly did enjoy quite a bit. First was the assorted appetizer platter. This was served on tiers and each snack had it’s own dish. There were olives, cheese, meat, and bittenballen (this is similar to a croquet, so I am told) and the roasted veal carpaccio with tuna mayonnaise (tuna salad). This was surprisingly delicious. Three of the four of us had the same entrée, fried duck breast. This was delicious. My husband had a pork dish (I think it was schnitzel???) and he liked that a lot, but not as much as my duck that he polished off in lieu of finishing his meal. Obviously you will want to specify that your meal be gluten-free, but this was a place where it wasn’t hard to find something to eat and they were accommodating.

The second meal I must mention, and the one I would choose if I had to pick between the two, was at Proeverij 274. The dining experience here was fantastic. Proeverij 274 overlooks a canal (Prinsengracht) and has a beautiful view. The building is all windows and white, very simple. My husband and I had tried many restaurants that seemed to be well rated, but were only okay. We decided to forgo research, which was clearly a waste of time, to try this charming restaurant we had passed several times on the way to and from the hotel. I am so glad we made that decision. We were seated and offered aperitifs. I had the special aperitif of the evening that I cannot remember the name of, but enjoyed immensely. It is always nice to be offered a cocktail straight away and allowed to enjoy it before having to order. We knew this was going to be a relaxed meal.

The food at this restaurant is divine. My husband and I shared the Green Salad. However to call it a green salad is misleading. It had shallots with salty caramel, rillettes of ox tail, and a white wine vinegar jelly. As you can see in the picture there is a powder on top, which turned out to be a lemon powder/salt mixture. All of the flavors went very well together. Needless to say, it was amazing! Obviously the biscuit was for my husband.

My entree was the special that evening and it was outstanding. I had a beautiful piece of sole in a butter sauce served over white asparagus with mango chutney on the side. It was a beautiful combination of textures in my mouth. The flakiness of the fish accompanied by the crunch of the asparagus, and the creamy sauce were complimented by the coolness of the chutney. This was a perfect bite.

I love the beautiful city of Amsterdam and I know that being gluten-free takes a little effort, but is so worth it to be able to appreciate everything this city has to offer.

Proeverij 274
Prinsengracht 274
1016HH Amsterdam
+31 20 4211848

Brasserie Vlaming
Prinsengracht 193a
1015 DS Amsterdam
+31 20 4272063

Bakkerij Visser / ‘t Stoepje
Rozengracht 80
1016 NE Jordaan
020-6244284

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Filed under Amsterdam Eats, Bakery, Cheese Shop, Eating out

Mariposa Baking Co.

My husband and I returned from an amazing vacation in Europe to an empty home and empty fridge. After spending the last part of our vacation in Rome, I just couldn’t imagine hitting up the frozen foods section of the supermarket and buying frozen bread or some other mass-produced, frozen food, gluten-free product. I had tasted the joys of gluten-free pizza, made by Italians, and simply could not buy any old product. I decided that my home was to be filled with the food from the first gluten-free bakery I visited, Mariposa Baking

The Ferry Building, on the Embarcadero, is Mariposa’s closest location to me. This of course means that if I go on Thursday (the day after returning from my trip), I can not only pick up my baked goods, but I can also enjoy the Thursday Farmers Market. Mariposa’s kiosk in the Ferry Building is inside the door and directly across from Baccalone, Tasty Salted Pig Parts. Mariposa has sweet and savory freshly baked gluten-free items, as well as delicious frozen Italian specialties. I sidled up to the kiosk, that has grown significantly in the last 2 years, and ogled the delicious fresh sandwiches, (made with delicious Baccalone meats and spreads), their new hotdog buns, rye bread and the awesome dessert case. The dessert case can be seen from outside the Ferry Building, just like any fabulous bakery. I grabbed the buns, a frozen pizza (house made crusts instead of shipping them in), and gnocchi.

I was thrilled to see all the fabulous items they are selling; Biscotti, brownies, muffins, breads, bagels, sandwiches and more. I was bowled over by the dessert case and freezer filled with ravioli, gnocchi, and pizza. I was even happier when I got home, toasted my roll and made a glorious chicken sandwich.

In addition to the their kiosk and store front, they also sell their items in various grocery stores and restaurants. Their pizza shells and rolls are used at several Bay Area restaurants. Check out their website for this additional information.

Mariposa Baking Co. SF Kiosk One Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA 94111

Monday-Friday 9-6
Saturday 8-6
Sunday 10-5

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Amsterdam bakery with gluten-free bread- Bakkerij Visser / ‘t Stoepje

Finding gluten-free food in Amsterdam is tough. I have been eating vlaamse frites, and they are delicious as always, Gouda pronounced with a guttural H instead of G and snacks I have from home. Yesterday, however, I went to Bakkerij Visser / ‘t Stoepje and picked up my gluten-free loaf.

As I hunted down a place to find Schar crackers, and the gluten-free crackers I saw in someone’s rubbish, I found myself at De Turen, a health food store. This health food store did have my crackers, and then some. When I asked the lady working there to help me identify which breads were good as is, versus those that needed to go in to the oven, she told me about a bakery near her. She said she doesn’t eat gluten-free food, but happened to taste their nut bread and thought it was delicious. That sounded like a great endorsement so off I went. The bakery was right near the hotel so I went over after my morning exploring the city. I asked for a loaf of gluten-free bread, but they had already sold out of them. The baker said he only bakes a few a day, but if I came back between 8AM-11AM, I would be certain to get one. At 8:45AM I walked over and picked up my bread. I passed by a cheese shop on my way to the bakery, and then stopped in and picked up some Gouda, medium strong, on my way back.

At the hotel I opened my bag of goodies for a taste. The bread was moist and delicious and with the Gouda it made for a wonderful cheese sandwich.

Bakkerij Visser / ‘t Stoepje
Rozengracht 80
1016 NE Jordaan
020-6244284

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Filed under Amsterdam Eats, Bakery, Cheese Shop, Food shopping