****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I found my way here by way of last resort. I have definitely felt better not eating things that contain gluten. BUT I was tired of eating bread that was "gluten-free," and also, "taste and texture free." It only served to remind me that there was such a thing as bread, and what I was eating wasn't it. I was also tired of my wife taking things out of my hands and saying, "Uh uh uh, you can't eat that, you have a gluten-intolerance," like I am some sort of a child and not a full-grown forty-something-year-old man. I didn't feel like a man though.I was going to give up, and resign myself to a life of gas, headaches and stomach pain, but I thought I'd give "Molly and Me GFAOBB" a try as a last resort. First, let's get my major objections out of the way: It seemed expensive. If it tasted like real bread though, it would be worth it. Also, it says on the front of the package "Gluten-free, Egg-free, etc." But on the back the recipe calls for a beer, which has gluten, and also for an egg, which has... egg. Ahhh, but in parenthesis, it outlines that you can use any carbonated beverage as a substitute (presumably one without gluten), and it should work out just fine. Also, if you have issues with egg, you can use an 'egg-substitute.'I made the bread as described. I am not one of the cooking-inclined, but it had like 3 steps, so even with 7th-grade Home-Ec 30 years in the rearview mirror, it was pretty easy. I didn't use a beer, but a Watermelon LaCroix. So, in reality, I made "Molly and Me: American Original Watermelon LaCroix Bread." (I can understand why they didn't go with that name). I went ahead and used an egg because, let's be honest, if I knew what I could substitute for an egg, I wouldn't have been making my own bread. I would have had my magic stove do it for me as I watched from my wizard's throne.An hour later, when it came out of the oven, I actually had a sense of accomplishment, "Look at me! I baked a loaf of bread!" That alone made the price worth it. When my knife cut through the bread, it was different from the hard, crusty, dense, pieces of recycled fiberboard labeled "gluten-free:" It was spongey and soft. The bread felt like...bread! But how did it taste?I added a dollop of warm butter to a cut piece and took a bite. The moistness, texture, and mouthfeel were amazing. And the taste was... fantastic. It wasn't just as good as regular artisan bread, it was better. "You're a liar!" No, I'm not. It was really good. I wanted to hate it (see the objections above), but it was delicious. So much so that I didn't want to share my golden loaf with anyone, but I unselfishly cut a piece for everyone in the house. That included my father-in-law who was diagnosed with Celiacs and hasn't had gluten in over twenty years. He said without prompting, "Wow, that bread is amazing, that's the best bread I've ever had..." and I said,"No one asked your opinion, Ron! You're under my roof, which means I don't have to take your critique...Wait? You liked it?" I then turned to my wife and said, "I'm a man again! I can eat bread." I finished the rest of the loaf, slathered in butter, in about half an hour. Which means I am not just a man, but also a fat man. Ahh, but at least I am a happy man. With the help of Molly and Me I may just be able to live this gluten-free life after all.My son-in-law is gluten free, so I've been making regular and gluten free beer bread to go along with my chili 3-4 times a year for the past 5 or so years. This gluten free beer bread is by far the best that we have tried...it was difficult to tell the difference between this and my regular beer bread.I mixed it with a Sprite and it was delicious. The entire family loved it not just the GF kid! .This bread is so sweet it is almost a dessert bread. The second ingredient is sugar! If that's what you prefer in a bread, then this is your bread. Using a beer high in hops might help counter act the overwhelming sweetness (I used a low-hops lager). I also had to bake it much longer than the instructions on the box--be sure to stick a skewer in to test this bread to make sure it's done before pulling it out of the oven.PriceI was looking for an easy-to-make and delicious homemade bread kit… and this is a win! It’s fool-proof easy to make and turned out awesome. I like that all you need to do is add your own favorite gluten free beer and that’s just about it. For being gluten free bread and an at-home kit, this is awesome - easy and delicious!
