Kellog's Strawberry Slam Yogos

The gluten free product review for today is another pick from Mr. Man. As usual, Mr. Man's menu items should have their ingredients labels double and triple checked before purchasing in case the ingredients change after posting. Yogos Bits are made by Kellog's, who says on their site that Yogos are manufactured gluten free and may be suitable for a gluten free diet. To me, that is legal-speak for, "If you get sick, please don't blame us." :)

I, personally am wickedly sensitive to contamination in any form and have never had an issue with eating Yogos Bits. D.D. and I eat them all the time- and enjoy them every time!

Katz Gluten Free Hamantaschen

Katz Gluten Free made my daughter very happy this week when they sent a box full of goodies. Our favorite product, and the first up for review is the Katz Gluten Free Hamantaschen in raspberry and apricot flavors.

This gluten free, nut free, dairy free and kosher bakery has introduced a new addiction to my household that will not be leaving any time soon. On to the review!

Ease of Use

Katz Gluten Free Hamantaschen are incredibly difficult to eat. I had to open a box and lift one all the way to my mouth... Okay, sarcasm aside, they were really hard to share. From the first bite I wanted to hide the box in my "private stash" and keep them all for myself.

Appearance

I have decided that, fun though my descriptions are, a picture is worth a thousand words. Starting today, I will provide them whenever possible. One added note, this review covers both the raspberry (above) and apricot flavors. The main difference is that the apricot flavor has a golden filling. They look tasty, don't they?

Taste and Texture

Yummy yum yum! The soft cookie exterior has a soft texture that melts in your mouth. There is just the right amount of filling inside to make the flavors pop and roll in your mouth. The filling is pretty solid, which means there is no drippage on your favorite shirt.

The overall effect of Katz Gluten Free Hamantaschen is fantastic! There is no strange aftertaste or gluten free funk here, only sweet cookie goodness. My daughter, upon her first bite exclaimed, "You know what we have here? Gluten free Newtons!" From her that is high praise indeed.

Versatility

Eat them in the morning, eat them at night, for a snack, dessert... I really can't think of anything they could be used for besides the deliciousness that they are, but that's really all they need to be to make me happy.

Overall Value
Katz Gluten Free Hamantaschen goes for $5.99 a box. With eight in a box that comes out to 75 cents per cookie, they are well worth every penny.

Rating

I love it!

Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix

For my first gluten free review, I chose Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix. The packaging concept for this product is pretty and easily recognizable. It conveys the idea of an old fashioned bakery on a tree lined street. Good deal. Read on to see how it did on each point of the rating criteria. (For more on the rating criteria, scroll to the bottom.)

Ease of Use
Upon opening the the box, I found a cellophane package of white powder and a packet of yeast. (In one box there was also an extra recipe card) I was touched that they included the yeast for me. I read through the directions and noticed that I needed six other ingredients and a mixer to make this happen. I gathered my materials and got started.

I tried both the french bread and pizza crust instructions (with different packages) and got very different results.

For the bread, I opted for the oven method (because I have no idea what my bread machine manufacturer's instructions for gluten free baking are). I got everything mixed, let it rise, brushed it with beaten egg and was ready to go.

The pizza crust was something completely different. After it was mixed, the dough was of such a strange and sticky consistency that I couldn't come close to spreading it in the pan. It stuck to my utensils, my fingers, everything except the greased pan. In the end, I only managed to get it into a rough impression of a circle with various depths.

Appearance

After both the pizza and the bread were baked it was hard to believe they had both started with the same product. The bread was a beautiful golden brown color with a crusty rounded top. The pizza (sigh) was less appetizing to look at. It was misshapen and unevenly cooked with a pale (almost) ring of crust. Of course we ate it anyway!

Taste and Texture

Both the bread and the pizza crust had a dry and crumbly texture, fairly typical of gluten free products. But I was surprised at how bland the flavor was, especially considering how many ingredients I had to add.

The bread was great for sandwiches with strong flavors, though I recommend you use a fork. The pizza crust (double sigh) was undercooked in spots and did not hold up the toppings at all. Definitely not a grab and go food.

Versatility

Since my initial use of this product I have tried many other things with it. I have found it to be very versatile as a bread and roll base. The bland flavor makes it perfect to add herbs, garlic, cinnamon and sugar, spices or anything else that strikes your fancy. This mix will take on the flavor of anything you add and create a lot of different gluten free products.

Overall Value

Online, Gluten Free Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix retails for $5.99 per box plus shipping and handling. It yields one large loaf of bread or about a dozen rolls. Price wise, I'd say that it is very comparable to other products of it's kind.

Rating

I would recommend this product as a gluten free bread mix due to it's extreme versatility and overall characteristics.

I would not recommend this product as a pizza crust due to the fact that the texture of the dough makes it near impossible to work with.