Gluten Free Bagels: Udi's Cinnamon Raisin Bagels - Product Review #53

Gluten Free Bagels: Udi's Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

PRODUCT NAME:                   Cinnamon Raisin Bagel

BRAND:                                 Udi’s Gluten Free Foods

COST:                                   $6.83

SIZE:                                     4 Bagels (14oz)

COST PER BAGEL:                $1.70

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      GFCO

ORGANIC:                               NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

VEGAN:                                   NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:        YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:         COLORADO

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
Every time I search for gluten free bread, one name always comes up…Udi’s. Udi’s Gluten Free Foods out of Denver, CO has been making gluten free breads for several years out of the dedicated gluten free facility. It all started when a friend of Udi’s Certified Master Baker asked him if he could bake some gluten free bread. At that time, there were very few options of good-tasting gluten free bread. The rest is history. Udi’s Gluten Free Foods now has product in over 3500 stores in all U.S. states and in Canada. It’s with good reason too.

I got a hold of Udi’s Gluten Free Foods Cinnamon Raisin Bagels and decided to give them a try. Open up the bag and you will immediately get the sweet aroma of cinnamon and raisins. I prefer my bagels toasted so that is what I did with this one. I didn’t try it untoasted, but I will say, that this bagel tastes great toasted. The texture is not much different than regular bagels, but it is a little lighter. I would say this is an improvement over regular bagels. It’s not as tough to chew. Overall it had a nice slightly sweet flavor that I really enjoyed.

One thing that did scare me about these bagels is the nutrition facts. I compared the numbers with that of a regular cinnamon raisin bagel and the sodium count, calorie count and total fat were all on the high side at 450mg, 280 and 8g respectively. This just goes to show you that gluten free doesn’t always mean that it is automatically good for you. So if you do decide to eat this bagel, you might want to make sure you plan your remaining meals accordingly.

Taste: Great taste with a nice light texture. It is just a little lighter than a regular bagel, which I think is a good thing.

Labeling: Very simple labeling on these bagels. The fact that they are gluten free, dairy free, soy free and nut free are highlighted within circles right on the front of the package.

Packaging: You will find your normal bagel packaging here. It is the typical plastic bag with the bag tie ring to seal it up. If you decide to freeze these bagels, you might want to put them in a freezer safe resealable bag.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:         5
Taste:             5
Value:            2
OVERALL:      4



Reviewed 012011 by CC

Gluten Free Bagels: Mariposa Gluten Free Bagels - Product Review #39

Gluten Free Bagels: Mariposa Gluten Free Bagels

PRODUCT NAME:                            Gluten Free Bagels

BRAND:                                           Mariposa

COST:                                             $3.95

NUMBER OF BAGELS:                     2

COST PER BAGEL:                          $1.98

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:              NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:               N/A

ORGANIC:                                       NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:               N/A

VEGAN:                                           NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:                YES

LOCATION OF FACILITY:                Oakland, CA

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.            

REVIEW:
Mariposa bakery specializes in gluten free baked goods.  They make everything from brownies to breads.  They even make bagels, which is what we had for lunch today.  Traditionally bagels are dense breads that are hand formed into circles, much like donuts.  The difference between a bagel and regular bread is that bagels are usually boiled before they are baked.  Your end product is a dense bread that is a little chewier than regular bread.

Based on the other products that we have tasted out of the Mariposa bakery, we had high hopes for this bagel.  It was good, but we thought it could’ve been a little better.  We tasted the bagels 2 ways…toasted and without being heated in any way.  First was the toasted version.  It was good…nice and crispy and had good texture.  The last was as is without being heated in any way.  This version was very crumbly and tasted more like dry bread than a bagel.  It reminded us a lot of the gluten free brown rice bread from Trader Joe’s.  It leaves a weird film on your tongue after eating it.  It wasn’t horrible, but we were expecting a little better. 

This bagel is best suited for people who enjoy toasted bagels.  It is great when toasted, but without, it’s just bread. 

Taste: The bagel was great toasted.  It browns nicely and gets pretty crispy.  Untoasted on the other hand, it crumbles easily and is rather dry.  For a bagel, the texture was too light.  It needs to be denser. 

Labeling: Very simple labeling on this bagel, as with their other products.  One thing I noticed on this packaging was that it has a shelf life of 3 months when it is frozen.  This is a big plus as these are a little harder to get.  You can stock up and freeze them to enjoy later.    

Packaging:  Simple cellophane plastic packaging. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                 3             

Taste:                     3

Value:                    2

OVERALL:              2.7

Reviewed 12/10/10 by CC