Breads From Anna

I’ve discovered some great gluten free bread mixes. Breads From Anna offers a huge selection of wonderful mixes including herb bread, original bread, yeast free bread, banana bread, pumpkin bread, mixes including apple, maple and cranberry pancake and muffin mixes, pie crusts and MORE!

I, naturally was drawn to Anna’s sweet bread selection and tried out her ‘sweet mix’ gift set:

The set included her banana and  pumpkin bread mixes and black bean brownie mix.

I started off with baking the banana bread. I followed the simple instructions on the back of the box, and about 30 minutes later, had delicious banana bread right out of the oven!

I made mini loaves and added slivered almonds along with a little turbinado sugar to the top of the bread.

I packaged a few of the loaves up into cute lil boxes and gave them away as gifts to some gluten free appreciating friends- they LOVED the bread.

It tastes just like ‘real’ bread, which is a nice change compared to other GF items I’ve tried. The texture was very nice, light and fluffy.

I tried out Anna’s GF pie crust mix. I’m a fan for sure! Here’s a great recipe that I made from Anna’s site for a Maple Walnut Tart:

Gluten-Free Pie Crust:

• 1 package Breads from Anna® Gluten-Free Pie Crust Mix
• 1/4 cup milk or water (or non-dairy drink)
• 3/4 cup oil (canola works well)

Please note: Our Pie Crust mix will make two 9-inch pie crusts (you can freeze the extra pie crust). For a thicker crust, you may use the entire mix for one 9-inch pie crust (optional).
Filling:

• 2 1/4 cup walnuts
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted (or preferred butter replacement)
• 1 cup maple syrup (use pure maple syrup for best results)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Gluten Free Pie Crust:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Combine wet ingredients: 1/4 cup milk or water (or non-dairy drink) and 3/4 cup oil into a large bowl.
3) Press bottom crust into standard 9 1/2 inch glass pie dish or 10 inch tart pan.
4) Coat crust with egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Filling:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts, maple syrup, melted butter, brandy, eggs, and vanilla. Pulse until well blended. Let this mixture stand in the refrigerator for one hour.
3) Stir to recombine ingredients (they may separate once chilled).
4) After mixture has chilled, spread into tart/pie crust.

5) Bake for 40 minutes. You may need to bake longer, depending on your oven. Filling should be firm.

Note: If the rim of the crust begins to over-brown, cover with a pie ring or foil. Tart can be baked, frozen, thawed, and served chilled.

This pie reminds me of a twist on a traditional pecan pie. It’s not too sweet, but by adding the whipped cream it made for the perfect balance of a savory/sweet combo. This pie would be a perfect addition to a yummy Thanksgiving menu.
So if you are GF, know someone who is GF, or perhaps your just looking to be a little healthier- I highly recommend you give Breads From Anna a try. Her gift sets would also make the perfect holiday gift (and PS: they are reasonably priced!)
Check out her website:
http://breadsfromanna.com/
Go ‘like’ Breads From Anna on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/breadsfromanna

A little info on Anna via her website:

Anna experienced first-hand the debilitating discomfort and fatigue associated with Celiac Disease, and the difficulty in finding a tasty and nutritious gluten-free bread. With the double whammy of having diabetes, and being a lover of all things food, her personal goal was to develop gluten-free bread with both the taste and nutrition of a whole wheat bread.

Interested in the concept of food as medicine, Anna attended and graduated from the Natural Gourmet Cookery School Institute for Food and Health—the premier institute for learning about food as medicine—in New York City. She believed there should be a way to make healthful food taste great. And she was right. Chef Anna’s first baking mix was introduced in 2004. As her business began to grow, she found that many people with Celiac Disease also had other food allergies they needed to manage.

Anna has developed a complete line of 12 baking mixes that are sold online and in hundreds of stores and bakeries all over the world. Anna has created mixed for breads, pancakes, muffins, pizza, and pies.  Her mixes are GMO Free Certified and Kosher Certified.