Canyon Bakehouse Review and Giveaway

Bread. A regular part of life for 99% of the world population, but the Holy Grail for the celiacs searching for the perfect sandwich bun. 

So you can imagine my delight when Canyon Bakehouse, one of my favorite gluten free companies, offered free samples for me to review and offer as a giveaway for one lucky blog reader! 

Our hosts today!

Canyon Bakehouse breads have earned a special place in my cabinet ever since my diagnosis. I don't eat bread on a daily basis, mainly because I've lost the taste for most of it. Some days, though, nothing sounds better for lunch than an old-fashioned sandwich that tastes better than cardboard and stays together long enough to eat! Especially since I've been off bread (99% of which contains eggs, corn, etc) for three weeks because of my elimination diet! 

Using entirely whole food ingredients, Canyon Bakehouse breads pass both of my requirements. In their sample for me to review, they were kind enough to share four products: three breads (white, 7-grain and cinnamon raisin) and their Cranberry Crunch Muffins. 

Holding all the goodies!

First, the White and 7-Grain breads. My mom is a dedicated customer of both flavors. When the FedEx box arrived the day she finished off her last loaf, she nearly danced around the kitchen! Talk about good timing! 

The White bread is a throwback to every Wonderbread sandwich a celiac scarfed down before diagnosis. Like most gluten free breads, Canyon Bakehouse's loafs taste infinitely better after doing a quick nose-dive in the toaster. A crunchy crust but a soft, giving middle? Talk about yum! The best part of the White bread is its understated taste, which lets the flavors of the sandwich really shine!

The true celiac dream!

The 7-Grain bread is White's heartier cousin. It toasts just a deliciously with crunchy edges and a soft middle, and holds together well (even under my mountains of meat, veggies and avocado!). True to its name, it boasts ingredients like millet, quinoa, amaranth and teff. This is my favorite sandwich bread because of its seedy texture and robust, earthy taste. It's like whole wheat - minus the wheat! 

Surprisingly enough, the Cinnamon-raisin bread didn't capture my taste buds as well as I imagined it would. A sweet slice of bread drowned in sunflower butter, fruit and chia seeds is my favorite midnight snack, especially when warmed in the microwave for a few seconds! Canyon Bakehouse's bread did the trick, but I thought the cinnamon flavor could be intensified and that the crust was a little too thick. If most gluten free cinnamon breads are too sweet for you, though, and you want a heartier version, this is definitely a winner!

Also pairs well with a rice cake with Chocolate Dreams PB!

Finally, there are the Cranberry Crunch Muffins! I wasn't sure what to expect when we dug into the box, but it pleasantly shocked my taste buds. I started drooling at first sight - I'm a sucker for gluten free baked goods that look fluffy and moist enough to be gluten-bombs. 

Looks didn't disappoint (except for the gluten free part). The muffins boast a middle-of-the-road density, not fluffy but not a hockey puck either. They are also less sweet than most GF muffins on the market (like Udi's, for example). While this may make them taste a little bland alone, I think they'd be perfectly complimented by a few swipes of butter, Greek yogurt or ice cream on top! 

Mom approves!

The best part, though, was definitely the surprising flavor combinations! I've never tried cranberry in a muffin before, and adored the bursts of chewy tartness that filled every bite! And the addition of pumpkin seeds? I'm totally stealing this trick! They elevated an ordinary muffin into a crunchy delight!

Overall, I give Canyon Bakehouse's bread and muffins a delicious 8/10 and would love to try any new flavors they concoct in the future! I'm not the only one doing the taste testing this time, though! In my first official blog giveaway, one reader will receive the same sample box to enjoy! 

The giveaway is only running until next Friday, though, so get involved quick! Good luck everybody and I will release the winner's name after I get out of class on September 5th! Happy early Birthday (I'm turning 19 on Sept 6) to me!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received these products without charge to review, but my opinions are all my own!*