Well-known in the gluten-free community as the pioneers of superfine brown rice flour (avid bakers swear by it!), Authentic Foods has forged ahead with a broad product line of gluten-free essentials and conveniences. The Authentic Foods Baking Mixes alone, include about a dozen gluten free AND dairy free options.
Tasting Notes for Authentic Foods Baking Mixes
We’ve sampled just a couple of the Authentic Foods Baking Mixes to get a taste for their results …
Blueberry Muffin Mix
It was a lazy Sunday morning, and I opened the cupboard hoping to find anything more exciting than cereal. As if delivered straight from the breakfast gods themselves, what should I lay my eyes upon, but a golden package of blueberry muffin mix.
Unexpectedly, I was stopped in my tracks when I opened the package of mix. The scent of sweet blueberries and warm vanilla literally enveloped my senses. After a minute or two, I finally pulled myself away from the insanely delicious aroma and got to work. Of course, the term work is used rather loosely, this is a pre-made mix after all!
The muffins puffed up and baked to a perfect golden color in exactly the time stated on the package (even though we did bake up 10 rather than 12 as suggested).
Eagerly, I broke open my first muffin sample. It had delicately thin-crisp crust that was delightfully sweet and protected the tender muffin middle. The center was soft and cake-like. It held together perfectly with nary a crumb escaping. The flavor and texture were reminiscent of the freshly baked blueberry muffins they served at my high school.
For myself, they are a bit too sweet for an everyday morning treat, but I wouldn’t hesitate to grab one when my afternoon tea and treat cravings strike. Especially after discovering each muffin only contains one gram of fat!
As an added bonus, blueberries are actually included in the mix. They only slightly plumped up while baking. Though they still offer a very nice burst of flavor. Fresh blueberries certainly can’t be beat, but the convenience of having them in the mix is worth its weight in gold.
Pancake and Baking Mix
Thick and cake-like, these pancakes were tall, but not fluffy. They retained a density I might expect in heartier muffins. That said, my husband LOVED them. He could have easily inhaled the entire batch himself, but was kind enough to save a few for me.
Each pancake was so thick that I was able to slather one with a Tablespoon of peanut butter and eat it like a thin slice of bread. They worked equally well as a sweet breakfast treat topped with pure maple syrup.
When prepared as directed these pancakes have a mild sweetness all their own. I used vanilla hemp milk in the preparation, which doubled the vanilla and the sweetness. I would likely go for plain milk alternative on the next batch, though my husband certainly didn’t complain of vanilla overload.
In addition to the standard wet ingredients, the mix called for 2 tablespoons of sugar. While mixes that do not include all of the dry ingredients are a huge pet peeve of mine, this does make for a more versatile baking mix overall.
Pie Crust Mix
Sarah, our trusty milk allergy mom and Associate Editor, tested out a this mix:
This made-from-almonds crust has a shortbread-y feel and taste that our whole family enjoyed. It is definitely made for sweet, not savory fillings. Scott and I think it works best with a creamy/custard filling. We filled ours with dairy-free pumpkin pie filling and it was lovely. (Yes, I should have covered the crust edges with foil. I forgot. Oops.)
As with so many gluten-free products, you can’t expect this crust to bake up like a wheat one would. But we really enjoyed the almond flavor and texture, especially with a smooth filling. To note, one package of Authentic Foods Pie Crust Mix makes one crust.
Flour Blends
Beyond the Authentic Foods Baking Mixes, I also trialed a couple of their flour blends. We don’t typically review flour blends since they can be very recipe dependent, but I’m happy to share a few notes.
I did think that the superfine rice flours produced results that were a touch lighter and less grainy than typical rice flour baked goods.
We used what I believe is now Bette’s Featherlight Flour Blend to make chocolate chip banana muffins. This blend is free of binders, such as xanthan gum.
Each bite was perfectly tender, light and flaky. No funny grit or aftertaste – just pure banana goodness that my husband devoured.
We also sampled the Multi-Blend Gluten-Free Flour Blend, which is a mix of superfine rice flours and starches along with xanthan gum for binding.
I decided to test this blend in traditional chocolate chip cookies. Truthfully, I loaded the cookies up with so many chocolate chips that it was hard to taste the cookie part alone. Nonetheless, the cookies were very cohesive, just like a regular wheat-based cookie. Overall, I loved the convenience. My husband and I loved the cookies, but they didn’t quite rival my original wheat-based recipe.
The Facts on Authentic Foods Baking Mixes
Price: $4.60 to $9.25 per mix
Certifications: Authentic Foods Baking Mixes are Certified Kosher Pareve and Certified Gluten Free.
Dietary Notes: By ingredients, Authentic Foods Baking Mixes are dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free*, gluten-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan* / plant-based, and vegetarian. Select varieties are made without nuts. Nonetheless, always read the ingredient statement and check with the company on their manufacturing processes for all varieties if potential allergen cross-contamination is an issue for you. Processes and labeling are subject to change at any time for any company / product.
*These Authentic Foods Baking Mixes are egg-free / vegan, but eggs are called for in the preparation, and that is how we tested them.
For More Product Information: Visit the Authentic Foods website at www.authenticfoods.com.
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Broad product line of flour blends and mixes
Enduring for more than a decade, this tiny company has a broad product line of flour blends and mixes based on their ability to mill superfine gluten-free flours. We sampled just a few of the ones noted above … The Blueberry Muffin mix definitely benefits from their techniques with a light, bakery-like texture and sweet taste. The Pancakes are uniquely dense, but sweet and husband-approved. The Pie Crust is best suited to creamy and sweet fillings due to its rustic almond nature.
