Bakery On Main

Last week, I was very excited to be contacted by Bakery On Main, a bakery based out of Connecticut, that makes gluten free products. They sent me samples of some of their products, and I would like to share with you what I thought of them. If you've gone shopping for gluten free granola at Whole Foods, you've definitely seen some of their products. My parents and I tested the products, and we each had different thoughts, so I suggest that you taste for yourself as well and see what you think. One thing I've discovered from cooking is that people often like very different things.

The first thing I tried was my favorite. It was the Fiber Power Triple Berry Granola, and I ate it with soy yogurt. It didn't have a funny taste, and I liked knowing that it had fiber. Before going gluten free I tried to eat as much fiber as I could, but other than vegetables (which yes, I should eat more of) it's been difficult to find fiber in gluten free products. I thought that there was just enough berry flavor, it wasn't too sweet, and it had a good amount of clumps. My mother thought that it had a very strong blueberry flavor. Personally, I like to add fruit when I eat yogurt and granola, and I think that this would go well with bananas. I'd definitely eat it for breakfast again.

The other granola I sampled was Extreme Fruit and Nut Granola. This, however, I wasn't too impressed with. I found the different textures a bit strange, and it was a little too sweet for my taste. I had it with some granola, but it also wasn't great as a granola to snack on. After tasting both, my mother (who couldn't talk at the time) wrote: "What I've tasted, tastes just like other packaged granola bars and granola--so nothing is lost in being gluten free. However, as with other packaged products, there's a loss of freshness (i.e. fruit is not fresh tasting) and the overall feeling/taste/sensation is sweetness."

Next was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bar. I had a friend help me try this one, and he really liked it and said he would eat it again. He liked the sunflower seeds that were added, but I thought that they were a bit overpowering. To me, the Peanut Butter taste was a little off, but he thought that the bittersweet chocolate was great and loved the consistency. My father said he liked it just as much as any normal granola bar, but he did eat more than I asked him to and clearly enjoyed it. My mother thought that there was a good balance of chocolate undertone with the peanuts.

The Extreme Trail Mix Granola Bar is very similar to the Extreme Fruit and Nut Granola. It has the same textures and flavors, and I thought it was a bit too sweet. My mother said it tasted like candied popcorn, and my dad thought it tasted like caramel corn. I think it tasted like a healthier spin off of the two.

My dad really liked the Cranberry Maple Nut Granola Bar. It had a good amount of dried cranberries, although I thought that flavor was overpowering in a few bites. It was better, but it was also pretty sweet.

I admire Bakery On Main for creating gluten free granola and granola bars for those of us who can't have glutenous granola. The Fiber Power Granola was my favorite, but I did find most of the products pretty sweet. However, that also makes them perfect for a sweet treat you don't have to hate yourself for eating.