When I look back over the last 2 years since diagnosis, I realise there is one product that has probably made its way into my shopping basket more than any other: Dietary Specials gluten free brown ciabatta rolls.
They are sold in packs of 4:
I was in my local Waitrose the other week and stocking up on a couple of packs (they were on buy one get one free) and the lady on the till asked me about them. She said she’d been recently diagnosed with Coeliac disease and couldn’t find any gluten free breads she liked. I shared my views on the main gluten free breads on the market and told her she needed to try some of the DS rolls, particularly while they were on special offer. I’m sure she was thinking “calm down dear, they’re only bread rolls”, but to me they’re not just a gluten free replacement, they’re as good – if not better – than similar regular bread rolls. If I had one piece of feedback, I wish they could make them a little larger.
I really like the linseeds and sunflower seeds in the brown ciabatta rolls. They’re also high in fibre. I usually prefer these rolls freshly warmed in the oven because it gives the outside of the bread a lovely crusty texture so rarely found in gluten free bread. However, they have been frequent travellers with me and I’ll happily eat them straight from the pack too.
The Dietary Specials website has a handy booklet you can download here with lots of recipe ideas for the ciabatta rolls.
Here are some uses I’ve found for my DS brown ciabatta rolls:
Inspired by one of the panini recipes in the above DS booklet, I made this goat’s cheese, sundried tomato and griddled courgette panini using a white ciabatta roll. As I don’t have a panini press, I used a griddle pan and its heavy lid. This didn’t look flat as panini cooked in a proper press would but it tasted great. I’d also forgotten how much I like goat’s cheese.
The ultimate comfort food: Gluten free fish finger sandwich using Young’s gluten free fish fingers. You can tell I have a favourite type of side salad!
Sausage sandwich with lashings of ketchup. These rolls are so widely available in the UK I’ve been able to rely on finding them wherever we visit in the UK, in this case a summer BBQ by the sea.
However, when I’ve travelled overseas I’ve often taken a pack with me. Here’s my gluten free stash for our holiday in France. I should add most of this returned home with us!
Finally, I’ve taken them as emergency food on flights. In this case on the way back from Albania. As the flight was just under 3 hours, Mr D was catered for but I wasn’t.
The great thing about these rolls is that they are long life (although they don’t taste like it) and this means you can take them away on trips and if you don’t use them, they can be stored for whenever you need them. Or just keep a pack in the cupboard without having to worry about wastage!
Dietary Specials ciabatta rolls are widely available at Waitrose, The Cooperative, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda.
Hi Mrs D! We just wanted to say a big thank you for your review, we’re also very flattered *blushes* we love our Ciabatta Rolls but it’s great to hear feedback such as this. We’re pleased that they’re your travelling partner and that you’ve made use of the Ciabatta recipe book – the dishes look delicious. Especially the sausage butty!
Author
Thank you, it’s great to have such a tasty gluten free bread roll which is widely available in supermarkets across the UK.
I love these and took a stash of the white to Lanzarote in November. My only request would be that they should be packed in twos so that they keep better. I try not to eat too much gf bread because I have put so much weight on in my 2 years since diagnosis. I never eat more than one a day and the pack suggests once opened they should be consumed in 2 days. I find them very useful for breakfast when in foreign climes.
Author
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Marg. Have you tried freezing them? I must admit I haven’t but I guess you could freeze the extra rolls?
I agree though, would be handy if they came in a 2 pack option. Or perhaps if the packaging was changed so that it still came in a pack of 4 rolls but there were 2 individually sealed compartments of 2 rolls each.
If you don’t like the bread that is out there to buy !
Then go make your own like I do !!
I’ve been making my own for over 15 years
gluten free diet is so easy now a days !
They are the best gluten-free product on the market. So says my other half. We have one small problem with them though …. our 2 year old granddaughter eats them in preference to anything else when she is with us,(she’s not a coeliac) so we could do with them being packed in 8’s !!
Author
Jennie – That’s so funny about your granddaughter, she obviously has great taste!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
a few things…
these rolls are my complete fave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my hubby (non gf) steals these as much as he can! <3
also… YOUNGS DO GF FISH FINGERS?!?!?!?! where???? i usually have sainys or tesco own brand gf
Author
Haha! I’ve managed to keep quiet just how good the rolls are from Mr D until very recently (I knew he’d steal them) but he’s a fan now too.
I can really recommend the Young’s gluten free fish fingers. They’re dairy free as well as gluten/wheat free. They’re made from pollock and not cod (so probably more sustainable) but to me they taste just like cod. I get mine from Ocado on delivery but I think you can get them in Asda and maybe Tesco.
I absolutely agree with you. My only problem after the two for one sale was that they were sold out at our local Waitrose for a week….