A review of the award-winning Box Bakery gluten free ‘bake in the box’ bread… On subscription! #review #AD #gifted
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Why I’m reviewing a subscription of The Box Bakery Gluten Free mixes
Those of you who follow Gluten Free Alchemist know that I am passionate about creating recipes for good home-baked gluten free bread. But for this post, I am reviewing a commercial bread mix (for The Box Bakery) instead…
When I was recently approached by Uopen and asked if I wanted to try (on a gifted basis) one of The Box Bakery gluten free subscription boxes, I actually jumped at the opportunity. Why? Well… While I love making my own gluten free breads at home from scratch, I am also human… And that means that (just like everyone else) I am sometimes starved of time and struggling to fit everything in.
What the Box Bakery offers is a home-baked option that is 100% fuss free… A loaf that gives the benefits of a home-baked experience with the need for zero skill and effort. I know that for some of you, this will be music to your ears… So, I want to use the opportunity to review what a Box Bakery-UOpen subscription might offer.
Who are UOpen?
It may be that you already use a subscription box service for meals or something else (it is a massively growing market). It may even be that you buy subscription boxes from UOpen… After all, they are the UK’s only subscription box market place, offering everything from food and drink to beauty, arts, fitness, pet supplies, hobbies and books… All in one place!
When I explored their website, I was astonished at just how much is now available on subscription. And right now, with the world being as crazy as it is, UOpen makes perfect sense. Our lives can be just that little bit easier and more interesting with the service they offer…
Who are The Box Bakery?
I first came across The Box Bakery at the 2019 Allergy and Free From Show. But since then, they have collected a Gold Award for Innovation at the Free From Food Awards 2020 for their gluten free wholegrain bread mixes… And have also been awarded a Commendation for their white bread mix and a Merit for their chocolate cake at the 2020 Nourish Awards.
They offer two different gluten free, vegan bread mixes (one white and one wholegrain) as well as a gluten free chocolate cake mix (not vegan)… And to fully reassure, they are also accredited by Coeliac UK.
What’s in The Gluten Free subscription box?
Box Bakery Gluten Free Subscription Boxes can be ordered three ways…
- 5x white bread mixes
- 5x wholegrain gluten free bread mixes
- A mixed box of 2x white bread; 2x wholegrain bread and 1x chocolate cake mix
I requested a mixed box through UOpen, which arrived within a couple of days.
The packaging for the mixes is simple and straightforward. It clearly displays everything you need to know to get from box to bake.
A box of 5 loaves through UOpen currently (Nov 2020) costs £22.50 for a one-off box, or £21.85 per box of 5 if bought as a three-month subscription. That may seem expensive at £4.37 per loaf. But…
- There is no requirement to add ANYTHING else to the mix other than water;
- You save considerable time, effort and energy both in preparation and because the subscription literally lands on your doorstep; and…
- You’ll get a nice fresh loaf at the end of it (I’ll tell you my thoughts on the bake if you read on…)
Is Box Bakery Gluten Free Bread like bread?
It’s the age-old question when it comes to gluten free bread isn’t it?! But…actually yes! I was really impressed with both of the Box Bakery gluten free bread mixes… And those of you who know me will know I am very very picky about what gluten free bread I will and won’t eat.
The mixes were really easy to make and bake and filled the kitchen with the desired smell of freshly baking bread. They baked to a good golden colour and had a deliciously crisp crust. If you cut the bread as soon as it comes out of the oven, it feels a little ‘gummy’. But leave it to cool and the crumb is good with a bready chew, nice flavour and plenty of yummy seeds.
Both types of bread worked well with savoury spreads and fillings (I tried it as straight bread with Caramelised Onion Hummus, as well as topped with cheese and my favourite Brown-Sugared Pear & Ginger Preserve). But it was also really good ‘sweet’ with my Rhubarb Strawberry Jam; some fresh Hazelnut Butter that I had made; a favourite Citrus Curd and also home-made Healthy ‘Nutella’ spread.
My daughter did try it as a toasted cheese sandwich in the Panini-maker, but that was less successful. Sadly, the bread didn’t hold well under the pressure. It tasted great… but looked a mess!
Box Bakery gluten free bread also made the most amazing toast. And although after a day, the bread did harden and was less pleasant to eat as straight bread, the toast was fabulous. Perfect with soup, on the side with Shakshuka, dipped into Houmous and served with Baba Ganoush.
What else did I love about the Box Bakery gluten free bread and Subscription Box?
Apart from the fact that these mixes make a good loaf of bread, there are a few other things that definitely made Box Bakery gluten free bread worth its weight…
- Not only is the bread gluten free, but it is Vegan too. For full ingredients re other intolerances, you can find the Box Bakery lists here. The chocolate cake mix contains dairy.
- The mixes are totally fuss free! They are literally add water, ‘shake and bake’ boxes. The top will benefit from a little drizzle of olive oil for extra crustiness, but it isn’t essential.
- You don’t need to add any other ingredients… That’s a rare thing. Most bread mixes require extra stuff… from salt to lemon to sugar… I’ve even seen bread mixes that ask you to add yeast… which seems a bit of a misnomer!
- You bake them completely in the box… and that means no washing up…
- …No risk of cross-contamination…
- …And completely recyclable packaging.
- The mixes are delivered directly to your door.
- They are PERFECT for taking on holiday when you are self-catering (assuming you have access to an oven). If you are unsure about measuring water when you get there, pack a simple baby bottle (with measurements on the side) to use.
- They are extra easy to ‘pimp’… Just throw in a few chopped nuts, olives, sundried tomatoes or whatever floats your boat at the final mix before the bread hits the oven.
It’s THIS easy ⬇︎⬇︎⬇︎ (my little video)
Try a Box Bakery gluten free Subscription Box from UOpen…
The Box Bakery gluten free bread was actually a bit of a surprise. And it is definitely one of the best options for easy, fresh, gluten free home-baked bread I have come across.
If you want to try it too (or already know you love it and want to try a subscription option), then right now, you can get a 10% discount off not only the Box Bakery boxes, but off any other orders you want from UOpen. That’s 10% off your total order be it food or any other box that will help get you through these dark winter days… (Or to give as a gift). Simply use the Discount Code THANKS10 with your order.
And as always, let me know what you think (a comment below would be perfect)! Although it’s a bread mix, I always love to get feedback for anything I share on the blog…
Disclaimer : I was gifted a Box Bakery Subscription Box to try. There was no requirement to write a positive review and as always, the views expressed in the post are an honest and genuine account of my experience on receiving the box and on baking and eating the bread.
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