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Made-Without-Gluten Bread A Success at Subway

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Since the successful addition of Made Without Gluten sub bread to menus in just 24 locations this past December 2018, Subway has informed us that it is currently available in 300 Fresh Forward restaurants throughout the United States.

Because the bread has been well received by guests, Subway is looking to broaden its made-without-gluten offerings even more. They are currently testing a made-without-gluten wrap and we will share more details as soon as we can.

“Subway is innovating like never before and that work will soon positively impact our made without gluten offerings,” said Andy Dismore, North American Director of Menu Management and Innovation. “We are actively listening to guest feedback and exploring many improvements so we can incorporate made without gluten options as part of our future offerings.”

If your local Subway isn’t offering the made-without-gluten bread, make sure the franchise owner knows that it is available for order nationwide, making it a quick and versatile menu addition.

Are you ready for more good news? Subway has partnered with DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats, to offer delivery from nearly 9,000 of its restaurants. A lovely example of the brand using technology to give guests more of what they want while also making it one of the first quick-food restaurants to partner with four of the largest third-party delivery providers.

Cross-contamination safeguards

Realizing that Subway restaurants can’t offer a cross-contact free environment, the made-without-gluten bread is kept frozen in its individually wrapper. The pre-sliced sub bread, which is the size of a six-inch sub and costs an extra $1, is thawed in the cooler for 12 hours before serving. The only option for heating is toasting on shared equipment, which would put it in direct contact with wheat, so instead it is served room temperature.

When making sandwiches on made-without-gluten sub bread, each Subway sandwich artist follows these safe handling procedures:

Put on new gloves after washing their hands
Keep the bread in its wrapping until the sandwich is being prepared
Use clean baskets and clean scoops/utensils for all products
Build the sandwich from start to finish by only one sandwich artist
Bread is not toasted

About the bread

The made-without-gluten bread contains egg whites, cornstarch, modified cornstarch, tapioca starch, palm oil, sugar, distilled monoglycerides, and less than 2% of the following: yeast, rice bran and germ, salt, natural flavor, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), pectin, xanthan gum, carbohydrate gum, guar gum and enzyme.

News Editor Jennifer Harris is a gluten-free consultant and blogs at gfgotoguide.com.

Sponsored: A Guide to Making Bread for Multiple Food Allergies

Kristy’s Bread for multiple food allergies

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour* (see flour exchanges below)

1 cup teff flour*

¼ cup sweet rice flour*

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

2 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon psyllium husk

1¼ cups water

2 tablespoons oil

2 eggs (see replacement instructions below)

*When measuring flour, spoon it lightly into measuring cups to prevent packing.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine dry ingredients and mix well.

Add water, oil and eggs. Stir to combine, then beat on high for 3 minutes.

Place batter in a greased 8.5-x-4.5-inch loaf pan (Pyrex size). Allow to rise about ½ inch. Do not let batter rise to the top of the pan before baking. Bake at 350˚ F for 55 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 200˚-205˚. Place a sheet of foil lightly on top of loaf halfway through baking to prevent over-browning.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove from pan and cut when completely cooled. For a more detailed description of this process, see our blog: 4 Secrets to Baking Great Gluten Free Bread.

Exchanging the Flours

When I began this project, I tested the above recipe with single flours to see how each performed. Many worked alone, but some did not. You can use any combination of the flours that worked alone as we did in Kristy’s bread.

Flours that Work

Rice: Brown, white and parboiled were tested successfully. All varieties blend well with other grains. Parboiled has a slight taste of evergreen.

Sorghum: Red or white work equally well. Sorghum has a neutral wheatlike flavor and performs very well.

Teff: Brown or ivory both work well. Teff is more expensive than some other grains but has a high nutrient content, good flavor and quality performance. Brown teff has a stronger, molasses-like flavor while ivory teff has a malt-like flavor and makes nice white bread.

Corn: Unsurprisingly, this produces a texture like cornbread. It is also high in antioxidants.

Buckwheat: This grain is a complete protein (contains all essential amino acids) and is high in fiber. It produces a very nice texture. Because of buckwheat’s high fiber content, the recipe will require more water or less flour if you use it. Also, the flavor is not universally liked.

Millet: This has a distinct but not unpleasant flavor. Millet produces a light cake-like texture. It does not absorb as much water as other flours so you need to use less water or the bread will fall.

Minor Flours

Amaranth, oat and quinoa flours can be added to change the bread’s flavor or nutritional value but cannot be used alone. Do not use these for more than 20 percent of the total flour in the recipe or your bread will fail.

Flax is my favorite egg replacer because it increases the shelf life of baked goods. This is a nice benefit because these breads are only good for three days unless frozen.

Xanthan builds structure in the bread. If you cannot tolerate xanthan, replace with guar.

Powdered psyllium husk helps build structure in the bread and improves texture. It is available at health food stores and online.

Replacing Eggs

To replace eggs with flax or chia, use 3 tablespoons finely ground seeds whisked into ½ cup warm water. Allow mixture to thicken for several minutes then add to the recipe as you would the eggs. The finer the grind of the seeds, the better result you will have.
Commercial egg replacers may work in this recipe, but we have not tested any. Feel free to experiment.

Yeast

If you are allergic to yeast, it can be omitted because most of the leavening is done by the baking powder. However, the flavor and texture will be slightly different, more like a muffin.

RECIPES

Ingredients:

6 slices Artisan Baker 10 Grains & Seeds bread

For the Hummus and Tomato Toast:

2 tbsp. of hummus

2 thin slices of tomato

1 pinch of radish sprouts

1 pinch of crushed red chili flakes

For the Avocado and Radish Toast:

1 small, smashed and ripe avocado

2 small, sliced radishes

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of crushed red chili flakes

A little bit of olive oil

For the Kiwi and Walnut Toast:

2 small, sliced kiwis

2 tbsp. of Greek yogurt

1 small handful of coarsely chopped walnuts

For the Banana and Cherry Toast:

1 tbsp. of almond butter

7 slices of banana

1 small handful of roughly chopped, dried cherries

1 pinch of sunflower seeds

A little bit of honey

For the Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Toast:

1½ tbsp. of cream cheese

6 slices of cucumber

2 slices of smoked salmon

A pinch of sesame seeds

A pinch of sprouts

For the Mango and Almond Toast:

1 tbsp. of Greek yogurt

4 slices of fresh mango

1 pinch of slivered almonds

1 small handful of coconut flakes

Preparation

Toast all 6 slices of toast

Preparation of the Hummus and Tomato Toast:

Spread the hummus on one piece of toast. Layer the slices of tomato, followed by a pinch of sprouts. Top with the sprinkle of chili flakes.

Preparation of the Avocado and Radish Toast:

Top a slice of toast with smashed avocado and then layer on the radish slices. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and red chili flakes over the top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Preparation of Kiwi and Walnut Toast:

Layer a piece of toast with slices of kiwi and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Top it off with the finely crushed walnuts.

Preparation of the Banana and Cherry Toast:

Spread almond butter over a piece of toast. Layer on sliced banana and a handful of dried cherries. Then, scatter the sunflower seeds over the top and end with a drizzle of honey.

Preparation of the Cucumber and Smoked Salmon Toast:

Cover a slice of toast with cream cheese. Then layer on the cucumber slices and slices of salmon. Top it off with sprouts and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Preparation of the Mango and Almond Toast:

Spread the Greek yogurt over the slice of toast. Then, layer the mango slices on top and cover with almond slivers and coconut chips.

A Q&A Primer On Gluten-Free Bread

A decade ago gluten-free breads were made by only a few companies and consisted mainly of starchy and fiber-less ingredients. The bread had a reputation for being heavy and dry. Most loaves were not edible right out of the package and had to be toasted. Consumers usually discovered this fact on their own, after trial and error that was time consuming and costly.
Although packaged gluten-free bread has improved dramatically, it still doesn’t behave exactly like gluten-containing bread. Generally preservatives aren’t used, which explains why most gluten-free bread available in supermarkets is either frozen or vacuum packed. Here are answers to questions that often come up regarding gluten-free bread.
Q: Can it sit on the counter like wheat bread?
A: Generally gluten-free bread does not last on the counter and will quickly become moldy. Some bread makers are attempting to address this problem with newer products, but in most cases you need to take the slices you are planning to use from the loaf and freeze the rest. Most bread can be stored in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.
Q: Should it be stored in the refrigerator?
A: No, storing gluten-free bread in the refrigerator can lead to dry and stale bread.
Q: How do you get the slices apart?
A: Some gluten-free bread freezes hard, making it difficult to separate the slices. If you let the bread sit on the counter for a short time, though, you can usually get the slices apart. Return the rest of the bread to the freezer.

Q: Can you eat it from the bag?
A: Many gluten-free breads taste much better toasted. This is another issue bread companies are beginning to address. Kinnikinnick, Glutino and Schär all have products that either the company or consumers say don’t need to be toasted.