Thursday, May 29, 2014

My Favorite Schar Products

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered Schar gluten free baguettes, Italian breadsticks, and ciabatta rolls from Vitacost.com. This weekend, after learning how Chef Ken at The Plaza Restaurant prepares his amazing gluten free bread, I decided to test out some of his techniques on the Schar bread I had at home.  Chef Ken told me that he warms his gluten free hamburger buns, coats them in olive oil, then grills them in a pan to get a nice crisp surface.  


On Sunday, we had Caprese panini for lunch.  My daughters said they were as good as the ones my husband makes with gluten-filled ciabatta.  I served them with Kettle Brand organic sea salt potato chips, which are gluten free and non-GMO.  


After warming my Schar ciabatta rolls in the oven for about 5 minutes on 400, I cut them in half and brushed olive oil on the outside of the bread.  


I then added Caprese salad to each roll.  For my Caprese salad, I used campari tomatoes, a large ball of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, a generous amount of kosher salt, 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar.  You can view my blog post about Caprese salad here.  When I make Caprese panini, I add some of the dressing from the salad to the inside of the bread for extra flavor.  


I put the Caprese sandwiches into my panini press and cooked them until they were nicely browned on the outside, and the mozzarella had started to melt.  We actually have two panini makers in our house.  I bought one 10 years ago, pre-Celiac, at Williams-Sonoma, but it is now reserved for the rare moments my family has gluten-filled ciabatta in the house.  I purchased a second, much cheaper, panini press from amazon to use with gluten free bread.  It's a great way to make grilled cheese too.  


I was so excited that my family liked the Schar ciabatta, because I prefer to keep food with gluten out of our house. 


On Tuesday, we had leftover hamburgers, but no buns, so I cooked up a Schar gluten free baguette to use as hamburger buns.  I cut the baguette in half, then sliced it lengthwise.  With a pastry brush, I brushed olive oil on all sides of the bread, then added some minced garlic to the cut surfaces.  Before I put it in the oven, I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on the top of each piece.  


I cooked the baguette on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 3 minutes, then turned my oven to broil for 2 more minutes.  My husband and kids loved it.  Next time, I will add a little more garlic and Parmesan cheese, and serve the baguette with pasta.   


Schar Italian Breadsticks are great dipped in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  I asked my daughters if they liked them, and they said they were amazing, and tasted like the gluten-filled breadsticks they eat at Tutto Italia and Tutto Gusto in Epcot.  

We also love Schar's gluten free ladyfingers, which I use to make Tiramisu.  You can view the recipe here.  

I am also a huge fan of Schar's Honeygrams, which I buy at The Fresh Market, and their Chocolate O's, which are an Oreo-like cookie.  Locally, Chamberlin's in Winter Park has a good selection of Schar products.  

You can view Schar's website here.  

June 15, 2014 Update -- Egg Salad on Schar Ciabatta Rolls 


My daughters and husband love egg salad.  I had never even tried it until a couple of weeks ago, because I have an aversion to mayo and mustard.  My family was raving about it so much, I finally gave in and tried it.  Wow, I had no idea egg salad could be so delicious!  My husband makes a really incredible egg salad, a recipe he learned from my uncle.

He hard boils 10 large eggs, lets them sit in cold water for a couple of minutes, peels them, then chops the 10 egg whites and 5 of the egg yolks in a large bowl.  I added two pinches of kosher salt, and my husband estimates he adds 2 or 3 tablespoons of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise.  Give it a gentle stir, then serve with gluten free bread.

We used Schar gluten free ciabatta today.  I brushed olive oil on each roll, added a little sprinkle of kosher salt, then baked them for 7 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  We sliced them, added some egg salad, and enjoyed a delicious lunch.

My family likes to add a tiny bit of mustard, but I was having none of that, so we enjoyed our egg salad mustard-free today.

June 17, 2014 Update 

Last night, I used a Schar baguette to make buns for hot dogs.  I brushed the whole baguette with olive oil, and baked it for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  I sliced it into four pieces, then cut all of our hot dogs in half, so the hot dog pieces would fit side by side in my "buns."


July 17, 2014 Update (I know, this is a lot of updates!)

Yesterday, I bought this pack of Schar Hazelnut Wafers at the Walmart Neighborhood Market that just opened right outside of Baldwin Park on Semoran.  Oh my goodness, I think I have a new favorite store-bought cookie!  My daughters loved them too.  If you like Nutella, you have to try these cookies.

What are your favorite Schar products?  









2 comments:

  1. Mmmm this looks like a good way of cooking the Schar rolls. I actually have taken the ciabatta rolls and brushed them with melted butter with a mixture of spices and dusted them in a little bit of salt to make Olive Garden like bread sticks! Schar makes a great product!

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