I’m a massive fan of Warburtons gluten free white cob with sourdough. And I love to cut myself a nice thick slice from this soft white cob, toast it and enjoy with whatever topping that grabs me on the day. When toasted, the bread crisps up perfectly around the edges but remains soft and chewy in the centre, reminding me of traditional fresh crusty bread. It’s something I’d even suggest that you could serve up to your gluten eating family and friends (if you can possibly part with a slice or two) as it’s so good! I’m sure they wouldn’t even notice that it’s gluten free.
In the UK, you can pick up a Warburtons gf gluten free white cob with sourdough from Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Ocado. And whilst it may cost a bit more than other gluten free bread, I feel it’s worth the money and one loaf does go a long way.
I’d quite happily eat this sourdough cob toasted and topped with yummy toppings every single day, but there are many other tasty things that this super-duper loaf can be used for too. So here we go, in no particular order, let me offer up six suggestions of other ways you may like to use your loaf.
Pizza toast
Oh, my goodness I’d forgotten just how GOOD pizza toast is and had this tasty slice polished off in no time. It’s so quick and easy to pop together and can be easily jazzed up with a nice colourful salad or some freshly prepared coleslaw or made into a more substantial meal by adding a jacket potato.
To make pizza toast: Simply cut a nice thick slice of bread. Toast it on one side and then spread pizza topping (homemade or *shop bought) onto the untoasted side. Add any other toppings you fancy and sprinkle over some grated cheese (I love a good mature cheddar for this type of ‘pizza’) and slide back under the grill, set at medium heat. Just drop the grill pan so the pizza doesn’t burn before it’s had chance to cook through. Once the cheese has browned and the topping is piping hot the pizza toast is good to go.
French toast
Hip, hip hooray for French toast! I just love it. Sugar coated and all squidgy. The flavour and texture remind me of doughnuts. I like to coat my freshly fried French toast in plenty of cinnamon sugar, but you can leave it plain or trickle over some *maple syrup instead and maybe scatter over some mixed berries and add a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Am I getting carried away?!
To make French toast: Break a large egg into a shallow dish (big enough to lie a slice of bread flat), add 2 tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of *vanilla extract and whisk together with a fork. Melt about 30g of butter or better still a good dessertspoon of spreadable butter (it contains oil and won’t burn like standard butter) in large frying pan. Cut two thick slices of bread and place them one at a time into the egg mixture, turning the bread over to allow the egg mixture to completely coat the bread. Place the egg coated bread slices into the frying pan and gently fry on one side for a couple of minutes before turning over. Keep turning the bread until it is golden brown on both sides.
If like me, you want a sugar-coated finish to your French toast then add 1 tablespoon of caster sugar into a large dish and add a ¼ teaspoon of ground *cinnamon and blend together. Press the warm toast into the sugar, turn it over and do the same on the other side. Enjoy!
Croutons
Croutons are fab when scattered into hot soup or over a salad. They are even nice to munch on whilst sipping a chilled glass of white. Make them fresh on the day you need them or in advance and store in an airtight container. They will keep OK for 2-3 days.
To make croutons: Slice a thick piece of bread and cut into small cubes. Place on a baking tray or into a oven proof dish and drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil or vegetable oil if you prefer. Sprinkle over some sea salt and *cracked pepper and give everything a really good stir so that the bread is well coated with the oil and seasoning. Pop the tray/dish into a preheated oven (200C/180C Fan) and bake for about 10 minutes until the croutons are golden brown. Transfer them onto a clean piece of kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. You can add any additional seasoning you like to the croutons before you bake them.
Breadcrumbs
The cob makes fabulous breadcrumbs that won’t clump together even if you make them with really fresh bread. You of course can either blitz the quantity of breadcrumbs you require (in a food processor or mini chopper) or you can make breadcrumbs with odd bits of crust that are surplus. Breadcrumbs love to be stored in the freezer. Pop them into a sealed freezer bag, label and date them. They will keep well for up to 2 months.
Enjoy with soup or a tasty stew
When you are in need of cosy comfort food, what better than a steaming bowl of soup or stew and a good chunk of tasty bread to go with it. And the gluten free white cob is just the ticket for this sort of meal.
Garlic bread
For a really easy garlic bread hit, you could simply toast a slice of bread, rub it with a clove of garlic, drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil and finish with a scattering of sea salt.
Or for the real deal, you could spread a slice of bread with garlic butter (grated, crushed or finely chopped garlic mixed with softened butter and a little freshly chopped parsley). Place the bread onto a tray and pop into a preheated oven (200C/180C Fan) and bake for about 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
Should you need any more ideas of ways to use your loaf there is a great recipe for welsh rarebit and also one for creamed mushrooms on toast on the blog.
For now
Liz x
*Double check this ingredient to ensure it has no gluten containing ingredients, ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable warnings’. If in doubt leave it out.
