Bob's Red Mill (review and giveaway - 3 winners!)

Bob's Red Mill has been around for over 30 years providing gluten free flours, cereals, baking mixes, and grain. I had seen several of their items in our grocery store before getting the items we received to review. I had never tried any of them because we tend to be store brand people and Bob's Red Mill comes with a higher price - that's not to say that the products aren't worth it!

We got to try their small pearl tapioca, all-purpose flour, and bread mix. We also have purchased their xanthum gum (which is used as a sort of gluten substitute in baking breads; it holds the mixture together). I think what has astounded me most about Bob's Red Mill is the quantity of products they have: dried tart cherries, coconut, blue cornmeal, fava bean flour, organic kamut cereal. So many things! I also like their gluten-free starter package (includes AP flour, pancake mix, brownie mix, bread mix, hot cereal, xanthum gum, and gluten free 101 book). It is a $50 price tag on that, but I can tell you alone that brownie mix is over $6 at our local grocery store. It's convenient for me that our local store carries some Bob's Red Mill products, gluten free and otherwise.

I'd love for you to read Bob's Story on their website. I found it very interesting - I love that they use old-fashioned stone mills in their process. Very cool.

The bread mix, I can't say I have a good idea about this product. The directions on the side of the package were pretty vague. I can't remember exactly but something like 'just put in your bread machine and follow the directions according to machine." Yeah those aren't specific enough. Our bread didn't mix together properly so it came to a gloopy mess and got thrown away. I don't know whether we just didn't know our machine well enough, but I think there could be better directions for this product.

My plan was to use the small pearl tapioca in my pies for Christmas. As it turns out, I needed to use quick-cooking tapioca, so they wouldn't work in that area. I plan to use it to make tapioca pudding, which I will most likely be eating myself. I think the boys will enjoy that - they love pudding. I will be following one of the recipes from the Bob's Red Mill website.

I used the gluten-free all-purpose flour about a week and a half ago in a homemade pizza crust. Oh I've never made such good crust. It was fluffy and moist, just perfect for pizza (I guess not if you enjoy pan pizza but I don't). I used a little in a pie crust that I was supposed to use for a Christmas pie, but we left those crusts in our freezer on accident, so I had to remake the crusts. I'll be making a pie for New Year's Eve and I'll let you all know how that crust turns out.

GIVEAWAY!

Bob's Red Mill has graciously offered three of my readers (3!!) a package of my favorite product. I definitely say that the all-purpose flour is my favorite and will be acceptable for any of my readers. You don't have to life gluten free to try this; this flour can be substituted for any flour in any recipe.

THREE readers will receive a package of the all-purpose flour.
MANDATORY entry: Tell me what you would make with this all-purpose flour.

Optional entries:
Follow Bob's Red Mill on Facebook.
Follow Bob's Red Mill on Twitter.
Tell me a favorite Bob's Red Mill product, if you have one.
Follow me on Twitter.
Share this on Twitter or Facebook. Post URL in comment section (3 entries!).

Giveaway will close on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 11:59pm. Entrants must be 18 or over to be eligible. Entrants must live in the continental U.S. (void where prohibited). Entrants must leave a valid email address in order to be eligible.

Disclaimer: I received the above mentioned products in order to write an honest review. Others may or may not have the same experience(s) as I've had with the company and/or its products.