Breakaway Bakery makes organic, whole-grain baked goods and breads that are free of gluten, dairy/casein, peanuts, soy* and tree nuts* (vegan options available).We only use organic brown rice flour (except in the oatmeal cookies and the challah which contain whole grain gluten-free oats and oat flour) and our baked goods contain 400% less starch than most gluten-free products. Everything is organic fruit infused, and free of all gums, trans fat and preservatives as well.
We’ve just started having some of our baked goods available for shipping. Please visit our website at http://breakawaybakery.com/ for the full list of items available.
*Rice flour is milled in a plant that also mills soy and tree nuts. Some items contain coconut oil.
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I received a box of treats from Breakaway Bakery today, and I am in heaven! I’ve been to several gluten free bakeries over the years, and my usual experience is that you like some products and don’t like others. That is not the case this time. Every single sample I received was extraordinary!
I loved that the letter telling me what was in my box, as well as the instructions, were rolled up together and tied with an orange ribbon. What a great touch!
I decided to keep the product list in front of me as I ate my way through the box, and see if I could figure out what each item was on my own. Afterward, I double-checked with the website to be sure that I had the right names for everything.
This is what I received:
- Raspberry/Cranberry Crumble Bar
- Lemon Bar
- Plain Roll
- Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread
- Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Vegan Cherry Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Lil’ Mint Scoutie (Breakaway Bakery’s version of the Girl Scout’s “Thin Mint”)
- Vegan Orange Dipper
- Orange Brownie Dipper
The box came with instructions on how to store my goodies. One set of items had chocolate in them, and of course, there was a lot of melting going on — it’s been 90+ around here! So, I took the advice and put those items in the fridge for about an hour. The rest, I ate warm.
I started my tasting-adventure with the Plain Roll. It was light but filling, moist, had great texture and was extremely tasty. I shared (a bite each) with my fiancé, Teresa, and our friend, Sara, neither of which need to be gluten free. They both agreed it was great. My comment to Teresa as I savored the last piece? “Roll good. Want more!”
Then came the Lemon Bar. Sweet. Moist. Creamy. Delicious. Wonderful lemon flavor without any tartness. Sara said it was “Damn good!” and that it reminded her of Lemon Pie. The base was crumbly and, again, delicious. It’s also gone. 🙂 
From there I moved onto the Raspberry Cranberry Crumble Bar. I am not always a fan of raspberry in foods, due to having to take raspberry-flavored Dramamine as a kid…. However! Cue eyes rolling back in head. This one reminds me so much of Entenmann’s Raspberry Danish Twist — but better! Sweet and tart all in one. Glorious! What great texture in this bar too! I have missed Entenmann’s so much. I don’t know if this was deliberate on the part of Breakaway Bakery, but what a delightful reminder of childhood. I shared a bite with Teresa and Sara, and then saved the rest to enjoy with my reading later.
Luckily, we had some errands to run, so it was easier to wait on that hour the chocolate treats were in the fridge, than if I’d been home. I estimate they were chilled from 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
The Lil’ Mint Scoutie! Now, I haven’t had an official Thin Mint since at least 2007, but from what I remember, I’m hard pressed to tell the difference in the two of them. In a blind taste test, I think anyone would be fooled, and they certainly wouldn’t have a clue that this delightful little cookie was gluten free! I think the texture, if not identical, is extremely close. A nice chocolaty cookie covered in creamy chocolate, and just the right amount of mint. If you’ve cooked with mint, then you know how easy it is to overdose the mint taste. If you are a chocolate & mint fan, and/or if you’ve been craving Thin Mints since you went gluten free, this is the cookie for you!
Then I tried the bite size Vegan Orange Dipper Chocolate Cookie and the Orange Brownie Dipper. I ate them one after another and found them quite similar in taste and texture, although the cookie is bite size and the brownie is not. Do you know those chocolate orange candies that come out in the winter? The ones that say Whack than peel? Come in milk and dark chocolate? Think about the dark chocolate one, now imagine it 100 times tastier, and with the soft, crumbly texture of a brownie, while coated with a layer of creamy chocolate and sprinkled with sugar crystals, and you have these treats. Simply Divine.
Next I tried the Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread. I wasn’t familiar with Mandel Bread, so I looked it up first. Mandel Bread (or Mandelbread) is the anglicized form of the word, which has variations including Mandelbrodt, Mandelbrot, and Mandelbroit. It is a dessert and generally associated with Eastern European Jews. ‘Mandelbrodt’ is Yiddish, and literally means ‘almond bread’, but each baker has his/her own variation, and you can find all sorts of things in this dessert. Cinnamon and chocolate chips are common additions. It’s similar to the Italian Biscotti, as they are both baked twice, but Mandel Bread tends to be more substantial.
Biscotti is a treat I really miss. I’ve yet to find a gluten free version that I really enjoy. I’ve tried some, but they were so dry and crispy that they were nearly stale. This Cinnamon Chocolate Mandel Bread is the closest version to Biscotti that I’ve eaten since I last ate Nonni’s Biscotti. I think that this treat would be excellent with coffee or tea, but since I’d already had two cups of coffee this morning, I didn’t test that idea! The cinnamon and chocolate flavors work very well together; neither overpowers the other, and the sprinkling of sugar crystals over top of the bread/cookie adds a nice touch, and without making it too sweet or sticky.
Seven down and three to go! (Although, admittedly, I wouldn’t complain if the box had a magic charm on it to keep it from being empty. These treats are just that good.)
Of my last three goodies, I first tried the Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie. I’ve never been a huge fan of vegan – for various reasons – but I adore these cookies. I think anyone would have a hard time telling they were vegan if no one told them. The texture, to me, is somewhere between brownie and cake doughnut (or, if you have memories of eating gluten-full foods, very similar to Snackwell’s Devil’s Food Cookie Cakes). Either way, it is very pleasing. I love the chewy pieces of cherry. Dark chocolate covered cherries have long been one of my favorite candies. These cookies remind me of them – but without the overpowering sweetness that modern candy tends to have. Don’t get me wrong, these cookies are still sweet, but at a much more moderate, pleasant level. No sugar crash from these!
Then I tried the Vegan Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip cookie. I love chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and I have a fondness for 
cranberry cookies, ever since my high school chemistry teacher made me a batch of them one year. So all three together sounded like a great combination — and it is! There is no tartness from the cranberries in this cookie, just the right amount of sweetness from the other ingredients. The oatmeal lends itself to a wonderful texture, and the chewiness of the cranberries is just right — and in my opinion — far better than the traditional raisin. I’m not sure what to compare the mix of flavors to, but if the three types of cookies are something you enjoy individually, you’ve got to give these a try! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
And last, but not least, the Chocolate Chip cookie.
As simple as your standard chocolate chip cookie is, making a good gluten free one is not necessarily an easy task. Even if you get a great cookie, they often dry out after a few days — and even crunchy cookie fans are hard pressed to still enjoy them. I received this package via 3-day shipping, and I saved this cookie until the end, so this cookie is at least 5 days old. And it’s still incredibly soft, moist, and delicious! Three ingredients in this cookie are (all organic) pumpkin, banana, and Blackstrap molasses. I do not taste the pumpkin or banana, but I’m sure they help keep this yummy cookie in it’s wonderfully moist state. Also, if you’ve ever cooked with molasses, you’ve probably seen how much delightful flavor – as well as moistness – it adds to any baked goods.
Overall? Everything was completely delicious. If you order from them, you will be a very happy gluten free person!!
If you live in Los Angeles, CA, you need to visit this bakery, in person, as soon as possible!!! You will not regret it! Within 450-miles? You’ll probably qualify for two-day UPS ground shipping (assuming you’re in the US). Beyond that, USPS Priority shipping is available for those who live more than 450 miles from the bakery (90019). Most orders will fit into the middle size flat rate box ($11.35).
Please note that USPS Priority shipping is now available for those who live more than 450 miles from the bakery (90019). Most orders will fit into the middle size flat rate box ($11.35).
Update: Not long after the above came true, Breakaway Bakery had to stop on-line ordering. I asked Janice about this on April 23, 2014, and she told me, “We do ship on a case-by-case basis for orders over $100.00. We are working on getting bigger and hopefully someday you will see our products outside of California.”
Sadly, 100.00 is way out of my budget, so I remain hopeful that I will find their products available in southwest Virginia or Northeast Tennessee one of these days.
If they start shipping again, I will let you know.
Photos from Breakaway Bakery. Used with permission.
Update 8 October 2020: As best as I can tell, this bakery officially closed sometime in 2019, though posts on their FB page had few and far between long before that. The last newsletter I received was in May 2018, stating they would be closed for “a few days”. I never heard from them again.
