Tag Archives: bread

Wild Wood Bakehouse takes the gluten-free cake!

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Shhh. I am sitting in Wild Wood Bakehouse, a cafe/bakery/catering company just north of UT (on 31st St., 1/2 block west of Guadalupe, park free in the garage), and I am experiencing something so unusual, I have to share.

I don’t know why I feel like whispering, but I do. Maybe because it’s such a revelation.

I could eat anything on the menu here and nothing would make me sick. I don’t have to ask about a single thing, “Is that gluten-free?” Because here, everything is. That’s right. It’s a totally gluten-free restaurant. And I have not had this experience for about 6 years. And it’s a pain in the ass to always have to be asking what’s gluten-free.

I just threw caution to the wind and ordered a club sandwich on a focaccia bun made with garbanzo bean flour. Ha!

And now it’s arrived, and the bread looks beautiful and tastes like, well, bread. You know, it holds the sandwich together and makes it easy to eat with your hands. It’s doing its job pretty well, just a little bit more crumbly than wheat bread (it’s the wheat gluten that makes regular bread “spongy”). Next time I will try a sandwich with a rice flour or sourdough bun.

And…I could have ordered — get ready for it — chicken fried steak with white gravy, fried calamari with sweet potato chips, a chicken tender basket, onion rings, beef lasagna, eggplant parmesan, grilled chicken pasta, pizza, a burger (natural Angus beef, bison, natural chicken, wild-caught salmon), and a delightful variety of sandwiches.

Not to mention French toast or Belgian waffles for breakfast. And all manner of baked goods like cookies, cupcakes, pies, cakes, brownies, dinner rolls, bread, buns, and more.

Hmm. This could be dangerous. I’m glad that this place is a bit out of my way so I won’t overindulge! I can combine weekly shopping at Wheatsville Coop, hydrating myself healthily at Juiceland (next to Spiderhouse on Fruth), and stopping here for a meal or treat.

The prices seem reasonable too. My sandwich was $8. A 9-inch pizza is $8.99. The chicken fried steak is $10.95. The most expensive item is a rib-eye steak for $18.

The menu lists what is vegan and dairy-free.

For thirst, Wild Wood offers beer (GF and non-GF), wine, sodas, coffee, tea, cocoa, fizzy water, and more.

The ambiance isn’t quite what I’d call “fine dining,” but it’s not a typical “cheap student food” campus-area eatery either. There are flowers on each table, piped-in music, cloth napkins, a friendly waitstaff, and all the bakery stuff is at the front, with the cafe in a side area.

The hours are Mon-Sat 8 am-9 pm, and Sun 8 am-3 pm. Happy hour is Mon-Fri 4-7 pm, with $3 GF beer and half-price appetizers.

If you are eating gluten-free, or at least desire to eat less gluten (which could probably benefit everyone), or someone special to you has to eat gluten-free, this is a great place to eat, pick up food or dessert to-go, or have cater your next event. Austin is very lucky to have this choice!

More Austin restaurants offering gluten-free burgers, sandwiches, bread, pizza

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If you didn’t know, you do now that I eat a gluten-free diet, having a sensitivity to wheat. When I took it out of my diet about 6 or 7 years ago, the difference was pretty amazing. I felt well for the first time.

I don’t eat much grain of any type nowadays (non-GMO corn chips and quinoa — a seed, not a grain —being exceptions), and I eat at home more, but every once in a while I enjoy going out for a burger or dinner with a slice of bread, as long as I can get it gluten-free.

(And no, if you’re curious, I don’t cheat. It’s not like counting calories and cheating. Eating wheat makes me feel a bit sick for several days. It affects my digestive tract within hours, and seems to impair my brain too. I’ve learned that the hard way. I prefer well.)

It used to be difficult to find gluten-free dining out in Austin, but in the last year, more restaurants seem to be realizing it’s not just a passing fad. (Have you not heard of the book Wheat Belly? The cardiologist author says it’s likely that half of Americans are adversely affected from eating the optimized-for-agribusiness wheat grown today.)

I hated that when I asked about gluten-free food after seeing a menu that didn’t mention it, a waitperson brought out a piece of paper listing maybe 6 things, including salads that were always gluten-free anyway. Or said we don’t have a gluten-free menu.

Wow, way to make me feel handicapped and unwelcome.

Anyway.

I’ve posted in the past about how Hopdoddy Burger Bar on South Congress (now also on Anderson Lane) offers burgers on three different buns, and one of the choices is gluten-free (and baked in-house daily).

I think Hopdoddy may have been the first major burger joint in Austin to do so. The beef is hormone- and antibiotic free. It’s a popular, trendy, a-bit-pricey eatery that often has a line out the front door, but the line moves fast and the food is very good. Craft beer and shakes and fries give it a real “burger joint” focus.

I’d like to add that you can now get gluten-free burgers at Wholly Cow Burgers on South Lamar (also at Congress and 7th). They offer a “paleo burger” that uses portobello mushroom caps for buns as well as hamburgers/cheeseburgers using Udi’s GF buns. Other offerings with GF bread include Philly cheese steak and reuben sandwiches. The beef is locally raised and grass-fed.

Yesterday I learned that the Galaxy Cafe (3 locations: Slaughter and Brodie, The Triangle, and West Lynn) offers gluten-free bread and buns for its sandwiches and burgers. Galaxy also offers wraps made with rice-flour tortillas and gluten-free pasta, not to mention a flourless chocolate torte for dessert! All the meat, chicken, and eggs are natural, free-range, and hormone- and antibiotic free. This is my favorite place to eat out close to home.

I want to mention as well that Blue Dahlia Bistro (on East 11th, also now in Westlake) offers gluten-free bread with its delicious entrees (and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert as well). Blue Dahlia is one of my favorite places to dine: fabulous food, a casual European vibe, moderate prices, good wine list. They use local and organic ingredients as much as possible. The bread is delicious and comes from Wild Wood Bakehouse, located on Guadalupe north of UT. I haven’t been there yet, but since everything is gluten-free, it’s now on my must-check-it-out list!

When I first went gluten-free, pizza was something I craved and had to go without. I don’t have that craving any more, but I do want to note that if you’re getting a hankering for gluten-free pizza, more and more pizza places are offering it with a GF crust. (Note: They usually charge more for GF crust.) I found some reviews on Yelp.

Now for one wish: I wish that Central Market would offer more gluten-free soups at their soup bar. I’m glad they’ve picked up on labeling the major allergens their soups contain (wheat, dairy, soy, tree nuts, and so on).

It’s just that quite often, nearly all of them contain wheat — even the ones that wouldn’t  have wheat in them if you made them at home, like chicken tortilla soup. Wake up, Central Market!