I usually avoid bakeries because I know my luck is pretty bad there, but I felt so good that day, I decided to look around a bit. Just to see if I might, possibly, maybe find something sweet for myself. I wandered onto Elgin street with high hopes, in search of the prized sweet treat. My first stop was Brown Loaf Bakery. It was also my last stop.
As soon as I stepped foot inside, I was welcomed by the aroma of freshly baked goodies. Mmmm! I started to look around. Croissants – nope. Turnovers – nope. Pies – nope.
But wait!
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a little hand-made addition to the label for macaroons that read “gluten-free”. Success! Then, I started spotting gluten-free goodies everywhere! Date squares, mini cheesecakes, plus regular and chocolate-dipped macaroons. Whoa! After some deliberation, I settled on a chocolate-dipped macaroon. I was eyeing those date squares mighty bad, but they were too big for me to handle after my filling lunch.I brought the macaroon back to work, with the intention of having it with a cup of tea. It didn’t last long enough for me to have any tea. It was delicious! Very fresh and moist. I think I’d probably like the plain macaroon better than the chocolate-dipped version, but that’s just me.
A couple days later, I went back for one of those date squares. It looked normal enough at first, but when I later opened up my pack to take a bite, I noticed something different. The crust was made of sesame seeds and crushed almonds. Intriguing. How is exactly is this supposed to taste good, I wondered. I skeptically took a bite and was pleasantly surprised! The date filling was thick and satisfying. The crust was sweet, crunchy and nutty. The date square was all too big for me to eat in one sitting, but otherwise, I was quite happy with it!
Brown Loaf bakes all of its goods in the same facility, so beware if you are hyper sensitive to gluten. Otherwise, I’d definitely recommend this place for a treat.
Happy snacking!
Brown Loaf Bakery
268 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Phone: +1 613 236 3255
Map
I absolutely love their toffee cookies. They were kind enough once to let me kidnap all their croissants for a conference I was organizing and it was a total hit.
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for really good baked stuff, try to find Patsypie. My wife isn't celiac, but she tells me their brownies are better than the regular ones that contain gluten. I can also recommend their peanut butter, chocolate chip and lemon shortbread cookies. They also make an amazing cranberry biscotti. I've bought them from both Sobeys and their website (www.patsypie.com). Really good little Canadian bakery. And friendly too. I even got a personal handwritten thankyou note from them.
ReplyDeleteJust wondered if you have tried anything from Stubbe Bakery on Dalhousie? We have bought cakes there (made with almond flour) for a friend who is gluten intolerant and she really likes them. Thanks for a great site with good recommendations.
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