Gluten-Free in MKE: Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop

This post is part of the #glutenfreeinMKE series where I share my dining out experiences, local products to check out, and just general gluten-free goodness in and around Milwaukee.

The star of today’s show…

Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop’s pizza crusts.

I was lucky enough to score one at our last GF Get Together — Schroeter’s GF Bake Shop has always been generous in their donations to our group!

I’m a big fan of pre-baking, even when it’s not instructed or required. Do I have other crispy crust fans in the crowd? A pizza stone works wonders for this step. (be sure to put the pizza stone in the oven while you pre-heat, then just slide the crust onto the stone and bake until lightly browned)

You can go wild with toppings — I was working with the limited likings of my two best buddies, they were visiting and this was their “lunch-on-the-road” treat for the trip back to Minnesota. They are big pepperoni fans, so pepperoni it was!

After you pre-bake the crust, smother it in your sauce of choice (We used Mid’s, our new go-to sauce… my Mamasita stocked up at Pick ‘n Save before she left.) Then, cheese of choice.

Insider pizza-extraordinaire tip: a mixture of cheeses is the way to go — last time we made homemade pizzas at my sister’s house, she added some pepper jack, why didn’t I think of that? Gave the pizza a little kick.

Would you look at that perfect crust? Crispy. A little color. (my husband says color = flavor!) Bubbly cheese. YUM!

Insider pauntie tip: (pauntie = parent-like knowledge from having so many kiddos in your life + super cool auntie) Kids love to mix it up — cut things into mini pieces or shapes, serve up snacks in muffin liners, call Potato Leek soup Mashed Potato Soup. Trust me.

Yes, it’s in the window, we needed it to cool fast so we could package it up. 🙂

You’ll notice the mini triangles are missing — Mamasita and I had to make sure it was good. We wouldn’t want to send them off with a not-up-to-par lunch. Right?! 😉  Funny story: I set aside several pieces for us to have after the crew took off on their road trip… and when my mama and I went to dive into the snack after they left? There was one little piece left. (somebody with greedy fingers got away with my secret stash, but I can’t blame them — luckily I was munching on them as I packaged them up!)

This pizza was “the best pizza ever,” as Chef Carter put it. And we all know the opinion of a six year old is what really matters. He’s picky when it comes to his gluten-free top picks, and these pizza crusts made his list.

You can find them locally at: A Gluten Free Frenzy, Metcalfe’s, Gluten Free Trading Company and Greater Grains in Racine. They are hoping to get the crusts into Ned’s Pizza, The Trysting Place and other local restaurants. Not at a store near you? Ask your local store manager to contact Schroeter’s to place an order and check out their site to find all of their other delicious products near you. (try the whoopie pies!)

Anyone else tried these pizza crusts? What did you think?

Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop – South Milwaukee, WI

I gave you a little sneak peek at the goods from Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop in an earlier post, here is a more in depth look at the newest wholesale GF bakery on the block — right here in Milwaukee!

The whole Schroeter family eats gluten-free (even their dog!) and have for years. They set out to find recipes to replace their family favorites. And after years of experimenting, they are ready to share their creations with you.

We all need a basic chocolate chip cookie in our lives don’t we? And my dairy-free friends are going to want this one — not only GF, but DF too. (Dad Schroeter is dairy-free too)  There is a hint of salt that balances out this sweet treat. A little twist on a traditional recipe. One that my girl Molly thought was just genius.

The same day I got my hands on these goodies, we had a dinner date out at the farm. (that’s where Molly came in) But she wasn’t the only taste-tester on the “panel.” This was serious business, so I called in an expert — you’ve seen my little buddy before here and here. He’s pretty much all grown up now and he knows his cookies.

Schroeter’s Bakeshop has a customer for life.

The cookie I am still thinking about today – and wishing I had more of right now – is the lemon sugar cookie. The butter flavor comes through in your first bite with a subtle taste of lemon.

This recipe would make one heck of a Christmas cut-out cookie! Hint, hint Schroeter fam. And no one would even guess that they are gluten-free. Let’s just say they went over well with our “raters.”

And last, but most definitely not least — the whoopie pies.

My husband reported these as his top pick. (so much so that when I went to take pictures of them, there was only one left) When you bite into them, the creamy frosting filling squishes out the sides a little. This means you are doing it right.

These fun little whoopie pies are gluten and dairy-free. And a crowed pleaser. The kind of dessert you could take to a party and then find the hostess in the kitchen licking the plate clean. That good.

Don’t you worry, I’m not keeping them all to myself. You can pick them up now at the Gluten-Free Trading Company’s Chase Avenue location in Milwaukee, or contact the bakery via their website — they aren’t a walk-in type bakery at this point, but I am sure we’ll be seeing their products at your neighborhood grocer soon. Better yet, ask your store manager to carry the products right now!

Things are just getting started for the Schroeter family, and I can’t wait to see what comes next — best of luck to you on this new adventure!

Friday Photos (a day late)

*If you are just tuning in, you can read about the reasoning behind these Friday Photos posts here.

I started this post yesterday morning — but then life happened and I spent the majority of the day running around doing name changing things. Both the social security office and the DMV proved to be adventure-like outings… but I’m happy to say, I’m now legally — Sarah Ann Nielsen. Now I just have to perfect signing it.

Next on the agenda was a meet-up with Jill from Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bake Shop. Much more to come on their tasty treats, but just know that there are whoopie pies involved and you’re going to want to be on the look out.

You can purchase their products now at the Gluten-Free Trading Company’s Chase Avenue location.

And then there was an invite to the farm. Which you know we can’t pass up. We make our way out to the countryside, then we eat, drink and be merry.

So the  Friday Photo post got pushed into Saturday.

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It’s hard to believe this was my view, just a week ago.

Weather that lends itself to a picnic.

(still waiting on New Planet to make their way to Wisconsin)

A trip to Denver isn’t complete without a visit to Udi’s Cafe — my personal favorite: the Club with bacon and avocado (which is normally served on their regular jalapeno-cheddar bread, so they offered to add jalapenos and cheddar to the GF sandwich so I didn’t miss out!) And some sweet potato fries dipped in chipotle mayo. Boom. Done.

I often have people comment on all of the food photos I take. Some friends are trained well and know not to touch our food at a restaurant until my phone is out and ready to shoot. Others are so used to it that it doesn’t phase them. Sometimes Mark says, “it’s a no-picture dinner” after I’ve tried unsuccessfully to get a clear shot at the dinner hour lately. (I’ve said it before, Wisconsin winters are lousy for evening photo lighting) But most of the time, people want to know how we have time to cook or bake AND get pictures of it all.

Don’t be fooled. We eat simple meals all the time. Convenience meals during our hectic weekdays. The kind I sometimes throw on a piece of foil, wrap up and eat at my desk when I get to work.

But it’s food. And whether it’s simple and served on foil or super fancy-pants, it’s what we do. We get in the kitchen, turn up the tunes and do our thing… and then hope the lighting is good enough to get a shot.