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?

{my week in photos: the view from here}

#springbreakupnorth

Mark just called and said he’ll be here in ten minutes — so let’s make this short and sweet shall we? We’re headed up north for spring break!

But before I hit the road, here’s what the week looked like.

 

 

My newest breakfast obsession — avocado toast with an egg and drizzled balsamic. Try it!

Siggi’s sent us coupons for free yogurt for the last GF Get Together. (thanks, guys!) Perfect pairing for some “granilla” as Chef Carter calls it. 🙂

After coming to the sad realization that I was out of hot cocoa for a RumChata Chocolate... I took matters into my own hands and made some chai tea. A ChaiChata. Problem solved.

Some of our best creations come from cleaning out the fridge — like these “Pizza Tostadas” we whipped up this week. Just use corn tortillas and a skillet. Get the tortillas heating up, add your favorite pizza sauce (we used Mid’s) and toppings, let the tortilla get crispy and the cheese melt and BOOM. DONE. Dinner is served! Easy-peasy — my kind of weeknight meal.

It was Mark’s birthday this week and he was actually home to celebrate it! Our dear friend made brownies for him — and of course she did them gluten-free style so I could have a taste too. (she used Betty Crocker’s mix — thanks, LT!)

And celebrate we did. I took him to Circa, which ironically is the old Olive Pit, where we had our rehearsal dinner before our wedding. Big changes over there, it’s lovely inside. I’ll be writing more on it later, but I am still talking about the food!

I may sneak away to the little local coffee shop early next week, but until then you’ll find me in front of the fire with a book and a cup of coffee, tea, or a ChaiChata. (bee-ing so relaxed!)

Have a JOYful weekend!

xoxo

 

My week in photos: the view from here.

As you know, I find joy in the little things in life — like my Christmas Cactus that is taking bloom this week. Everyone in our family got part of the plant from my grandparents’ home, after they had passed away, and I look forward to the blooms every year. (which come just before my grandma’s birthday in March, not at Christmas) 🙂

 Have you had the soft pretzels from Molly’s GF Bakery? We heated them in the oven with some Penzeys Pizza Seasoning and dipped them in Mid’s pizza sauce, our new go-to pizza sauce.

We made a big blue pot of chicken noodle soup this week with Jovial Egg Noodles — by far THE best pasta we have tried for soup. Made the soup on Saturday and ate it all this week for lunch. The flavor was enhanced each day and the noodles were firm until the last bowl.

If you are looking for the perfect pasta for soup, try Jovial. (you can read my review of their other noodles here, along with an easy Tuna Noodle recipe) They were kind enough to send pasta samples for everyone at our Gluten-Free Get Together 3rd Anniversary party last month — thanks, Jovial!

Tis the season of citrus! I can’t seem to get enough oranges, grapefruits, and clementines lately. We had a surplus and decided sangria sounded like a solution. 😉

The whole Food section of the Journal Sentinel was a gluten-free feature — and I made the front page! You can see the JSOnline version here. 

The husband was pretty excited. (me too, what an honor!)

I’m trying to incorporate more tea and a little less coffee into my mornings — this was a honey-lemon-ginseng blend, but I’d love to hear what you tea experts are drinking, looking for suggestions.

After using up all the oranges in the sangria, I was out of luck for my New Grist having an orange slice. The husband suggested a lemon, noting that most of the beers I drank pre-GF went with a lemon slice. He was right! (yes, I’m admitting it)

The “giving thanks” jars got a seasonal makeover — any other jelly bean fans out there? It’s my spring weakness. Be sure you get the gluten-free ones. Here is a mini list, waiting on some of the more extensive ones to hit the web this week.

Speaking of giving thanks… we got dumped on with snow last week and I can’t help but feel sorry for the custodians that are out there shoveling, one of the women in our building uses a cane some days, yet was out there breaking her back, so I wanted to do something. I show my gratitude best with food. 

These Powdered Sugar Doughnut Muffins from Elizabeth Barbone were a hit with the custodians, they were thanking me all week. And now we can all give thanks to Elizabeth, who was willing to share the recipe with you!

When you do make them (and you really should, for Easter maybe, or this week?) take my advice and do a re-sugaring before serving. I also sprinkle cinnamon into the powdered sugar for a twist. 

PS: dry erase markers work well for the ever changing labels on your storage jars.   

Powdered Sugar Doughnut Muffins

       From, “How to Cook Gluten-Free” by Elizabeth Barbone (Lake Isle Press, 2012)

Dry Ingredients
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking power
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

1 package (1 pound) powdered sugar

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to
350ºF. Lightly grease the cavities of a mini muffin pan with nonstick
cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet
ingredients and whisk to combine. The batter will be thin.

3. Fill the muffin cavities about half full. Bake for 20 to 25
minutes, until the muffins are golden brown.

4. While the muffins are baking, fill an 8-inch square baking dish
with the powdered sugar.

5. Remove the muffins from the oven and working in batches, place them
directly into the powdered sugar. Gently roll the muffins in the sugar
to cover them. The steam from the hot muffins will make the sugar
stick to the muffins. Remove the muffins from the sugar and tap off
any excess. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. Store in an
airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Makes about 24 muffins. Yield varies depending on pan size. (All mini
muffin pans vary slightly.)

+Sarah’s Notes: I have never used a whole bag of powdered sugar, instead I just put some scoops into the bowl/platter and then keep adding as I need more, but to avoid waste. My mini muffin pans make almost double what the recipe says, but as she points out, muffin tin sizes varies. (and who would complain about more muffins!?!) Try sprinkling cinnamon in the powdered sugar if you love it as much as I do. EnJOY them with a cup of coffee or tea. 

Don’t they have the cutest stickers for your coffee at Stone Creek Coffee? Before Mamasita headed back home, we had a day of errands, including a “coffee break” in the car wash. 🙂

Keep calm and enJOY your week!