I was recently sent some sampled of  Helen’s Brilliant Bread Mixes to try and test (available in Sainsburys). Now I must admit to not usually using a bread mix to make my gluten free, wheat free bread, I use me own recipe and stick it all in the bread machine. So I was intrigued to try out these mixes, especially as the packets told me they took just a couple of minutes to make.

I was sent the brown bread, white sandwich bread and scone mixes, here is the white bread mix:

Having a toddler who loves to cook, I decided to test these out for their quickness and simplicity by getting her involved. The brown bread mix literally did take just a couple of minutes for us to make and was so simple a toddler could mix it up! Once mixed I simply made a small cut down the middle and baked it. The end result was a very tasty bread, with a fantastic crumb. There is none of that cakey taste and this bread doesn’t crumble or fall apart. I also found this bread kept well and a few days later I was still happily eating it.

The white bread mixture was slightly more complicated. The toddler once again helped me mix it up, but we then had to leave it to prove for 45 minutes. With my usual hectic lifestyle this would probably only be possible on a weekend for me, but there were instructions on how to also make this loaf in a bread machine. After proving and baking the bread this is the end result:

Again it has a lovely crumb and texture but it made quite a small loaf, smaller than the brown version. Perhaps mine didn’t rise as much as it should have done.

I was quite excited with the scone mixture, the packet showed some lovely looking scones and I must say I enjoy a tasty scone 🙂 This mixture was really easy to make, it produces a very wet mix which I then found made it tricky to get a decent shaped scone. The instructions tell you to drop dessert spoons of the mix onto a baking tray, so you won’t get round scones. The scones baked well and smelt delicious. Upon testing them later I found them to not be a true scone texture, more of a bready cake, but  they are tasty all the same. The next day I tried another one and found these were best refreshed in the microwave. All in all a quick, easy cakey product to make but not a true scone.

I think these mixes are great for those who don’t want to play around with flours, gums and all the fiddly bits of gluten free cooking.

Disclaimer: I was sent these mixes to try out and to review, no payment was involved, all views are my own.