I saw the Shar Gluten Free Ciabatta Bread at Costco and figured it was worth a try. I hadn’t heard of the Shar brand before but since Costco was stocking it I figured there was a pretty good chance that it was going to be a decent product.
Taste and Texture
Gluten free breads have a history of being “hit or miss” so the big question was, “Are these ciabatta rolls any good?”
I sliced one of the rolls open and was delighted with the appearance. The bread had the open, porous structure of ciabatta with plenty of “nooks and crannies” to soak up whatever flavors you decide to add.
We put the slices into the toaster, added some butter and gave them a try.
My wife and I had the same opinion that the bread was “okay”. Now you might be thinking that a rating of “okay” is not great but you should know that bread is one of my wife’s favorite foods. For her to say that a gluten free bread was fine means a heck of a lot!
The texture and flavor of the rolls are a little different than what I expect for ciabatta rolls but there was nothing unpleasant about them. The biggest issue with the rolls is that the outside is soft and lacks the crunchy chew of an authentic ciabatta.
The packaging also provides heating instructions (400F, 6-10 minutes) for getting that “Fresh Bakery Taste”. I like these gluten free rolls a little more than the Gluten Free Pitas at Costco.
The Ciabatta Rolls Make a Great Sandwich
I used one of the rolls to make one of my favorite sandwiches (Ham and Swiss with Dijon mustard) and pressed it in a cast iron skillet. The sandwich was sliced and served with a couple kosher dill pickle slices and it made for a nice presentation!
The sandwich turned out great! The bread toasted up to a lovely shade of brown and had a delightful crunch.
The bread held up like a hearty ciabatta should and did not give any indications that it wanted to fall apart while I was pressing it in the skillet.
Overall I am very happy with the bread and would buy this in a heartbeat before I ever bought the Gluten Free Sliced Bread from Canyon Bakehouse at Costco.
Ham and Swiss with Shar Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Shar Gluten Free Ciabatta Roll per sandwich
- 4 slices Thin Sliced Ham
- 2 slices Thin Sliced Swiss Cheese
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- Pam Cooking Spray
- Pickle Slices
Instructions
- Use a bread knife to slice the ciabatta in half.
- Assemble the sandwich with the ham sitting between two layers of cheese.
- Spray the outside of the rolls with some Pam cooking spray.
- Toast the sandwich in a cast iron pan (3 minutes per side) while pressing it with a spatula.
- Slice the sandwich and serve with pickle slices.
Calories and Nutrition
One ciabatta roll is a single serving and has the following calories and nutrition:
- Calories: 160
- Fat: 2g (3% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 250mg (11% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 33g (12%)
- Protein: 3g
In addition to being Gluten Free the bread is also Dairy Free, Egg Free and Non GMO.
Price
I bought the eight pack of Shar Gluten Free Ciabatta bread at Costco for $7.39 which comes out to a cost of $0.92 per roll.
The cost of nearly $1 per roll is more than twice what you would pay for a normal roll but given how specialized this product is I can understand the price.
If I was gluten sensitive then I would buy these rolls again. However, given that I am not allergic to gluten I will be sticking with the more affordable Costco Ciabatta Rolls in the bakery section or Trader Joe’s ciabatta rolls.
