When you post a Sprouted Wheat French Bread recipe, and you get an email from a company offering to send you a sample of their sprouted grain products, that, my friends, is serendipity.
Which is exactly what happened and I am a new fan of Columbia County Bread and Granola. As I mentioned in my French bread post, it has been difficult to find really good-tasting sprouted wheat products outside of my usual sandwich bread.
Unfortunately, many “healthy” crackers resemble cardboard more than food. We avoid most commercial crackers, chips, or other snack-type products because of the flour or oils used, so if we eat them at all, it is sparingly. Rice crackers have been a good substitute but tend to be harder or crunchy than truly crisp.
Sprouted Whole Grain Sesame-Cumin Flat Bread
I fell in love with its flavor and texture, which is somewhere between a cracker and a chip—truly light and crisp. At first, I thought the distinct taste of cumin (which I adore) might overwhelm a delicate artichoke dip or compete with a schmear of balsamic and goat cheese (in case you’re wondering, a schmear is a more generous application).
As you can tell by the photo, I tried a variety of samples and loved every single one. So impressed by this product, I immediately ordered all three flavors: Sesame-Cumin (the one shown), Rye-Caraway, and Orange-Poppy Seed.
Sesame-Cumin Flat Bread ingredients: sprouted-wheat mash (ground wheat berry sprouts), molasses, flax seeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and sea salt.
Sprouted Grain Pocket Pita
The second sample was Sprouted Grain Pocket Pita, a 2 oz. version slightly smaller than the size you see in stores. Since I did not have a real plan for testing it when it arrived, I put it in the freezer, hoping it would not change the fresh taste too much.
Homemade sprouted grain breads are soft and moist, but commercial sprouted grain products can be dry, so we primarily enjoy our sandwich bread toasted or grilled. To test the pita, I pulled it out of the freezer and popped it in the toaster to defrost and warm it, but not toast it.
The smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, tomato, spinach, and honey mustard spread were ready to fill it, but how would it hold up? Would it be soft? Would it tear? Would it crumble and fall apart?
Impressed yet again
The pitas were soft and tender, yet sturdy enough to withstand a good amount of filling—one had to be stuffed twice because I forgot to spread the honey mustard on the inside first, and it stood the test. It went from freezer to toaster to table without any compromise in texture or flavor at all.
The sprouted wheat buns we’ve tried up to this point have been dense and heavy, so the CCB&G Sprouted Grain Pocket Pita will definitely make grilling burgers fun again.
Pocket Pita ingredients: whole-grain sprouted wheat, molasses, sea salt, and naturally occurring leavens.
Michael and Doug at Columbia County Bread and Granola have developed some fantastic tasting, healthy products. I was not paid for this review or promotion, they were just kind enough to send me samples and let the quality of their products do the rest. If you have never tried sprouted grain products before, this is a perfect introduction.
Jan Simpson says
Dont twitter, but told 3 quilt guild friends about the fabulous link to Savoring Today. Btw, great recipes you have provided me, thank you!!!
Alea Milham says
What a lovely pita bread! I love the idea of buying sprouted flours. Thanks for sharing this with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Stephanie Augustine says
Wow! I am excited to try theses. Thanks for the fabulous post. My mouth is officially watering. The pita looks Ah-mazing! But, after I saw the ingredients on the websit I can’t wait to try the flatbreads. Since they don’t have any at the stores in CO, how do their products hold up via mail?
Thanks again!
Judy Purcell says
They arrive is excellent condition, no worries. 🙂
Caroline says
Yummy!! Both look/sound fantastic. I’m leaning towards the pita though. I believe I’m already following you, and I’ll check on Facebook as well. 🙂
Mary says
What a wonderful assortment they sent you. Everything looks delicious. This is my first visit toyour blog, so I took some time to browse through your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Sammie says
pita and hummus!!! that would be my favourite!
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen says
Oh man…both of them look great! Too bad I can’t get my hands on some here in Illinois! I will have to check them out online! 🙂
Sawsan says
I love the flat bread and all the dip suggestions you offer.
I agree most healthy snacks are never as good as they promise to be. It is refreshing to find something that really is
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
The cumin-sesame flatbread sounds good to me. If they are sold in Connecticut perhaps they will make their way north to New Hampshire.
Jocelyn Love says
I’d love to try the pita 🙂
Julie says
The pita bread looks really tasty, I would love to try!
Sara P. says
I would love to try the flat bread!
Pati says
Close friends share and share alike. So…as soon as you raved about this incredible product, I knew my taste buds would benefit from our close, close relationship. Alas, I was wrong. Not a bite, taste, or even a crumb. Apparently I will have to win to taste. My choice would be the cumin-sesame flat-bread. 🙂
Judy Purcell says
Aren’t you a funny one! When the package I ordered arrives, you’ll be the first person I call. 😉
Pati says
I elect to change my mind. I would much prefer the pita bread. Not that the flatbread wasn’t delicious…;)
Wehaf says
I would love some delicious pita bread!
Hannah says
Those crackers especially look amazing! I just love anything with tons of seeds and grains in it… Too bad it’s not sold in more retail locations. If I won, I would absolutely go for the rye-caraway flatbreads, and cumin-sesame.