Gluten Free in New Braunfels has never tasted better. My Unexpected Discovery at The Red Oak Bakery was nothing short of scrumptious! The 100% gluten free Red Oak Bakery itself is so charming and homey. Katherine and Ruby are the proprietors at this delectable step back in time bakery. Back in the day, do you remember those beautifully placed homemade baked goods staring back at you from the glass counter? And the baked goods looking so delicious that it was difficult to choose which one to buy? Well, I solved that problem and went crazy buying more than I should have! No kidding, everything was so yummy and fresh. I bought extra to bring some home with me. It still tasted perfect back in Georgia.
The Double Chocolate Chewy Cookie with Hazelnuts was so rich, chocolatey, creamy and chewy. You can also get the jumbo cookie without the nuts. Fabulous!!! It was our late night snack back at the hotel!
Snack time on most airlines for Celiacs is non-existent. So I bring my own snacks from home and quite honestly have a picnic on my tray table. My snack on my flight back to Atlanta consisted on a cup of water (courtesy of the airline), honey roasted peanuts, AND Ruby’s Brownie. I had the brownie still in the little white wrapper that was in the little white bakery bag from the day before. As I took the brownie out of the bag, I then had to actually peel the brownie away from the little white wrapper because it was so moist and sticking to the paper! Well, can you believe that?! That is virtually unheard of for a gluten free brownie after sitting out, unrefrigerated overnight, and loosely wrapped. Every bite was just as moist as the first bite! I bet the people on either side of me were envious of my snack! It was good to the last morsel!
The Red Oak Bakery came up on my Find Me Gluten Free App before I left home. I did a search on the bakery and read all of the positive reviews on the bakery as well as the mother-daughter owners. I reached out to Ruby and she agreed to allow me to do a feature on her bakery. We stayed for two hours, grazing, taking photos and eating!!! These Cocoa Fudge Brownies are made with chestnut flour and cocoa, not baking chocolate. They are grain free with walnuts and topped with French finishing salt Fleur de Sel which gives them a touch of salty with the sweet. Outstanding!
These Olive Oil Buns are beyond fantastic! I brought these home on the plane. There wasn’t even need to try them at the bakery because I could just look through the clear cellophane bag (plus I squeezed them….so soft and tender) and tell they would be perfect! They were! Ruby suggested toasting them just to reactivate the flours. I sliced the bun in half and put them in the toaster just to warm up, not to brown up. When I used the tongs to take the slices out of the toaster, I could HEAR the bread talking to me! Honestly, the crackling noise that this bread was making spoke volumes of the moistness. I had a small bowl handy of Caramelized Garlic Olive Oil with freshly grated parmesan cheese and cracked pepper for dipping! WOW, it was so tasty!!! My mouth is watering now as I am typing this and thinking about them. Fabulous buns!
Spiced Carrot Muffins are made with organic carrots from Austin and a touch of pumpkin spice. All of the spices used in the bakery are natural and organic. Ruby only uses ceylon cinnamon when a recipe calls for cinnamon. She is so passionate about the fresh organic ingredients she uses in each recipe. Her mom Katherine is just as passionate about the placement of baked goods, greeting the customers by their first names and the business side of the bakery. They are the perfect team!
I ordered this cake ahead of time to be able to capture this picture! I LOVE anything with a citrus flavor so I wanted to try this Rio Grande Orange Juice Cake! SOOOOO MOIST and FULL OF FLAVOR! Rio Grande oranges are seasonal from November – May. Ruby uses fresh squeezed orange juice for this cake. She purchases extra cases of oranges before the end of season to juice and store in freezer to use until that supply is gone. She does the same thing with fresh limes to extend the season. There is a short blackberry season for the Coconut Milk Blackberry Cake (sure would love to taste that!). I brought the orange juice cake home, in my purse! Bet the TSA guys were hoping for a taste as it went through the airport scanner!
This french baguette was yelling out for me! How long has it been since I have had a freshly baked baguette?! I can’t even remember. This was so good! This was the first bread that Ruby tried at the bakery. She keep experimenting with this French Style Baguette until she felt she had mastered the recipe. She mentioned to me that she can’t even remember how it was developed. But Voilà here it is and it’s mouthwatering! It’s a favorite of her customers…..to include me! But then I liked EvErYtHiNg!!
I really tried to get some beautiful photos so you could see exactly what I am talking about when I am mentioning the deliciousness of EVERY item they make from scratch. The Red Oak Bakery uses grass fed milk and cage free eggs. All of their flours are gmo. The Sweet Scones were so yummy with candied ginger and lemon zest. I brought home the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip with Ginger Spice jumbo cookie and shared one with my gluten free neighbor! I want to revisit this bakery on a Saturday to try the Cinnamon Raisin Pecan Scone with Cinnamon Sugar and the Dark Chocolate Brioche! I can only imagine!!!
Ruby used to work at an organic dairy farm as a cheese maker over in France. She has a love for all things French to include French baked goods. Ruby is very old school and was inspired by family and friends by their feedback when she was just experimenting with various recipes. She personally wanted to eat things she hadn’t been able to in years. Ruby mentioned that gathering around the table is an event even for gluten free people. She feels compelled to make celebrations more enjoyable with the food she prepares. The Red Oak Bakery has been opened for 6 years and what a legacy both her great grandmother and grandmother passed on as they both loved to bake. Ruby loves it when a child walks into her bakery and lights up when they see the bakery counter and ask “I can have ANYTHING?” What a blessing that is for these kiddos and us adults alike! Ruby wants gluten free people to feel like everyone else!
Seeing how Ruby and Katherine interact with each other and the customers was so refreshing. Way to go Ruby and Katherine! I can’t wait to come back again and try even more! This was definitely the JACKPOT of bakeries!
Eating my way through Texas,
Rose
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