Good day lovelies, we recently made an excursion to Baked 2 Go Bakery or Boulangerie de Pointe on St. Laurent street in Montreal on the Plateau. My mother has become a big fan of their white bread which we had gotten in a shop somewhere else a while back. She ran out of bread, so we decided to take a trip and I figured it was a perfect opportunity for a review. Slam!
Upon arrival we were thrilled to have found parking right in front, they are in between Rachelle and Mount -Royal street which can be difficult for parking, if you are familiar with Montreal, I need not say more.
We walked inside and I immediately went into snap happy mode, I had called before to ask if this was okay, as I was doing a blog write-up; plus we reserved 2 breads which they were kind enough to offer to slice. I have to come clean, this was not my first time at this shop, I had gone before on my own but was in a bit of a rush so I didn't have much time to look around. It was an in & out burger kinda moment. Upon arriving this time, we took in the place, quaint, serene, and very clean, were my first thoughts. It could be seen as a bit cool because of the clean and modern lines but the wood, orange/ browns, and white colours, along with the layout and posters, lend this shop a comfortable relaxed atmosphere.
Look down below:
Baked2Go began in 2013 with a concept from four family members who applied food science, a deep grasp of the nutritionally conscious, and a heartfelt desire to create gluten-free items that gave options to those with gluten related illnesses and multiple allergies. It looks more like a laboratory in the back, less like traditional bakeries I have worked in, and they wear lab coats when baking. They take cross contamination very seriously in this shop which is great for people like us who cannot take chances with our health. Re-living the gluten response nightmare is not wanted or necessary.
What I like about this "advanced" bakery, as they call it, is the attention to detail. They have everything clearly labelled, not just gluten-free but also soy-free, corn-free, vegan, etc. It's brilliant because gluten sufferers often have multiple response triggers and may still be unable to partake in gluten-free treats because other allergens are present. Look at the different offerings, there were Madeleine's, submarine/baguette breads, loaves, cookies, mini cakes, muffins and more!
The signs are very clear, all is well labelled and often things are individually wrapped. V-E-R-Y cross contamination conscientious indeed. They also make an effort to have higher protein in their items, cool for those looking for higher protein options. They also make a concerted effort to keep it locally grown when using ingredients, whenever possible.
Their fridge was well stocked with one of my favourite Kombucha lines, Rise. I was happy when I saw that they had my maple blueberry-yum! There's coconut water, if you prefer, you can have specialty hot coffee and tea.
I do want to say that the first time I went to this bakery, I found the service was much better, however, the young lady serving us this last time may have been a bit frazzled because of the pics and questions. In all fairness, she was nice. I was just a bit surprised that she didn't make an effort to give more information since she knew I was doing a blog review; as I stated earlier, I think she may have been frazzled.
I tried the bagels, which were nice. They get a crispness on the outside when toasted. Not exactly the chewy bagel consistency but still a good substitute. Everything was so well laid out, it was such a pleasant shopping experience because of the various signs and different goods.
Time to move on to what so many people specifically go to this place for, the butter croissant's. Truth?
Nope and nope.
Sorry Baked2Go, I am not trying to be mean, I am just keeping it real.
Do not expect that light, flaky, fluffy, buttery croissant. You will be sorely disappointed.
I was so looking forward to these, I was over the moon at the thought that I had found the croissant nirvana I had missed. Honestly, these things were a huge let down. I wasn't the only one who tasted them, I had bought these on my previous visit and had shared them with another gluten-free diner, we were both sad after the first bite. These things reminded us of a thick, layered, pie crust dough reminiscent of a Rugelach cookie without the tasty cinnamon or fruit additions. They were heavy, man, were they heavy! Like a brick in your stomach heavy, very greasy, dense, and I will not be spending the high price for one of these little guys again. The only thing they got right on these were the shape. I know there are people who will be happy to have these and the chocolate croissants flavour, which is fine, but I am speaking as a trained Chef who specializes in gluten-free. This was not what was promised and I can not recommend them. However, there are some awesome things below that I highly recommend and feel Baked2Go has outshone the competition on, so read on.
This bread is divine! It is a wonder in the gluten-free landscape! Remember when you used to be able to eat a piece of bread that didn't need to be toasted? Or could be eaten with just butter? Or that was squishy goodness when slathered with PB & J? This is the one to make your heart sing and your pleasure sensors walk down memory lane and do a dance of joy. Yup, that good. Look at the foldability, the fluffy yum, plus it holds up under heavy toppings and absorbs perfectly. No mush, no heaviness, no bad mouth feel, and best of all-no crumble!!!!!
It freezes well, it toasts perfectly and is reasonably priced. Only draw back? Has cornstarch. However, there is a vegan whole-grain version that I prefer and that one was corn-free! So go get em'.
The baguette was a slightly weaker version of the regular loaf bread, it's okay but not as good as Louise Sans Gluten. If you want a different roll for sandwiches, hoagies, or subs, this will be fine. It doesn't have the French Baguette crunch with chewy that we French natives are familiar with.
By far the coolest thing, decoration wise, was this dude by the cash! My inner geek was thrilled and giggled when I saw Darth Vader holding business cards in the corner by the cash.
This is Baked2Go's addy, you can check out their website which I am linking as well. I would suggest you make it a stop on your gluten-free travels in Montreal, it's worth it.
Baked2Go
4255 Boul St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2W 1Z4
www.baked2go.com
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