Genius vs. Udi’s Gluten-free Bread

From when I first tasted UK Genius gluten-free bread, I couldn’t wait for its arrival in the US.  I wrote about it in May when I was first able to try this much talked about bread from across the ocean.  My gluten-free friends in the UK couldn’t say enough good things about it.  My mother-in-law brought some over when she came to visit, and right away I was in love!

Immediately, I contacted Genius to see if they had plans to expand to the US, and at that time they said no.  So, when I heard the news, just a short time later, I was thrilled.

However, for the past 2 years Udi’s has been my go-to bread.  After a lot of trial and error with numerous breads ranging from $4 to over $12 a loaf, I finally found one I was extremely happy with in Udi’s.  Udi’s made me not miss eating “regular” bread, and made me feel “normal” again. I became a huge fan, and rely on Udi’s pizza crusts for our family’s weekly Friday pizza nights. Their muffins and bagels are fabulous, and is what I have waiting in the morning to greet sleepy guests as they wake up.  I have become loyal, and appreciate their consistency.

I feel almost guilty trying another bread, but when this new US version of Genius was waiting on my doorstep, I immediately opened the bread and made peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches to bring to the pool that afternoon for lunch.  I had such good memories from the loaf my mother-in-law brought over, I couldn’t wait to eat it again.

Since I had a loaf of Udi’s (as I always do) in my fridge, I decided to compare the two.  You can see the two loaves above, and below is the actual bread side by side (Udi’s is on the left, Genius on the right).

Immediately you can see the size difference.  Udi’s is smaller than the Genius slice, and I really do miss having regular sized sandwiches.  In addition, the loaf size is different, Udi’s has about 12 slices per loaf, whereas Genius has 14. Genius seems much fluffier.

Both brands offer white and multigrain loaves at about the same calories per serving.  Udi’s is listed at 75 calories per slice, with Genius at 80 calories per slice.

Udi’s contains 2.25g of fat per slice, where Genius contains 3.5g.  Udi’s contains 135 mg of sodium, where Genius has 140 mg of sodium, and they both contain the same protein content of 2g per slice.

In addition to being gluten-free, Udi’s is also dairy-, soy- and nut-free.  Genius is also produced in a dedicated gluten-free facility, but its label states that it may contain soy and sesame.

The suggested retail for Udi’s is $5, where Genius is $5.49.

So now, the fun stuff:

The packaging is very similar for both breads, green, simple and friendly.  A positive for both.

I have found in the past several months that Udi’s has seemed drier than it was in the past, so I was happy to taste the super light and fluffy texture of the larger Genius slice, but, and the big but was….this loaf of Genius was somewhat different from the UK version I tried, this one was so light and fluffy that it didn’t stay together very well.

When I spread my Nutella on the the bread, the bread came off with the Nutella.  It was very difficult, and quite frustrating, to keep a slice in one piece.  I thought maybe toasting it would be better, so we made fried egg sandwiches with it this morning, but the bread still tended to break apart when we tried to flip it over in the pan.

My current verdict:  I am still a little undecided.  I love the consistency and flavor of Udi’s, and I love the larger slice of Genius and the fresh, fluffy flavor.  And while Udi’s seems more dry than it once was, Genius is so light that it is falling apart too easy.  This didn’t happen with the UK version, so I am hoping they just have some kinks to iron out. I am waiting on a response from the US Genius people as to why the difference in texture, and will update when I received word.

Genius will be available in the freezer section of select stores nationwide starting in August. Genius is being distributed and produced by Glutino on this side of the Atlantic.

If you have tried Genius and Udi’s, what do you think? What is your “go-to” bread?