**This is an interview with the owner. Please scroll to bottom of page for bakery address, phone number, website, email, and social media links.**

When Krista Koets opened her bakery in 2020, she offered something many found difficult to find; items that were gluten free AND low sugar. Because let’s face it, many gluten free products are made from refined flours, and have higher carb counts.

Now located in a new storefront in Holland, Michigan, Krista is expanding her menu to offer a few items with cane sugar. Peronally, as someone who has an intolerance to artificial sugars, I appreciate her willingness to expand her menu to help even more people. Learn more about Bliss Bakery in Krista Koets own words, in our interview.

What inspired you to become a baker? Why the focus on gluten-free?

I started my restaurant career at 15 as a hostess at Big Boy in my hometown of Grosse Pointe. From there, I worked as a cook and eventually sous chef and pastry chef at various restaurants in the greater Detroit area. Eventually I got a job at Avalon Breads in Detroit as a midnight baker. I knew then that someday I would open my own bakery.

Recently my father was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. As I learned more about this condition, I realized how empty the market is for fresh and SAFE products. I had recently changed my diet to eliminate gluten, grains and sugar, and Bliss was born out of those changes.

Are there other highlights of your products?  Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free etc?

Yes! We have a lot of dairy free options, a few egg free, a few vegan (including our incredible sourdough bread) and a handful of nut free choices. We also serve Brunch all day from 8a-3p. Most of our menu items can be made dairy free, and a few vegan.

What steps do you take to guarantee that your products are truly gluten-free?

Obviously, we choose ingredients labeled gluten free. If necessary, we contact manufacturers to ensure the item is not made on shared equipment, or proper procedures are taken to clean the equipment first. In 4 years of business, we’ve never had a customer complain of issues due to cross contact. We even restrict our employees from bringing any gluten into the facility!

Tell Me More About Your Full Sugar Options

When you started your business in 2020, you focused on grain free and sugar free baking. However, you’ve recently added baked goods with cane sugar and grains to your menu. Can you share more about these new Bliss Bakery items?

Yes, we are just starting to explore a menu of cane sugar sweetened items. Right now we have several breads and a couple pastries with more to come. We anticipate offering a dozen or so items that will be free of low carb sugars. However, we will always retain our diabetic-friendly low carb and sugar free menu!

What low carb flours do you use?

Our low carb baked goods use a blend of almond, whey or egg protein, flax, coconut and arrowroot. For those not counting carbs, our high carb white flour blend contains white rice, tapioca, potato starch and whey protein.

We also offer baked goods made with a high carb multi grain blend, which contains buckwheat, brown rice, sorghum and millet. Our housemade tortillas are made with masa harina. We currently do not use oats in anything we make.

What kind of alternative sweeteners do you use?

We use a blend of allulose, erythritol and monkfruit. Some of our chocolates contain maltitol or stevia.

Are your low sugar products labeled with carb counts/ macros? 

We have carb counts available for all of our low carb baked goods.

Where else are Bliss Bakery products available?

We are grateful to partner with the following businesses, listed below. We also offer local Door Dash, pickup and Nationwide Shipping.

Local Businesses

• Rykse & Co Bakery Kalamazoo (Mamak K Cookies, Cinnamon Rolls and Honeycomb Rolls plus seasonal cupcakes)
• Joe 2 Go (Mama K Cinnamon Rolls) Holland
• Lemonjello’s Coffee (Mama K Cinnamon Rolls) Holland
• Bridge St. Market (Mama K Cinnamon Rolls) Grand Rapids
• Red Lotus Meal Prep (huge variety, frozen) St. Joseph 
• Famous ScottDogs Food Truck (Mama K Hot Dog Buns)West Michigan Lakeshore area
• Unicorn Tavern (Mama K Burger Buns) Grand Haven
• Cops and Doughnuts (variety) Alpena
• Mezkla Taqueria (Mama K Telera Buns) Holland 

Meijer Locations (West Michigan) Mama K Cinnamon Rolls and Buns

• 5019 Red Arrow Hwy, Stevensville, MI 49127
• 1920 Pipestone Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
• 1223 Phoenix St, South Haven, MI 49090
• 746 E 16th St, Holland, MI 49423
• 3320 W Shr Dr, Holland, MI 49424
• 15000 US-31, Grand Haven, MI 49417
• 5300 Harvey St, Muskegon, MI 49444
• 1800 Holton Rd, North Muskegon, MI 49445
• 700 W Norton Ave, Muskegon, MI 49441
• 4665 S Green Ave, Fremont, MI 49412
• 405 Seward Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

What Customer Feedback Has Been Most Memorable?

The most impactful stories for me as a mom are when young people come in. They are able to choose anything they want from our over 50 pastries and breads, or even anything from our Brunch menu, and it’s all safe for them to eat.

They get so emotional and that really inspires me to keep going! Everyone, regardless of how they need to eat, should have more than one choice in a bakery or restaurant!

What would you like consumers to know about your products and your business?

This is a tough business; I’m not going to lie. Niche services must work harder than anyone to stay profitable. We definitely put in that hard work, with love and care into every item we make. I desire to earn your business and keep it for many years to come, by providing a consistently delicious and nutritious product week in and week out.

In addition, we take a different approach to gluten free baking, in that the vast majority of our products are grain free. This means we don’t rely heavily on rice flour for our baked goods. This gives us a vastly superior shelf life at room temperature, improved flavor and texture profile, and improved nutrition.

Bliss Bakery Location and Hours & Contact Info

Bliss Bakery and Cafe

102 River Rd Holland MI, 49423

616-558-1272

Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 3 pm, Closed Sunday & Monday. Shipping Available

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Email

Bliss Bakery is one of many gluten free bakers across the state of Michigan.  Click this link to see a comprehensive list of all the gluten-free bakeries in Michigan, complete with interactive map! Looking for more local eats? Check out my list of gluten free baked good options at Michigan Farmers Markets. 

The post Bliss Bakery – Holland, MI appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

1. Rice the cauliflower

Whether using a whole head of cauliflower or a bag of florets, it’s important to break the vegetable into small bits. This is often called “ricing.” I process mine in my KitchenAid food processor. 

2. Remove excess moisture

Cauliflower contains a large amount of water. In fact, it’s stated that the weight of cauliflower is made up of 92% water! How do we remove all that water?!

First, cook the cauliflower in the microwave for 5+ minutes. Once it has a chance to cool, dump the riced cauliflower out onto a clean towel. Use your hands to wring the excess water out of the cooled cauliflower. (Again, wait until it’s cool, or you’ll burn yourself. I know from experience!)

3. Add spices and binding agents

Now that you’ve squeezed every last drop out of that cauliflower, it’s time to make the cauliflower pizza crust dough. Downshitology’s Cauliflower Crust Pizza only calls for 4 additional ingredients. These include salt, spices, cheese and egg. (If your dough is still too wet, you can add a little almond flour or parmesan cheese.)

4. Pre-bake the cauliflower pizza crust

Once your cauliflower pizza crust dough is made, you’ll need to shape it using your hands. I suggest doing so on parchment paper, as it makes clean up easier.

If you have a pizza stone, preheat it (and the oven) at 450*. The preheated pizza stone will help make the crust firmer. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes until it is golden brown.

5. Top with your favorite ingredients.

Now customize your cauliflower crust pizza with toppings!  I usually use 4 oz of plain tomato sauce and jazz it up with Italian seasoning, salt and some Parmesan cheese.

Throw on your favorite vegetables and meat, top with cheese and you’re in business. I like to add LOTS of vegetables to mine to make it as healthy as possible. Bake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Let cool before devouring.

Link to Cauliflower Crust Recipe

I will admit I did not create this recipe. Since I don’t have permission from Downshiftology to reprint her recipe here, I am sharing the link to her Cauliflower Pizza Crust recipe.

Other Gluten Free Pizza Recipes

Looking for more pizza recipes? Try this grain free one using Chebe Pizza Crust. It works very well on the grill! Or how about this Gluten Free Chicken Bacon Alfredo pizza on a Schar crust? Find even more gluten free pizza recipe and restaurant suggestions in this gluten free pizza round up post.

Are you ready to make cauliflower crust pizza on your own now? What are your favorite toppings? What’s the most “interesting” way you’ve prepared a pizza, either with a base or in toppings? Leave me a note below!

The post Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Low Carb and Grain Free appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.