Is Special Formula Variety Bread White Gluten Free?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look at the source of the flour first. The primary ingredient listed is enriched unbleached flour. While the text provided has some typos (like 'elour'), this is standard terminology for wheat flour. Wheat is one of the main sources of gluten. The label also explicitly lists wheat gluten as an ingredient. This is added to bread to increase the protein content and improve the chewy texture, but it significantly boosts the gluten load.

There is another critical ingredient here: bleached oat fiber. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are almost always processed in facilities that also handle wheat. Unless the oats are certified gluten-free, they are at high risk for cross-contamination. Furthermore, the ingredient list mentions malted barley flour. Barley is a distinct gluten-containing grain (it contains hordein). The presence of barley malt is a definitive flag for gluten. Therefore, this bread contains the 'big three' gluten grains: wheat and barley.

Nutritional Value

Looking at the ingredient list, this bread contains high fructose corn syrup and regular sugar. While bread isn't typically a high-sugar food, the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup adds empty calories without nutritional benefit. The product is made with enriched flour, which means it has been fortified with vitamins like niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid. This is a standard practice to replace nutrients lost during processing. However, the presence of soybean oil and calcium sulfate indicates it is a processed food. If you are monitoring your sodium intake, be aware that salt is present, as is sodium stearoyl lactylate (an emulsifier).