Bliss Bakery in Santa Rosa, California opened their doors earlier this month offering “Gluten-Free Food for the Masses” to residents of Sonoma County. I must admit as someone who craves good flavor in food, I find many gluten free options disappointing. I went down to Bliss Bakery with my gf skeptical hat on unsure of what I would find. Would items taste bland with the texture of sawdust? Would it be another disappointment in the search for delicious tasting gluten-free food?

The short and exciting answer is no. Bliss Bakery honestly blew me away by their offerings, their flavor packed food and their perfect texture of baked goods. Maria Balme, owner of Bliss Bakery is a graduate of Bauman College, is currently an instructor at Bauman college and owner of Persimmon Catering.

Bliss Bakery, offering Gluten Free Food to the Masses, is everything that I am searching for in a bakery.  Each item that I tasted was truly mouthwatering. The key to making gluten free food not only edible but tasty is good old fashion food chemistry. Maria, a chef understands this importance. She knows that something will be too sweet without a dash of salt. She understands what to add to make a treat the correct texture so that it doesn’t crumble into your lap at the first bite.  In other words; Maria understands food.

This little cupcake looks charming and sweet right? This cupcake is what keeps me awake at night; thinking about it, dreaming about it and wanting it. Even at 3am in the morning. Let me introduce you to the Toffee Cupcake with Chocolate Icing.  Perfection is all I have to say about this cupcake.

Besides sweets they also have a fabulous selection of savory foods.

Flying Goat Coffee has since been added to the menu.  Bliss Bakery also sells local Kombucha on tap.

These apple muffins are heavenly with a dash of butter. My children helped me devour this plate far too quickly.

Ground Flaxseed Focaccia. They sell out every day. All the grains and flours used at Bliss Bakery come from Bob’s Red Mill in Portland, Oregon.

My skeptic hat slid back on my head when Maria gave us a couple of these to try. She calls them Chickpea Confections. I just wasn’t sure about them until I took the first bite. The  combination of maple, chickpea flour and pecan melted in my mouth and made my taste buds do cartwheels.

Tomato Tart with local heirloom tomatoes and fresh fig.

Bliss Bakery has a cozy dining area that consists of a large community table, a small cafe table, a couple stools for children to eat at the windowsill and additional tables outside.

All of their eco-friendly cups, lids and to-go boxes are biodegradable.

Marie will create special order gluten free cakes.

Bliss Bakery can be found at 463 Sebastopol Ave in Santa Rosa’s, South A Arts District. Their hours are 10-4 Thursday through Monday. There have plans to open 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in order to offer pizza, along with their normal menu and a special of the day.

Marie is planning to host Locavore Dinners at Bliss Bakery this fall. The price will be around $40 for a 5 course gluten free meal.

While Bliss Bakery caters to gluten free diets, their food is so wholesome and delectable that anyone who appreciates quality of flavor will love Bliss Bakery. I plan on visiting weekly, especially since they offer free Wi-Fi. What better environment to blog about food than a bakery.