With so many options for baked goods on the Internet nowadays, it can be hard to decide where to order sweet treats from. For me, I always take three things into consideration. One: will it satisfy my sweet tooth? Two: is it worth my money? And three: is it worth the calories? (Backstory: I started dieting recently. So… if something isn’t mindblowingly good enough for me to want to ruin my diet over, then it’s just not worth it. :p)

One store that ticks off all three of the things on my list is Salta! Bakes to-Go.

Chef Gem is a health-conscious eater, pasta maker, and now bread baker. Gem’s restaurant Salta!, located at 38 Mayaman St. UP Village, Quezon City, serves rotisserie meats and fresh pasta. Since they were forced to close for three months due to the lockdown, Gem decided to open a mini panaderya called Salta! Bakes to-Go to the delight of their loyal patrons and new discoverers (like me!).

Gem had actually planned on opening Salta! Bakes to-Go in December in time for the holidays, but the lockdown and the demand for deliveries pushed things forward faster. “It’s my blessing during the lockdown,” Gem shares. “My goal and mission has always been to offer healthier bakery items in the market. The tagline I started in my head was, ‘When you crave it but want a healthier version, Salta! Bakes has it.” What. A. Godsend. This is exactly the store I have been looking for all this time! Check out some of the goodies that they have to offer:

Sugarfree Ube Panroll (Php370 for 6 / Php540 for 9)

When the ube pandesal trend started, Salta was already testing it out with whole grain flour and brie cheese since they didn’t want to use processed cheese and coloring. The first product that they launched was their Sugarfree Ube Panroll, which is made with premium whole wheat flour, avocado oil, and erythritol; and is filled with ube halaya and brie cheese. After gaining more support and getting a steady following, they also started offering it with cream cheese to make it more affordable (Php325 for 6 / Php455 for 9).

Signature Parmesan Pesto Cheesepillows (Whole Wheat: Php385 for 6 / Php750 for 12, Regular Flour: Php310 for 6 / Php750 for 12)

When people started buying out Eden cheese at supermarkets during quarantine and the competition for ube became sky high, Salta decided to go the more premium way and stick to their Italian theme by using their pesto pasta sauce to offer Parmesan Pesto Cheesepillows and Panrolls. If you love cheese, you will absolute love these! This is Salta’s version of cheese rolls, but made with super pillowy pesto bread. The crunchy, crumbly, and sweet-savory parmesan streusel gives the bread a bit of texture, and the cream cheese stuffing is the cherry on top of it all.

Strawberry Almond Sticky Panrolls (Whole Wheat: Php445 for 6, Regular Flour: Php380 for 6)

Their Strawberry Almond Sticky Panrolls should not be missed, either. It’s basically a cinnamon panroll with honey caramel fresh strawberries and toasted almonds – and it is nothing like I’ve ever tasted before… though it did remind me of my years living in Europe as a child, for some reason. Maybe they had something similar there?

And now for the ultimate show-stealer (yes, the aforementioned ones aren’t even the show-stealers yet):

Strawberry Panbombs (Whole Wheat: Php300 for 2 / Php565 for 4, Regular Flour: Php275 for 2 / Php520 for 2)

These babies come in two flavors: Strawberry Almond Shortcake and Strawberry Hazelnut. What you choose really depends on preference. While both taste good, I prefer the Almond Shortcake one because it’s simpler. My mom and my daughter prefer the Hazelnut one because of their intense love for chocolate and Nutella. If you can’t decide or simply want to try out both, you can get a mix and enjoy the best of both worlds like we did! What I love the most about the strawberry products of Salta, though, is the fact that they were actually created to help their farmer and supplier finish her over-supply of strawberries. I love brands with a heart!

All of Salta’s panrolls are must-tries. to be honest. They aren’t really pandesal, but more like super soft and fluffier brioche rolls that every Filipino will love, no matter how old they might be – tried and tested. I especially love how they have options for those who are becoming more conscious of their health and weight (like me). Now, you can enjoy premium delicious sweet treats sans the guilt.

What Makes Salta’s Panrolls Health-Conscious, Rustic, and Premium?

Whole Wheat Flour

Salta has options to order their items made with whole wheat flour instead of regular flour. Since whole wheat flour hasn’t been stripped of the nutrients and fiber that is naturally found in wheat, these options offer more nutrition than regular flour.

Avocado Oil

For their whole wheat options, Salta uses avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. Avocado oil is primarily made up of oleic acid – a beneficial monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid similar to virgin olive oil, but without the distinct taste. Studies have shown that foods rich in oleic acid may help reduce inflammation and blood pressure levels.

Erythritol

For their sugar-free panrolls, Salta uses erythritol in place of sugar. This sugar substitute has no calories, no carbs, and no sugar. Plus, it does not raise blood glucose levels. More importantly, it still tastes heavenly, making it an almost perfect low carb sugar substitute.

Salta doesn’t just care about health, either; they also care about their whole staff. Thanks to the early launch of their mini panaderya, they were able to give a monthly allowance and send relief goods to their unemployed restaurant staff. Due to the more relaxed community quarantine, they have also been able to provide bicycles to help kickstart their staff’s livelihood while keeping them safe from the risk of public transportation.

Salta delivers anywhere in Metro Manila and Rizal via their riders. They purposefully deliver their goods themselves for everybody’s convenience. No pickups and no booking of couriers here! They also announce special slots for the South and other cities beyond Quezon City, so you can save on shipping. This is also why they only accept pre-orders through their Instagram and order forms.

As you can see, Salta doesn’t ride on trends. Instead, they make their own trends, focusing on creating healthy, premium, freshly baked original bread creations you won’t typically find anywhere else. Make sure to try them out soon!

Salta! Bakes to-Go

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltatogo

Instagram: @saltatogo

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