Here's a good question from reader A. Can you help her out?
For the longest time I have been a fan of Ezekiel brand bread; namely the 7 Sprouted Grains. Reasons for liking this bread: density, soy free, texture, hearty, healthy, not too sweet. Unfortunately, my love for the Ezekiel bread seems to be waning. I need something new: new, exciting, bread.
One of the issues I face is that I am in Savannah, GA: we have 1 small, local "health-food" store, 1 Fresh Market, and then a couple of your main chains: Kroger, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, etc. The options are limited; and I am mostly able to find mainstream types of bread.
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The other issue - the one that brings me to email you - is that in the 3 different packages of bread I have tried over the past couple of weeks in my search for a new favorite, I have come to the conclusion that most store-bought bread is well, CRAP. Too sweet, unbelievably sweet, and completely devoid of texture or subtle flavors. It's merely a vehicle for getting whatever it is you put on it into your mouth. This is not the kind of bread for me.
So I'm curious: what kind of bread do you buy? What kind of bread do the other readers buy? Is there a great, easy to find brand of bread that fulfills my expectations like Ezekiel did that I can turn to during my need for change?
Please, AT; I have no one else to turn to.
-A
A. sounds a little desperate! What do you think - do you have a favorite sandwich bread that you can recommend?
We like the Trader Joe's Complete Protein Bread California-Style; it's made with sprouted wheatberries, corn, oats, and other good whole grains. It lasts a long time and is splendid for toast.
But it sounds like A. doesn't have a TJ's close by, so the one other recommendation we'll give (you knew we were coming to this, right?) is to try baking her own. We love the oatmeal toasting bread we made last week; have you tried it yet?
• Recipe Review: Oatmeal Toasting Bread
We know that bread baking on a regular basis isn't practical for everyone, though. What's your favorite healthy, interesting bread?
Related: Grindstone Bakery Sprouted Seed Spelt Bread
(Image: Flickr member consumatron licensed for use under Creative Commons)
Can you find a local baker?
If you cannot, think about a great (non-chain) restaurant that you've been to. Atlanta is a great restaurant city and all the good restaurants typically have really good fresh baked bread. Next time you are at one, ask the staff who makes their bread. There may be a chance that the company sells to the public at their retail outlet or they may bake for certain stores.
I know how you feel! There is nothing like good bread and good bread is often hard to find depending on your market. A good friend of mine moved to Pensacola and opened a bakery. He's on the other end of the situation and wonders why people DON'T want to buy good bread! They'd rather go to Wal-Mart or the grocery store. That was a few years ago, by now he has a good following.
Good luck to you! And stay away from anything with BROMATED flour.
view art's profile
In upstate NY, we're blessed (ironically) by a bunch of Trappist monks that make bread from scratch. The whole wheat is pretty much the most fantastic packaged-supermarket sandwich bread one could buy. It's not artisanal by any stretch, but when you're making a sandwich for work, it's ideal. I know that Wegmans carries it locally, but you can purchase from their website here: www.monksbread.com
view meabfab's profile
I am also an Ezikiel fan and do need to take a break every so often. I will sometimes go for for artisan loaves from my farmers market and make a big brick-pressed sammich to cut into slices. Or I'll do wheat tortillas from my market for wraps. As a last resort I'll do a bowl with veggies and brown rice and forgo the bread all together.
view kmarie's profile
I like-- alright, love-- the Volkornbrot (I think that's what it's called) from the Zingerman's catalog. Each loaf weighs about 2 pounds and is wheat-free. Buy a couple and freeze!
view dena's profile
I'm a huge fan of Dave's Killer Bread. It's incredibly healthy, without sacrificing any taste or texture. It is flavorful and nutty, dense but fluffy. Even their sprouted breads are soft. They have many different varieties and you can order online:
http://www.daveskillerbread.com/flashy/indexflash.shtml
view ellenp1214's profile
I'd recommend Arnold Natural Health Nut Bread. It's not as fancy as what the others have mentioned, but I think it's quite good -- dense, nutty, not very sweet, and excellent for toasting.
The upshot of this one is that it's made by a big evil corporation, and thus widely available at places like Kroger.
Be careful of which kind you get -- Brownberry actually owns Arnold, and makes its own inferior version of Health Nut bread, but it still makes the Arnold kind as well.
view EmilyW's profile
Hi,
I signed up just so I could reply :)
I live in Savannah also! My boyfriend and I are vegan, so we definitely have a hard time finding bread in the chain stores here.
Honestly, I don't know that you'll find a large selection of breads that compair to Ezekial breads. There is one loaf we normally buy from the Arnold's brand that is a nice (somewhat plain) whole wheat bread.
I would also suggest trying out some of the fresh baked breads at Fresh Market if you shop there. I saw a few whole grain breads that looked pretty yummy. :)
good luck on your continued search!
view adele's profile
I like Rudi's Organic Breads, and my favorite is the 7-Grain with Flax. It has a great texture and flavor and makes great toast. I have been buying it at Whole Foods and another local health food store, but now they also have it at Meijer. Here is a link to their website where you can find a local store that carries it.
view amylou61's profile
I second the 'Dave's Killer Bread' vote - super yum, no unnecessary ingredients, healthy mixes of grains and seeds, and not too dense for sandwich making. It reminds me of the bread my parents bake. Mmmmm...
view Grumpy Girl's profile