I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but recently I've been buying Woolworths/Coles/Aldi bread and found the quality of the bread to be quite low. Its even quite visible in the way it looks.
Is it just me? I'm too cheap to buy a better brand to check, but I used to find the more expensive brands similar in terms of quality so I never bothered.
I found that I didn't notice much difference between low and mid-range priced breads. The high priced ones I did notice a difference.
I generally buy the Burgen brand bread now - not cheap, but it doesn't feel like you're eating fluff. Lots of seedy/grainy things in it, which if nothing else, at least makes me feel like I'm eating well :)
edit
… and by the look of it, they're half price at woolworths this week
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/35115#comment-323840
I originally compared it to the tip top and wonder white white bread a long time ago and found it very similar.
Perhaps I need to buy them again to check.
I often purchase Woolworths Homebrand or Aldi and they both seem to have reduced quality at a similar time.
grab a burgen loaf whilst they're cheap…..
it feels much more ….substantial
Woolworths have got a deal on this "9 grain" bread at the moment. Can't remember who makes it, but they have a pumpkin seed on that's great. It's currently 2 for $4 - single price is about $4.50!
Aside from this great bargain, I normally buy the bread that's made fresh in store (or so they tell me), it's regularly on special at 2 for $4 as well.
Actually tried the 9 grains bread out last week as they didn't have any Homebrands left. While the slice size and durability was good, the bread was a bit dry for my liking. Burgen has a similar texture but more moist/tastier.
should be also mentioned that the burgen loaves and slices are a bit smaller than 'normal' bread.
I don't buy the made in store bread as I think it is cut WAY too think, especially the Woolworths one. If they could cut it thinner I would change to buying that. Currently if Helga's, Burgen etc is on special we buy that, otherwise we buy home brand wholegrain bread. I do prefer the more expensive bread but no way am I paying more than $2.50 per loaf.
I'll agree with that, but they do appear to have 2 cuts at my store. The crazy thick "toast", and the wafer thin "sandwich".. It would be nice if the 2 could meet somewhere in the middle.
Bread quality can vary due to a number of factors - age, whether it has been exposed to air, type of flour/grain, whether it has preservatives in it etc. Not sure about bread, but I do know that for regular milk in NSW, Home Brand, Woolworths and the branded milks (Pura, Dairy Farmers) are virtually identical.
Better still, get a bread maker and bake your own bread. Only takes 5 minutes to load up with bread mix, water, and yeast. Set the timer to finish when you wake up, and voila, fresh hot bread for brekkie. Unbeatable.
ahhh….but it disappears in about 10 seconds…..:)
Isn't that a good thing, eating more fibre? :) Buy two bread makers then. Set the second one to finish later. :)
or just make it in my bedroom and say nothing……. ;)
Hahha.. Family of 5 here - do you know how long a loaf like that lasts? The biggest factor is how much they can cram in the toaster! :P
Hey look, that's a good thing. Buy 5 bread makers. Cram them full of fibre and they won't waste money on snacks, etc. :)
Try bread from a bakery.
That way you get fresh baked bread which tastes much better than packaged bread.
It is not as cheap as home brand but it will be cheaper than expensive supermarket bread.
Keep in mind that freshly baked bread doesn't last as long as supermarket bread, so if you live alone (so ronery!) or live in a house of 2 and can't finish an entire loaf of bread within 3-4 days, you'll end up having to buy a new loaf every few days.
Supermarket bread on average lasts a 5~7 days.
Just freeze it, should last for 6 months.
another reason why I like the burgen….the loaves are smaller
Not sure I've noticed anything. I regularly eat the wholemeal/wholegrain one. Are they made regionally / metro / country-wide? What shop do you get your bread at?