We Tried 8 Popular White Breads And This Is the Best (and Worst)

There are times when most bread doesn’t make the cut. White bread may not be the healthiest or most flavorful, but certain things require it. We’re talking about fried fish and chicken sandwiches. We’re talking about grilled cheese. We’re talking about PB&J. And we’re talking about a whole lot of other things, too.

But what’s the best bread to buy at the store? Which white bread is going to bring you the most pure, unabashed, white bread experience? I grabbed eight popular brands and tasted every last one of them, raw, untoasted, and plain, like a true crazy person. Here are my findings. 

Prices and availability are subject to change.

$2.97 

While the majority of the white bread brands I tried were extremely similar, the top two sit in a major league of their own. Nature’s Own is a completely different experience than the bottom of this list. It’s squishy in all the right ways. It’s thick-sliced, but not too thick. Condiments probably aren’t going to seep through this thing, and the crust that surrounds it is probably the only one here that has any flavor at all. 

Reach for Nature’s Own the next time you’re in the market, both literally and figuratively, for white bread. 

$4.99 

There is such minimal difference here from Nature’s Own. Pepperidge Farms, whose work on the Milano is some of the most impressive in cookie history, usually nails this stuff. Unfortunately, it’s that extra punch of flavor in the Nature’s Own crust that pushes it to the top. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s two bucks cheaper. 

$3.47 

The rest of the breads on this list were nearly identical. The differences are tiny, and my criticisms are nitpicky. That said, Sara Lee is the best of them. While this tastes far more processed than the top two, it still retains a lot of that classic white bread flavor. You could pop some fried chicken on this bad boy or turn it into a grilled cheese and you wouldn’t hear a word of complaint.  

$3.77 

Wonder Bread is over 100 years old, and there’s a reason for that. The brand is classic, iconic, and easily one of the most recognized in America. 

I really remembered it being squishier though, you know? That’s a big part of white bread. You’re not here for a rustic, wheaty experience. That’s not what Wonder Bread is for, at least, and you can leave the store with a loaf of Wonder Bread knowing exactly what you’re in for: An acceptable loaf with a strangely sweet flavor. You could probably make a decent Cubano on two slices of this guy. 

$7.99 

Eight American dollars? Rudi, are you joking? I was ready to throw a tantrum right there in the bread aisle when I saw that price. The thing that adds insult to injury with ‘ole Rudi is that the slices are very poorly perforated. It was hard to detach that last end-cap piece of bread, which resulted in ruining the first good slice behind it. I found that at least half the slices in this loaf were not fully separated from each other. Too much money to pay for mediocre bread that barely comes pre-sliced. 

$2.97 

There’s a King’s Hawaiian-esque sweetness going on in Sunbeam that helps a bit, but the consistency is very bad. This gets a little crumbly while it’s being chewed, and may require toasting to get anything good out of it. That’s not gonna work for a packed lunch. Skip it. 

$3.87 

This gigantic loaf of 28 slices was all that was available, but please do not fret about waste, because that thing has “tomorrow’s bread pudding” written all over it. 

The value that Bunny Bread is offering is extremely apparent, but the bread itself is nothing to write home about. It’s fine at best, basically forgettable, but clearly a champion of price. It’s certainly not disgusting, that’s for sure. That word is reserved for number eight. 

$2.99 

This is a major surprise to me, because I shamefully admit I’m a fan of the overpriced scam that is Whole Foods. They charge an insane amount of money for most of the stuff in that store, but I tend to find that the stuff in that store is very good stuff. 

Well, this bread? For $2.99, which is actually a pretty reasonable price compared to the other loaves I bought? This bread right here? It’s garbage. I hate it. It’s the worst bread I tried by a country mile. The smell of this bread is bad. The flavor of this bread is bad. The texture of this bread, which crumbles into powder the instant it touches your tongue, is bad. Buy just about anything else at Whole Foods, but don’t buy this. 

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