SFWeekly, Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Carol Ness, Chronicle Staff Writer
Buying whole wheat bread can be a confusing proposition these days. An incredible number are on the market now, and more are hitting supermarket shelves each day because of the government’s new recommendation that people eat three servings of whole grains a day.
Some brands market multiple loaves, and it pays to read the fine print to figure out the differences. “Wheat” doesn’t mean “whole wheat.” And “whole wheat” doesn’t mean “100 percent whole wheat.” Some are loaded with sugar, and some aren’t.
Taster’s Choice hasn’t tasted 100 percent whole wheat loaves since 1999, when 10 brands were evaluated.
Now, six years later, we found 24 100 percent whole wheat breads — so many that the panel had to taste them in two rounds. And that didn’t include multigrain breads of combinations like whole wheat with oats.
The winner was Vital Vittles Real Bread ($3.39 for 32 ounces, Rainbow), from the Berkeley bakery whose 9-Grain bread ranked first in a 2002 Taster’s Choice tasting of multigrain breads. Real Bread, which is all whole wheat, had “good wheaty flavor, not overpowered by molasses.” The tasters found its texture “a bit crumbly” and “dense.” But overall, this was the favorite.
Two tasters would buy it, two might and one wouldn’t.
Second-place Milton’s ($2.89 for 32 ounces, Trader Joe’s) has a much softer texture. The tasters generally found its wheat flavor “balanced,” but a few thought it “too sweet.”
Three would buy it; two wouldn’t.
Whole Foods ($3.49 for 1.56 pounds) ranked third. It was “simple, with no faults,” “soft and wheaty” and “stretchy.” Two would buy it, two might and one wouldn’t.
In fourth place, Safeway Select Country ($2.99 for 24 ounces) was “soft and friendly,” “lightly sweet” with a few wheat berries to beef up its “squishy” texture.
Two would buy it, one might and two wouldn’t.
Whole wheat bread
A total of 24 whole wheat breads were tasted in two rounds. The final field was narrowed to nine; the also-rans are listed at the bottom. Only breads that are 100 percent whole wheat were tasted; multigrain breads weren’t included.
Vital Vittles Real Bread 68
Milton’s 62
Whole Foods 58
Safeway Sel. Country 55
Country Hearth 50
Rudi’s Organic Bakery 50
Oroweat 100% 48
Santa Rosa Honey 46
Safeway (red label) 46.
Also tasted but eliminated in a first-round tasting: Alvarado Street, Baker’s Inn, Beckmann’s, Brother Juniper’s, Campbell Bread Bakery, EarthGrains, Home Pride, Oroweat Country, Oroweat Northridge, Safeway, Sara Lee Classic Heart-Healthy, Sara Lee Homestyle Heart-Healthy, Trader Joe’s Harvest, Trader Joe’s Honey, Whole Grain.