What's your bread protocol?

A Facebook friend posited this so I thought I'd borrow it for a post.

When you open up a new package of sliced bread, do you use the first "heel" slice from the beginning of the loaf?

Or do you pass over that heel and keep that slice as a "protector", flipping past it to get to the next available slice that's fresh on both sides?

Further, if you do this, do you keep doing it until you get down to the last piece---the other heel---and make your sandwich with the two heel pieces?

I don't buy sliced bread anymore, but when I did buy it I saved the heel as a "protector". When I got down to the end, I threw the heels out.

Funny thing: I never liked the heels of sliced bread but always have adored the ends of a baguette.

I have never bought sliced bread

I never will.

I've had it in hotel breakfast rooms and that just reinforces my prejudice.

Diatribe that was here deleted....

[Jenise]

I have to keep sliced bread on hand for Bob's emergency rations. He does what Thomas does. But if the bread were for me, I wouldn't leave the heels for last I'd SAVE them for last! Best part.

True Love eats the heels at the end.

Haven't had sliced bread, or store bought bread, in ages, but when I did the heels were "protectors" and usually the loaf went stale before I ever had to decide if the ends were edible.

Not sure why the question depends on the bread being pre-sliced.

We regularly buy bread that is not pre-sliced but when we start to cut it at home we always save the ends/heel to keep it from drying out.

[Robin Garr]

True Love eats the heels at the end.

Who eats the other heels?

I often take sandwiches in to work with me, and I usually use sliced bread for these. As someone who eats a lot of it, I fully understand why some of you won't touch the stuff. Most of it is just horrible. There are some pretty decent local products that I like for both flavor and texture. When I start a loaf, I will leave the heel as a protector. Sometimes I'll end up using it when the loaf is done, sometimes I'll just toss it. It's not my favorite part.

I often take sandwiches in to work with me, and I usually use sliced bread for these. As someone who eats a lot of it, I fully understand why some of you won't touch the stuff. Most of it is just horrible. There are some pretty decent local products that I like for both flavor and texture. When I start a loaf, I will leave the heel as a protector. Sometimes I'll end up using it when the loaf is done, sometimes I'll just toss it. It's not my favorite part.

Mike, you're right. As in everything else, there's good sliced bread and there's awful sliced bread. Out here on the West Coast, after years of the fresh food movement, we benefit from some pretty good local.regional breads. In Portland, we definitely do. Seeds and ancient grains and all sorts of things. I can walk a few blocks to our local Grand Central Bakery, buy a fresh loaf, have it sliced (when you have eight grandchildren you go through some sliced bread), also have an espresso, maybe a pastry (okay, almost always a pastry---they have these sorta Irish soda bread biscuits piled high with dollops of fresh marionberries baked on top, along with their version of sticky caramel and nuts on a millefoglie style muffin). It is definitely not Wonder Bread.

From the grocery stores, we usually buy a multi-grain loaf, often with hazelnuts or such cooked in.

So not all sliced bread is bad.

[Jenise]

So not all sliced bread is bad.

Indeed it's not. I love that one of our local Bellingham artisan bakeries has actually developed a line of good pre-sliced breads to compete toe-to-toe, or should I say heel-to heel, with the industrial brands.

Speaking of bakeries, Hoke, I believe you remember these guys:

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So not all sliced bread is bad.

Indeed it's not. I love that one of our local Bellingham artisan bakeries has actually developed a line of good pre-sliced breads to compete toe-to-toe, or should I say heel-to heel, with the industrial brands.

Speaking of bakeries, Hoke, I believe you remember these guys:

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DSCF0756.JPG

Oh, yeah. One of the local bakery 'success stories' is the famous "Dave's Killer Bread". Great story...but surprisingly good bread as well.

Dave was a local violent alcoholic who ended up in prison. When he got out he tried to control his instincts, stopped drinking, suppressed his violent tendencies by redirecting that energy to accomplishing something. And one thing he knew how to do was make pretty good bread. So he didn't try to hide his past; he put it out there in front with "Dave's Killer Bread". His bread got into all the local stores, especially New Seasons and such (our local and far better version of Whole Foods).

Sad to say, the hugely successful Dave suffered from success, relapsed, started drinking again, let some of those violent tendencies resurface (but not to the extent previously that got him in prison), so he's trying to rebuild himself, which isn't easy when you're in the public eye.

But the bread is still good.

If it's good heels, I put them in the freezer for bread pudding or breadcrumbs. The rest of the slices get packaged for a week's worth, wrapped and frozen (except for current usage).

[Jenise]

I know the Dave story--Dave's Killer Bread is pretty ubiquitous up here now. The Food Coops, the conventional grocers all have it--heck, even Costco carries it. I find it a bit too sweet. I didn't at first, but I do now which makes me wonder if I changed or the bread did.

I know the Dave story--Dave's Killer Bread is pretty ubiquitous up here now. The Food Coops, the conventional grocers all have it--heck, even Costco carries it. I find it a bit too sweet. I didn't at first, but I do now which makes me wonder if I changed or the bread did.

I would think it was the bread rather than you. As the corporate level of DKB has grown, I'm quite sure the ingredients and preparation process have changed as well. (I haven't had any of their bread for some while now.)

Don't know if it is all produced here on the outskirts of Oregon, or whether they have contract bakers in the region...but you can't do expansion like that without making some modifications that will affect flavor/texture, etc. Plus the inevitable and relentless focus on cutting costs and corners.

That's the problem, of course, and always has been: when a startup gets famous and expands, it's not the startup anymore, it's a corporate entity.

[Jenise]

Agreed; I'm fairly sure my tastes haven't changed and sweeter is what happens when you're trying to please a larger public.

My two favorites for supermarket-available bread right now are Dave's and Sacramento Baking Company. Dave's is a little better in flavor while SBC gets the edge for texture. Both last a long time after opening the bag up. (Just finished a grilled cheese on Dave's
whole wheat a couple of minutes ago.)

My real favorite is Grateful Bread. Their white bread is really amazing, with excellent flavor and texture. Their only problem is that the bread gets moldy within a couple of days of opening up the loaf. I'll likely have to start freezing it in the future.