Trader Joe's Bread

[AlwayzHungry]

I recently discovered Trader Joe's large selection of breads and so far, I've enjoyed their challah and their honey whole wheat.

Are any of their other breads as good as they look? I'd appreciate your input on ANY of their breads, but especially their "#1 Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread" and their brioche.

Thanks!

[igj]

Two things on my regular rotation:
*the sourdough loaf - OK, so not the sourest in the world, but a bit more tang than basic SoCal supermarket sourdough. Not so sour that it doesn't act as generic sandwich bread.

*the crumpets - toasted with peanut butter. The breakfast of...well, of carb lovers, I guess. Yum.

I also get the garlic naan from the freezer, but not quite the same as the bread aisle bread.

[Chowpatty]

I recently tried the pretzel rolls and the rustic bread with the whole cloves of garlic in it -- both were yummy. The cracked wheat sliced sourdough is our default bread for grilled cheese and roast beef sandwiches, French toast, etc., and it lasts forever.
If you're in the mood for a rude surprise, check the calorie and fat count on the naan!

[jeanW]

I really, really love the orange wheat bread--but yesterday I learned that it's been discontinued "in the west" because of poor sales.

[AlwayzHungry]

I tried the TJ brioche the other day.

I've never had brioche before so I don't know what their texture is supposed to be, but I found it a bit on the dry side. It was very airy and light and slightly chewy (when heated), but the inside wasn't buttery and moist as I had imagined... instead it was slightly buttery and just... well, dry...

Maybe I need to try a real brioche for comparison...

[Caitlin McGrath]

I really like TJ's whole wheat orange bread. The slices are thicker and heftier than I normally eat, but it has a wonderful aroma as it heats in the toaster, and the flavor is lovely. I'll happily spread a piece with ricotta or cottage cheese for breakfast without even thinking of honey or jam.

[Mel]

milton's hamburger buns.... the zen muffins are wonderful, but they need to be kept in the fridge to retain freshness (hubby loves the apple cranberry and I am more favorable to the blueberry/raspberry).... i think that the best is the pizza dough... i know it is not technically a bread, but darn it is the best.

[DC Gal]

what's your trick to making that pizza dough work? I've tried it before and all I had was a big sticky blob of dough. I couldn't roll or stretch that stuff out to save my life! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. And, do you "pre-bake" before topping the dough?

[meltedcheese]

i let the pizza dough thaw for 10 minutes. roll it out with LOTS of flour. Make sure you roll from the inside out, not side to side. I put it in a rectangular pan and kinda push/pull it to the sides. Sometimes i put a thin layer of olive oil on it before i cook.

I prebake for about 10-12 minutes at 410 then take it out, put toppings on and cook for 10 minutes more.

BTW- trader joe's crumpets are insanely good. Just toast and put tons of butter on. If you want to eat all 6 at once just add a little honey after the butter.

[cincodemayo1]

TJ's kalamata olive bread is fantastic for what it is. It's a bit of a small loaf, but great for 3 or 4 people. It's CHEAP compared to any other bakery with olive bread. If I recall correctly it's about $1.99 a loaf, where at a normal bakery it's about $4.99 or more! Dip in olive oil or hummus. Enjoy.

[Dommy]

If you like Olive Bread, check out the green olive loaf from Pavillions... Yumm!!! :)

--Dommy!

[cincodemayo1]

I think I've seen it. Personally more of a fan of black/greek olives, but I'll give the green one a shot. It's not $1.99 though is it? Can't beat that TJ olive bread for $2!

[ciaogal]

the garlic na'am (indian) bread is wonderful

[Dommy]

I agree! I love that Naan... It tastes great when done on a Pizza stone...

However, I never considered it one of their breads since it's the freezer section... :)

--Dommy!

[chica]

I get the naan bread, too, along with the apple-walnut bread and whole wheat pitas (pocket-size ones are so cute, and you can fit any dipping, stuffing, or meat or veggie in it).

[davinagr]

I don't know if this is true, but heard that TJs only gets bread shipments on Tuesdays. I don't buy my bread there any longer, find that 9 out of 10 times it's stale. Particularly true of their Sheepsherder Bread which is very good when fresh, not so good when day+++ old.

[subinai]

I really like their tuscan (i think its called that) bread for paninis. Holds up well, perfect size.

[twodales]

French baguettes (not sourdough) are very good. I cut them up and freeze immediately for future use as the closest TJ's is 10 miles away.

[jen kalb]

I like many of the TJ breads but am annoyed that their italian breads taste like sourdough - Ive never had a bread in italy that tasted like that!

[arifa]

i love their pain rustique (sp?). it is chewy and tasty. it's especially good sliced, toasted, and topped with brandywine tomatoe slices, avocado, salt and pepper.

i also really like their onion rye bread that's sliced very thinly. it's dense and reminds me of an onion bagel. i like it toasted with a thin layer of cream cheese for breakfast.

[AlwayzHungry]

Yum! I love dense, chewy bread. I'll have to try that next time... :D

[Samantha]

I like the cinammon raisin bread, but my TJ's is currently carrying a blueberry bread that is absolutely to die for when it's toasted with butter. I think it would also make a great French toast . . .

[AlwayzHungry]

I bought that blueberry bread a few days ago too! It is delicious! I used it to make some bread pudding... the blueberries were overpowered by the apples and dried cranberries I added, but it was still tasty. :D

[Robert Lauriston]

TJ's tortillas are remarkably bad. Same for their tortilla chips.

[Pate]

That's funny. My husband LOVES their tortillas. We are in So Cal maybe there's a difference? Great warmed. Like the homemade kind you get in mexican restaurants.

[Das Ubergeek]

Must be, because we get their tortillas (whole wheat and handmade corn) a lot from our Studio City TJ's and we love them.

[monkuboy]

My wife and I love their handmade flour tortillas but the rest of the line (anything besides that particular kind) doesn't hit the spot. They're no better than what you can get at the supermarket, plus they cost more. But the handmade flour ones are yummy!

[Jefferson]

Tortilla chips seems to be a matter of taste. If you like a strong "yellow corn" flavor, I'm not sure TJ's has one of those. Brands like Native are more appealing in that department. On the other hand, wherever I bring the TJ's organic white corn tortilla chips people seem to eat them addictively.

[rtmonty]

Here in the bay area our local (Alameda) has an outstanding bread selection. Muffins and carrot/zucchini bread are really good. Good pitas. Don't care for the tortilla selection however.

[Pamela]

Today I bought two loaves of Milton's gourmet white bread from Trader Joe's. I love this bread. It's regular white bread, only a bit sweeter and softer. And it seems to last longer too.

[Dommy]

Milton's is great! We adore the whole wheat. However, Miltons is not just limited to TJs and TJs doesn't carry the whole line, like Yummy Milton Crackers! :)

--Dommy!

[Robert Lauriston]

Breads vary from one region to another.

[Debbie W]

We like the English Muffin bread quite a lot, but you have to toast it. It's not good untoasted.