PB&J ... what type of bread do you use?

[ipsedixit]

Ok, another previous thread about PB&J and other combos got me thinking.

Do folks here have a preference for the bread used in your favorite PB&J sandwich?

White?

Wheat?

Sourdough??? Rye? Others?

Personally, I prefer soft white Wonder bread.

[ArikaDawn]

I typically have my Pb&J on Oatnut, but I also really like it on blueberry bagels, english muffins, and I had it once on a potato bun that was leftover from burgers and it was wonderful. I don't like grape jelly much though, it has to be strawberry and only smooth PB for me.

[clim212]

I love toasted whole wheat. The crunchy nutty texture of wheat bread works great with peanut butter

[duckduck]

Generally white bread or a split grilled bagel but I have been playing with my homemade breads lately and the multigrain is working. It's not as satisifying as cushy Franz white bread (no crusts) but it is healthier and keeps me full until lunch.

[chelleyd01]

Golden Grain Wheat Bread (kind of like a honey wheat)
Simply Jif Creamy
Trader Joes Organic Blackberry Jam

I ate it this morning out of a plastic baggie in pieces at my desk and it was damn good. I think I will again tomorrow.

[Augusta]

Oh, it's gotta be rye--toasted preferably!

http://pbjonrye.blogspot.com/index.html

[Emme]

For me, it depends upon the condiment.

If it's grape jelly w/ Skippy Creamy, then it's white bread.

But, if it's blackberry, boysenberry, or apricot w/ Skippy Creamy, then Milton's Whole Wheat.

[Kelli2006]

Whole wheat white, toasted w/ Smuckers all natural PB. A fresh bagel is a possible exception.

I have never thought about PB on a English muffin but I will try it. Thanks for the idea.

[niki rothman]

To Will Owen -
My jaw dropped when I saw your reply matched mine exactly! But I urge you to branch out only slightly to also try Orowheat Oatnut and Healthnut.

[liu]

I love the Orowheat nut breads. I also recommend the wheat bread with flax seeds...a little crunch!

[Bananna A.]

I loved them too, until I noticed corn syrup in the ingredients list. Arrrg! If I wanted corn in my bread, I'd look for corn meal.

[gridder]

I used to just mix the two together in a bowl when I was a kid and skip the bread!

[niki rothman]

Orowheat brand - Oatnut, Healthnut, or wheatberry bread - there's something about the taste and texture of the nuts that I must have. Plus, it has to be superchunk pb and strawberry preserves.

[jfood]

PB&J goes GREAT on any bread, period. But if i look in the bread drawer and have a choice, here is the pecking order:

1 - Toasted English Muffin, hands down
2 - Toasted Pepperidge Fram White
3 - Potato bread, untoasted
4 - Toasted Whole Grain Wonder
5 - Toasted Wonder White

[amyvc]

Thanks, Jfood, for stealing the words from my mouth. However, I will say that for me, it's more about what bread I'm in the mood for rather than what's in the house. As much as I love PB&J, it's usually about the bread first like, "Oh yeah, we've got leftover challah. what can I make with it?" Or I'll have a craving for an english muffin (LOVE when melty PB gets in the nooks and crannies) and then realize that I can have a PB&J. I'm also picky with the jam (never gross gloopy jelly) - raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry are acceptable.

[othervoice]

Peanutbutter must be cruchy Skippy's.
Jelly must be blackberry seedless.
Bread can be sliced sourdough toasted and buttered. But, even better when I can get it is Milton's lowfat multigrain. Used to be able to get it at Costco, but haven't seen it lately.

[pikawicca]

Pepperidge Farm (white) Sandwich Bread. When I was a kid, it was Wonder Bread, but it's just too gummy for PB&J.

[VictoriaE]

I'm a whole wheat fan when it comes to peanut butter samiches :)

[Will Owen]

The only PB&J I truly like is strawberry jam and crunchy PB on well-buttered Oroweat Honey Wheatberry. Years ago when I was first married (for the first time) and making very little money, I'd take two of these for lunch every day, wrapped up tight and kept in the lunchroom fridge. At lunch time they'd be chilled into a pleasant rigidity, like some sort of grain/candy bar, and had a perfect balance of richness, sweetness and fruity tang. Besides that - and you may well find this a tad gross - the chunks of peanut, wheatberry and strawberry seeds stuck in my teeth kept me entertained for much of the afternoon...

[niki rothman]

To Will again -
OK confession time - also because your of your kink about the "chilled rigidity" of the bread. I actually insist on making my pbj on frozen bread! It's heavenly!

[synergy]

Home made whole wheat bread with PB, sliced banana, raisens and drizzled honey. Mmmmmmm, good.

[beckiefd]

Ants on a Log! Celery works well too: spread PB on a stick (whole) of celery, throw raisans at it till they stick.
Deee-Lish!

[Bananna A.]

The lazy grrl snack of the year is PB&J on tortilla. No bread slicing needed, no cutting board, no crumbs, and if you put the Bonne Mamman (we call it Good Mama Jam) on first, you barely have to work to wash the knife again before the chunky natural PB application.

For a curious sandwich, try jam with unsalted PB sprinkled with kosher salt. The little hits of intense salt are magnificent with the sweet apricot chunks. Apricot _is_ the only option, really.

I learned lately that folks in Holyhead (UK) are completely flummoxed by the concept of grape jelly, and I share their disgust. However, they do insist on putting "sweetcorn" in every damn thing, including pizza. So, I feel a bit like I must have missed some culinary-appreciation-skills boats along with them. Clearly not the exact same boat, though.

[piccola]

i'm with you on the grape jelly. not quite as devout about the apricot jam - i'm a fan of blackberry or blackcurrant, or even marmalade - but i can see where you're coming from.

[MollyGee]

Try homemade grape jelly. It can be just amazing!

[Humbucker]

Sometimes I like to have my PB&J on maple syrup soaked pound cake.

Ok... maybe not. But it sounds good.

[chocolate chick]

I love it on challah or brioche. My little guilty pleasure.

[gina]

Those are my favorite breads for PB&J, too. Especially crunchy PB with strawberry or rasberry jam. Like eating a dessert!

[maillard]

I ate peanut butter and jelly almost every day from 1st until 8th grade (picky eater, non-cooking mom).

For me, peanut butter and...

strawberry jam goes on wheat bread
grape jelly goes on white bread (or saltine crackers)
raspberry jam goes on oatmeal bread
apricot jam goes on multigrain bread
apple jelly goes on cinnamon raisin bread
honey goes on *toasted* wheat bread

[MollyGee]

mmmmmmm peanut butter and honey!

[debrolex]

You, my friend, have hit each one of these stright on the head! Yum!!!

What are your thoughts on Peanut Butter & banana for a bread suggestion? Inquiring minds want to know...

[maillard]

Thanks! I'm glad you appreciate my dedication to PB&J. I think that peanut butter and banana goes well on any non-white bread. So wheat, multigrain, or oatmeal would work. Whole wheat would probably be my first choice. No raisins, though. I don't like bananas and raisins together. And I am definitely going to try the peanut butter & banana in hot dog bun (whole wheat bun, of course!).

Marmalade would probably be the same (non-white, non-raisin).

[bryan]

Or... grilled peanut butter and banana. Elvis loved it. White bread, peanut butter, mashed very soft banana. Grill in plenty of butter.

And I'm totallly with you on the raisin thing.

[curranthound]

Cinnamon raisin bagels

[Covert Ops]

Crunchy PB on a open-faced bagel was my staple breakfast for years!

[Dommy]

Wheat... nice and soft, never toasted. The PB should be at room temp, spreadable, never cold. I perfer crunchy.

The Preserves should have chunks of fruit.

Yum...

--Dommy!

[MollyGee]

I'm a toasted whole wheat person when it comes to PBnJ's. If I'm having it on sourdough or other "artisan-type" bread I go open-faced. That way the bread doesn't overwhelm and/or smooosh all of the innards out.

My husband swears by PBnJ on rye. I've tried it. If you can get past the first two or three bites, it kinda grows on you.

[lvecch]

Rye is excellent for pb&j! The chewy crust and slightly tangy taste are nice counterpoints.

[Splendid Wine Snob]

Second this. Absolutely unequivocally it has to be rye for me and nothing else.

Wonder Bread? Are you guys for real? GROSS.

[bewley]

Home baked oatmeal bread (recipe in the King Authur Flour 200th Anniversary Coookbook pg. 138).

In a pinch Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Oatmeal does the trick for my PBJ's.

[Infomaniac]

I like them made on Scala Bread or on a HotDog roll.

[ipsedixit]

Hot Dog roll?

Is that like a PB&J calzone?

[Infomaniac]

Not really like a clazone, but if we have bananas, we like to put a banana in the roll like a hot dog, and the PB&J act like the mustard & relish.

[ipsedixit]

Goodness ... that sounds really good, esp. for those folks who enjoy bananas with their PB&J.

[amykramy]

i agree..whole grain wheat...either toasted or grilled

[piccola]

I'll be the dissenting voice - NEVER white bread (for anything, really).
I agree that sandwich bread is the way to go, but give me a good, sturdy, grainy type.
And always toasted. Makes the sandwich less gummy.

[MMRuth]

That's what I use as well - toasted - figure the whole grains "make up for" the PB&J.

[abbefaith]

peanut butter is good for you!

[Karl S]

Never sourdough (ach!) or similar artisan-style breads!

White, buttermilk, potato breads; also whole wheat breads like Milton's or Vermont soft whole wheat.

[beckiefd]

Sourdough! Artisan!??! Here in the bay area, that's the ONLY bread. I like it toasted, then buttered, then peanut buttered then jellied.

It is sold sliced you know.

[Karl S]

Ditto here in Boston, where you even get it in supermarkets of the average sort. It's just that I detest the clash of flavor with sourdough, and one the open-grain of many artisanal breads defeats the point of the sandwich.

[rumgum]

I prefer some sort of white bread too, like buttermilk or country white.

[MEalcentric]

White bread (only time I will utter these words). Kind of a blank canvas for the PB&J. Sometimes though I prefer it on toasted lightly buttered sourdough. Just depends whether I want something soft and room temp or crunchy and warm.

[danna]

My former boss said exactly the same thing...blank canvas is necessary for a sandwich that is completely about the filling, as opposed to a conheseive whole. His examples were peanut butter and tomato sandwiches. Can't say I agree, I prefer whole wheat, but you could tell he had put a lot of thought into it.

[mamamia]

Wheat bread - the nice soft store brand stuff. I don't like anything grainy because I like it on soft soft bread. I haven't purchased white, Wonder Bread style bread in years.

p.s. All this pb&j talk. I had one for dinner tonight.

:)