Bread

[Wildflower]

I eat Natural Ovens Breads (http://www.naturalovens.com). They are made near where I live so they are availalble at all the stores here.

They sponsor healthy organic school lunch programs here and have done studies showing that organic/non-processed healthy lunches reduce behavioral problems. They were mentioned in the film, Supersize Me, if anyone remembers.

They do not use eggs/dairy in any of their breads, but I think 1 or 2 do have honey.

they also use flax in everything, so that I can get my omegas.

[citameht]

I'm quite pleased with the bread available in common stores here. A lot of them are "probably vegan" - so I don't pick them - but at least a quarter are simply a-ok. I have taken to choose rye bread almost exclusively, as it actually fits all occasions. Milk btw. can be found in some French breads, but those taste dull in any case, vegan or not.

The thread mentioned honey in breads, which I find odd especially if it is not toast. Here I suppose a touch of syrup is used for those slightly sweeter loafs.

[mrsshf]

I just buy the store brand.

[Artichoke47]

Rumford (aluminum-free)

[Kumem]

Artichoke, I just noticed your signature is in a Sarah McLachlan song. I say 'is in' because I don't know if she took it from somewhere else.

[Artichoke47]

It's also in Jewel's song, "Hands."

[Kumem]

It's only in Jewel's song - I don't know I said Sarah McClachlan. I had a brain freeze. It's a lovely song :)

[Yogini]

I like 100% whole wheat bread and the other night I set out to buy a loaf in the town that's my new home. It turns out the natural foods store only stocks gluten-free varieties of bread. I've tried gluten-free bread and really don't like it. I don't have celiac disease and I'm not allergic to wheat, or even sensitive to it, so I see no reason to buy this stuff. Next I went to a supermarket that advertises the fact that it carries natural foods. Every variety of whole wheat bread I looked at had either high fructose corn syrup or honey in it (not to mention other creepy sounding ingredients.) I must have spent 45 minutes reading bread labels and left empty handed.

Since when is wheat bread a special order?

-Anna

[Pob]

I generally stick to Hovis, as all their bread is labelled as Vegan (except the Sunflower and Honey loaf). I know some of the other brands are vegan as well, but if they can't be bothered to label them, nor say whether the ingredients are animal derived or not, I can't be bothered to buy them :)

Are there no big brands where you are that mostly bake vegan bread, or label them vegan?

[Mr Flibble]

Yogini: it's generally a good idea to say what country you're in, and what part of that country when asking questions such as this. Rob has replied to you with UK information, however as you're looking at things containing corn syrup i'm guessing you're in the US. In the UK vegan bread is in abundance, but I guess that's not very interesting to you.

If bread is a problem, consider getting a good bread machine. Mine makes granary loafs as good as those from any bakery in about 2 hours, using organic flour for about the price of a non organic one of the same quality from a shop.

[aubergine]

If we're talking about the US, I found even buying what we would call normal bread was a bit of a challenge.

[eclectic_one]

I was actually going to ask about this myself. I live (as you can see to the left) in the Southern US. I recently started reading bread labels a little more carefully and came to find that ALL of the breads I could find had whey (a dairy product) in them. That bothers me even more than high fructose corn syrup--I try to avoid HFCS too but I'd eat that before dairy. Are there no main-stream US breads that don't have any animal products?

[FR]

Look for Rudi's brand bread. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they offer a few wheat varieties which are vegan.

[eclectic_one]

Thanks, it looks like there might be a store about 30 minutes away from me that carries the bread you mention, but no Trader Joe's around here:(

[Meikmeik]

I'm located in Central Florida and I know it's hard to find good, healthy, hearty breads. If you are in the US, are there any Whole Foods in your area? A lot of Natural Food Stores make their own bread loaves, which contain very little ingredients.. There's also buying a bread machine or purchasing breads online.

Good Luck!

Meikmeik

[mophoto]

Look for Rudi's brand bread. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they offer a few wheat varieties which are vegan.

rudi's is my favorite. the have it at wholefoods, as well. i buy 2 loaves and put one in the freezer. i also noticed that bakerys and fruit markets carry bread that has 4 or 5 ingredients. it is made and sold locally so they don't put in any preservatives or weirdo ingredients that don't belong in bread.

[mophoto]

the first time i had to buy bread as a vegan i almost started crying in the bread aisle, out of frustration. that was only a few months ago. i have come pretty far in that time. i don't ever go to the grocery store by my house anymore- it just annoys me. grocery stores in poor neighborhoods have nothing for vegans, except half rotton over priced fruits and veggies. (not saying you live in a poor neighborhood, i do, and it is social injustice)

[moochbabe]

where i live, vegan bread is in abundance, but i guess it depends on what part of the us ur in... my fav is food for life's different kinds of sprouted wheat breads...also it's a good idea to look at smaller shops and even some bakeries, soetimes the whole-wheat bread they carry is made with nothing more than whole-wheat, water, yeast, and some salt, that's it. also, the supermerket near me carries spreouted bread, and then the natural food stores carry all different kinds. just look at the smaller places and ur sure to find something...and if that doesn't work, u could always go the bread machine route...i guess i don't just for the convenience factor...sorry guys, i'm lazy, lol. :p

[Yogini]

I just moved to a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Southern New England. I don't think it's particularly poor, but there isn't great access to organic produce. There's a pretty good natural foods store only a few blocks from my house that has a great selection in everything else (and unlike Whole Foods or Wild Oats, it's actually vegetarian), but everything else is soul food and fried chicken. I'm not saying that's the only thing black people eat, but other than Edge of the Woods and Clarie's Cornucopia downtown, I don't know of many healthy, vegan stores/restaurants.

There's a Whole Foods in a town about an hour away. I have yet to determine if there's one that's closer, just in another state. The problem with a lot of online store locaters is they only give listings state by state instead of by miles, and when you live where a couple of states converge, there might be one closer in say, New York, rather than going an hour north.

But I think my roommate mentioned there's a Trader Joe in town. I'll look that up. I've thought several times about getting a bread machine (I love fresh bread) but I really don't know where I'd put it. My kitchen is pretty cramped as it is.

Thanks for all the good ideas!

Love,
Anna
P.S. I'm studying library science and have been interning in a law school library a few hours a week. They have this tiny little hole-in-the-wall snack shop in the bookstore that at first glance is totally unimpressive, but I've found all natural potato chips, pure sparkling water, and Alternative Baking Company cookies there! I was happily surprised.

[Hasha]

I'm about a half and hour from Philly, and I get Alvarado St. bread from my local Acme. Not all Alvarado St. breads are vegan (some contain honey), but most are. I like their bread a lot, but it's somewhat expensive ($3.50-ish).

[PolluxStar]

I eat potato bread , and only specifically a certain brand , all the others were non vegan...


and this is walmart I'm talking about :P

[moochbabe]

lol, i didn't even know wal-mart had vegan things! although, u can find vegan almost anywhere...

[SweetLady66]

Is there any type of bread product I can eat that doesnt have animal fat in it or do I have to make my own?

[Jacqui]

I find where I live that most of the supermarket type bread has nasties added, but I get beautiful bread from organic bakeries/healthfood stores.
I had yummy herb & onion focaccia for lunch today from a local organic bakery, all of their breads are vegan except one with honey added.
:) You just have to read labels and ask questions.:)

[Seaside]

Can you get Rudi's Organic bakery breads in your area? There are several vegan breads in their product line. You can always eat sourdough french. That is traditionally made with flour, water, salt, and sourdough culture only. You have to be careful about reading labels, though. Some french breads use an egg or milk glaze.