Store-Bought White Bread Brands, Ranked From Worst To Best

You may think there isn't much to white bread, but I'm here to tell you there are some big differences among store-bought white bread brands. White bread can be sweet or savory, firm or soft, full of preservatives, or super fresh. Which one you prefer comes down to personal opinion, but I've done my best to scour the grocery store shelves to test out some of the most popular and tasty white bread out there. 

After all, there is more to white bread than many people realize. For example, did you know that sliced bread was once banned in America? Fortunately, those days are over and sliced bread is plentiful. The only problem is, which one should you buy? I've done my best to lay it all out and sample some of the tastiest store-bought white breads available. Read on to find out which ones are worth your hard-earned money, and which brands are better off skipped. For details on my methodology, scroll to the end.

I'll admit, I haven't had a slice of Wonder Classic White Bread in many years. This was a staple of my childhood and I feel a strong nostalgia remembering exactly how a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with the soft, sweet, pillowy bread tasted from my lunchbox. Add an apple I never ate and a Capri-Sun, and you've got your typical 1980s kids lunch. However, Wonder Bread has been around much longer than the '80s. It's been an American icon since the company was founded in 1921. 

Perhaps my fond memory of the soft, sweet bread was too high of an expectation for the actual product to meet. Instead of enjoying the sweet flavor, it was a little too sugary for a savory bread. It also had an odd, artificial taste, which I didn't remember (After checking out the ingredient list, I can see why). Perhaps it would still be good smothered in creamy peanut butter, but on its own, sadly, Wonder Bread came in last on the list. This is a decidedly controversial decision, as the reviews for Wonder Bread are mainly positive, and many people have eaten it their entire lives. However, there are so many other great choices for bread out there at reasonable prices that I can't recommend Wonder Bread. And, in all honesty, I don't miss the way it always gets stuck to the roof of your mouth.

Udi's is known for its gluten-free bread products and carries a variety of items including breads, bagels, muffins, and hamburger buns. It's an easy brand to find in grocery stores and gives people who need or want to stay gluten-free plenty of choices. Unlike the other breads on the list which were all in the bread aisle, Udi's Soft White Bread is kept in the freezer section. 

When I taste-tested Udi's bread, I thought I could grab a slice straight from the frozen loaf and keep the remaining loaf in the freezer. However, the slices were difficult to pull apart and when I did, the tops came off in crumbles. According to reviews on Reddit, this is a common problem. I checked the package and saw in small writing that Udi recommends thawing the entire loaf to "aid in separating slices." I let the loaf thaw and found the slices did indeed separate more easily after that, although some of them had big cracks in the top near the crust. 

As for taste and texture, maybe it's unfair to compare a gluten-free bread to traditional breads, but I know there are better gluten-free options available. Udi's slices are small and crumbly, even when thawed. The taste was bland by itself, although it would probably be fine as a grilled cheese sandwich. Udi's white bread is easy to find, but there are a lot of other gluten-free options out there today that offer a better texture and taste.

Sara Lee is easy to find in grocery stores around the country and offers a wide selection of breads including multigrain, artisan, rolls, buns, and brioche bread. For our purposes here, I chose the very basic, Sara Lee's Classic White bread. You may not realize, but the company that was founded in 1939 split into two companies back in 2012. Although still sold under Sara Lee, the brand is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries.

Like the Udi's bread, Sara Lee Classic White was a fairly small slice. The taste by itself was nothing special — a little bland, even — but acceptable as a sandwich bread. However, the crust was dry, and although I haven't cut the crusts off my sandwich since I was 10 years old, I wouldn't mind a crust-less sandwich from this bread. Overall, it was soft, but unremarkable.

Mother's Soft Giant White Bread offers good-sized slices that are the perfect size for making a sandwich, but I wouldn't describe them as giant. The brand is owned by Bimbo Bakeries, the largest baking company in the U.S. and the bread can be found in grocery stores around the country. The package is a bit larger at 24 ounces than other store-bought sliced breads.

Mother's is not a brand I had bought before, but it's always nice to try new products and I was pleased with this brand of bread. Although Mother's Soft Giant White Bread doesn't live up to its name as "giant," the soft in the name is an accurate description. The bread I tasted was extremely soft with a fresh flavor. Overall, this bread was closer in taste and texture to my memory of Wonder Bread, not the actual reality. It's a good-tasting bread with a soft texture and would make a great sandwich for a kid's lunchbox. 

Today, the Butternut bread brand is made by the Chicago Baking Company. It was once baked fresh daily in Chicago at the Schulze Baking Company giving the neighborhood of Washington Park the amazing smell of baking bread. The building stands vacant today (although efforts are being made to make it landmark status), and the aroma of freshly baked bread has been gone from the area since 2004.

The Butternut Large White Bread was a good size and very soft. True to its name, it had a distinct buttery flavor. The bread was more savory than sweet with a fresh taste. At $3.79 for a 20-ounce loaf at my local grocery store, it was mid-priced among other brands making it a solid choice for sandwich making. The size was good, the loaf was fresh, and the taste was buttery. I can only imagine how divine it must have been to smell Butternut loaves freshly baking in the air while walking around Chicago.

I made a fascinating discovery during this journey of sampling store-bought white bread. I wanted to get my hands on Arnold Country Style White, but could not find it anywhere in my local Midwest stores. To be able to complete this list, I ordered it online. I also wanted to add Brownberry to our list, which is a Midwest staple known for its whole-grain bread. During my research on which companies own Brownberry and Arnold breads, I found out the breads are one and the same. Maybe this is a well-known fact, but it was new to me. Owned by Bimbo Bakeries on the East Coast, it's sold under Arnold's; in the Midwest, it's Brownberry. If you're on the West Coast, you can find the same loaf of bread, but under the name Oroweat.

Since the bread is exactly the same, the following review applies to both Brownberry and Arnold — this is a good slice of bread. The size was nice and big, the texture was soft, yet dense with an almost creaminess to it. Though it was less fluffy than other brands, the firmer texture and thicker slices means it will hold up to all your favorite sandwich toppings. That being said, this bread tasted good on its own.

Aunt Millie's is a classic brand that began in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1901. The company is excellent at labeling when any of the top nine allergies may be present or made on the same line, which is important for anyone suffering from life-threatening allergies. Its bakeries are peanut and tree-nut-free, although wheat, milk, and sesame are used in many of their products.

The first thing I noticed when I opened up the bag of Aunt Millie's Giant White Bread was the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread. The smell hit me upon opening the bag more than any other bread on the list. According to Aunt Millie's website, the company has a distribution system that allows the consumer to get "only the freshest bread." I believe this claim because this slice of bread was soft and fresh. The slices were larger than many of the other store-bought loaves on our list, and the taste was not too sweet. It's a great choice in white bread and with its stringent allergy labeling, it's a good choice for those with peanut or tree-nut allergies.

Pepperidge Farm has been selling baked goods since 1937. This famous American company began with Margaret Rudkin's farm in Fairfield, Connecticut. However, the first bread ever baked by Pepperidge Farm was wheat bread. Although baked bread is how it all began, today, the company's cookies and goldfish crackers are more well-known than its bread. I gave the Farmhouse Hearty White Bread a try today, but the company makes many other white breads including potato bread, whole grain white, sourdough, and butter bread. It's famously the bread Julia Child preferred for her tuna fish sandwiches. 

It may be a store-bought white bread, but the Hearty White is a rustic-looking loaf with nothing reminiscent of Wonder Bread here. It's a bit denser than many of the other white bread brands we've reviewed, but the thick slices and firmer texture make for an excellent wrapping for something messy, like a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich that won't fall apart. Now with a name like "Farmhouse Hearty White," you may think you're getting a healthier bread. Like all white breads, though, this is made with enriched flour. It's also low in fiber, making it no healthier than your average slice of white bread. However, we aren't reviewing nutrition, and if this bread was good enough for Julia Child's tuna fish sandwiches, it's good enough for me.

One great thing about doing these reviews is that you get a chance to try things you never would have otherwise. I hadn't noticed Martin's Old Fashioned Butter Bread before this, but I'm glad it's come into my life now. Unlike many brands on our list, Martin's is not owned by a certain baked good American giant, but instead is family-owned and headquartered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Known for its potato rolls (it's ranked number one on our best hamburger buns list), it also has a line of breads and sells cubed bread for stuffing.

With a name like "old-fashioned butter bread," I hoped this bread would taste both old-fashioned and buttery. I was in luck — the slice of bread was soft and buttery, and even though it came all the way from Pennsylvania to my Midwest grocery store, it was fresh tasting. It had a homemade taste, which makes sense because it's made with fewer preservatives than other store-bought breads. Because of that, some people on Reddit have complained about their bread molding quickly. If you aren't going to eat your loaf right away, you may want to pop it in the freezer to keep it longer.

Lewis is the only brand on our list that offers half loaves for people who don't want their bread to go bad before they can eat it. Lewis Buttermilk White Bread sells for $2.99 for 12 ounces at my local supermarket, making it one of the pricier options when you break it down per ounce. However, is it worth the extra price? Lewis Bake Shop is nearly 100 years old and, unlike many others on the list, it isn't owned by a large corporate brand — it's still an independent bakery located in Indiana. 

The bread has a tasty, fresh flavor with a slightly firm texture, making it able to stand up to any sandwich ingredients. The bread is made without preservatives, which comes through in the fresh flavor. This is one reason the half-loaf size comes in handy, as the fewer preservatives are in the bread, the quicker it can spoil. Unlike some of our other brands on the list, this bread tastes great on its own, though it's hearty enough to withstand any sandwich filling.

Trader Joe's has a reputation for fun and unique products, including its popular seasonal items. Although you can find special items like Coffee Panna Cotta, regular customers know that you can also pick up grocery store staples such as bread, milk, and bananas at reasonable prices. You can find many different types of bread on your local Trader Joe's store shelves from multi-grain to gluten-free to focaccia bread. For our purposes, I chose a loaf of Trader Joe's plain sliced white bread.

What makes this bread so special that it came in first place? For one thing, Trader Joe's was the lowest-priced bread on this list. Some of our picks came in over $5, and Udi's was a whopping $9.99. Trader Joe's white bread sold for a reasonable $1.99, yet it tasted more expensive. If you're looking for a pillowy soft white bread, this isn't it. It's a bit dryer and it has little holes in the slice giving it a homemade rustic feel. It's a lot like Italian white bread with a firm texture and just the right amount of chew. It was tasty by itself, but it also would make a good sandwich or slice of toast. Another bonus, Trader Joe's brand breads are free of artificial preservatives.

My goal for choosing brands was to find a wide variety of store-bought loaves that can be found in grocery stores around the country. The only store brand I chose was Trader Joe's. The others were brands you can find at stores such as Walmart, Target, or your local grocery store. For sampling purposes, I tried each one plain and at room temperature. Nothing was toasted, and no butter or other ingredients were spread on top.

I ranked these breads primarily on taste alone without paying too much attention to price and ingredients. Interestingly, the least expensive bread with the fewest artificial ingredients took the number one spot on the list. While evaluating quality, I focused on taste and texture. The best white bread has a firm texture for holding up to sandwich making, yet maintains a soft bite. Flavor is important and one of the most important aspects of flavor is the freshness. If you have a simple product, like white bread, you need quality, fresh ingredients for a great taste.