Why is American bread so expensive and so gross?

Question

A generalization, but on the whole I have found that American bread is relatively expensive compared to Europe and tastes terrible. I have also noticed that while a loaf of bread left out in England would mold within a few days, I have found that American bread can go a month without molding.

Answer 1

We pump our breads full of preservatives and vitamins and minerals and all the junk you supposedly need. Which is why, a lot of American homes have bread machines. We can make a fresh loaf of bread every day... if we bother to clean the machine.... measure out the ingredients.... and feel like slicing the bread in uneven slices.

I had a couple of friends visit from England. She figured they'd have to buy bread often, and was appalled at the cost. I laughed at her. Yes, we go through bread very fast in our house (5 of us eating on it), but the bread generally will last a couple of weeks, if we're not on a bread eating kick.

She thought I was nuts. When they left to go back home, after 2 weeks, they still had about a quarter of a loaf of bread left. And it still smelled, looked and felt as "fresh" as the day she bought it. She was floored. He just laughed at her, like I did.

Answer 2

In my town, I can get bread for as little as .59 cents a loaf or as much as $3.00. The 59 cent stuff is whole wheat or oat. Naturally I opt for the cheaper and I find it better than the 3.00 stuff.

Preservatives are what makes bread last so long but it was also common practice for the stores to put out their day old bread to be picked up and replaced by the bread delivery in the early morning. I don't know if the day old went to discount places or was trashed. We trash way too much food here and that may account for the high cost. We generally freeze our bread if we have more than one loaf.

Answer 3

Low-end American bread has cellulose (sawdust) added, I've read.
I am sure the mold issue has to do with humidity. In the south, if you leave something out a half of a day, it is done for. In the west, I am not sure if I have ever seen it do so.

Europeans have a different relationship to their bread than Americans; it seems more like an imperative there. I agree that decent artisan bread is expensive here in the states.

Answer 4

You do not indicate what you consider "expensive. Yes, some bread is more expensive than others, one can purchase bread for under $1.00. As far as mold, it is my understanding that England, as a whole, has very high humidity, while parts of the USA do not, which would account for bread lasting longer without molding.

Answer 5

Lots of sugar is what I taste. I made my own for a while, then made buckwheat bread, then went back to store-bought kind (yes, I am lazy). I find that the browner the bread is, the less it will taste like ...ehh... cr@p. 12 grain, whole wheat, and the like....anything but white bread tastes better.

I think I will start baking my own again, now that I mention it..

Answer 6

"I have found that American bread can go a month without molding"

In your dreams.

Maybe you are buying the cheap whitebread that's mass produced....what brands did you try? Can you be more specific?

The best bread is always fresh baked whether from the bakery or homemade.

Answer 7

Take one semester of chemistry.
Go to a typical American grocery store.
Read the ingredients on the inexpensive products.
Go to an atypical grocery (Whole Foods, etc)
Read the ingredients on the expensive products.
Compare the ingredients.
Go outside and vomit.

And always bear in mind: Arsenic IS all natural.

Answer 8

we don't eat bread. we eat preservatives.
for some reason when they started to mass produce bread here, the decided it needs to be soft without being moist. so the just packed it full of junk to achieve what they were looking for.
the best bread is orowheat buttermilk, for a sliced loaf.
(my parents are from europe, that's the only one we could eat)

!Alexiis

Answer 9

You should try my brown bread, and soda bread. Freshly baked everyday. We Europeans buy bread freshly everyday. I have been to USA and couldn't believe that they freeze there bread. Ewwwww. We don't add all the rubbish they add over there like preservatives etc.

Answer 10

Wow. A month with no mold? Where the hell did you buy bread at??