This Classic Brand Is The Worst Store-Bought White Bread You Can Buy

When it comes to taste and texture, plain white bread might seem like a fairly standard food with not a lot of variety across the board. White bread is white bread, right? We're not talking about wagyu versus Choice graded beef here. But you might be surprised to find out that all white bread isn't the same. In fact, some brands rank much higher in quality than others.

That's exactly what we found when our team took on the task of ranking 11 popular brands of store-bought white bread. And, in a likely disappointing twist for nostalgia lovers, the classic bread that ranked last was Wonder Bread. The century-old brand just didn't deliver on flavor or texture — making us realize we enjoyed Wonder Bread much more as a 1980s kid than as an adult.

Our team thought the bread as had an odd, artificial taste and was overly sweet for what's supposed to be a more savory food. The bread also tends to stick to the roof of your mouth, which makes Wonder Bread's texture less than appealing compared to other breads. In our rankings, we sampled each bread completely plain to eliminate any variables. So, maybe you can upgrade this plain white bread with the help of a little butter or a nice smear of peanut butter and jelly. But on its own, Wonder Bread just falls short.

With more than 42,000 businesses in the bread production industry, the brands we used in Chowhound's rankings are just a minuscule sampling of what's out there. But they should be fairly representative of what many consumers may find at grocery stores across the country.

The best of these brands are relatively free from a lot of artificial ingredients. They are firm enough to make a good sandwich but also have a soft enough bite to stand on their own. And, most importantly, the best bread will always have quality fresh ingredients — which really goes for any type of food. 

The best example of this is one of the most simple and inexpensive bread choices out there: Trader Joe's Sliced White Bread. The loaf only costs $1.99 (the cheapest of the bunch) and is completely free of artificial preservatives you might consider avoiding. It's similar to an Italian white bread with a homemade, rustic feel, a firm texture, and the right amount of chew.

As with any ranking, the results can be subjective — especially when it comes to taste. After all, Wonder Bread still has plenty of great reviews. But when it comes to a quality comparison with other store-bought brands, this old classic just isn't wonderful.