White Bread Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

You may assume that all white bread tastes the same. After all, out of all the different kinds of bread you can find at grocery stores and bakeries, white bread is perhaps the least varied. It's the kind of bread you use when you don't actually want to focus on the flavor of the bread itself but rather just need something with substance to carry the other ingredients in whatever it is you're making. That's why you may be surprised that there are more differences between different brands of white bread than you may assume. And since they all differ in terms of both flavor and texture, it may benefit you to know what you should expect when you try some of the most popular brands out there.

I tasted my way through eight different white bread brands and ranked them from worst to best. Although they're all similar in that they play essentially the same role in whatever you're using the bread for, their differing levels of quality mean that some brands may be better than others when you want to make a particularly good sandwich, slice of toast, or homemade croutons or breadcrumbs. I ranked these white bread brands according to both flavor and texture to help give you a better idea of what you're getting when you try each one. So, when you don't want to make your own homemade sandwich bread, take a closer look at this ranking to get a better sense of which brands you should try the next time you stop at the grocery store.

Fans of Panera Bread's menu items may assume that Panera Bread's Country White bread, which you can find at many popular grocery stores, is one of the absolute best white bread options on the market. Based on my experiences at the popular bread-based chain, I certainly thought it would stand out from the crowd. But I was deeply disappointed in this name-brand white bread.

These slices of bread are especially small, which makes for a surface area that can barely hold a decent-sized sandwich together. The slices are also quite thin, as opposed to the brands that offer a thicker, fluffier bread experience. It's not just the size that makes this brand unappealing, though — it's also quite dense, which probably isn't what you're looking for when you're selecting white bread specifically. The flavor, though, is the main problem here: This bread tastes completely flavorless. Sure, that's to be expected to some extent when it comes to white bread, but honestly, just about any brand of bread is going to offer a more interesting flavor than this one. You're better off selecting a loaf of white bread from a cheaper brand.

When you're food shopping, it's always important to remember just how much marketing can affect your perception of a particular product. Words like "farmhouse" and "hearty" might give you an idea about the kind of product you're getting, only to let you down in the end. That was certainly the case for me when I tried Pepperidge Farm's Farmhouse Hearty White bread. Maybe I'm vulnerable to these marketing terms (or maybe I was just taking price too much into consideration), but I was expecting a relatively high-quality loaf of bread from this product. Unfortunately, my expectations were not exactly met.

This bread isn't actively bad or anything, but flavor-wise, it's incredibly bland. In fact, the slice I tried didn't really taste like anything at all. That may not be a bad thing if you're looking for an especially neutral loaf, but I would prefer that my bread offered more to a dish than just structure alone. The product falls flat on the texture front as well, with a harder, less fluffy texture than you might expect from plain white bread. There are definitely better options from which to choose.

As one of the cheaper options on this list, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Signature Select's Country White Bread doesn't exactly earn its place in the top spot in this ranking. That being said, it's certainly not the worst of the bunch, and it'll get the job done if all you're looking for is a simple loaf of white bread. Texture-wise, it's quite soft, which is a nice departure from the denser varieties we've seen on the list so far. You'll find a dusting of flour on the crust of the bread, which makes for a more attractive sandwich but doesn't seem to lend much else to the loaf.

Although this white bread represents a step up from the ones before it in terms of texture, it still doesn't stand out much when it comes to flavor. Again, this bread doesn't necessarily taste bad, but its lack of flavor means that it's not a product that I'd seek out specifically.

If you're looking for a standard loaf of white bread, you can't really go wrong with J.J. Nissen Canadian White. At the same time, you're not going to be getting the absolute best of the bunch. That's why this brand falls in the middle of this ranking. You'll get a nice, soft texture with this loaf of bread that's fluffy but will still hold whatever you're putting in your sandwich (or spreading on your toast). It's not quite as soft as some of the other brands on this list, but that's not a bad thing if you're looking for a more substantial slice.

This is another white bread that's not particularly flavorful, but it does have a bit more flavor than some of its lower-ranked counterparts. You'll notice a very light yeastiness here that's slightly more akin to a sourdough loaf than a white one. Although you can find better store-bought bread on the shelf, you're likely not going to be disappointed with this option.

I've already talked about the fact that "hearty" doesn't necessarily mean anything when it's used as a descriptor for white bread, but in this case of Country Kitchen Hearty Canadian White, it actually does ring true. This is one of the densest white breads I tried on this list, but that doesn't totally come at the expense of softness. It's probably a better option for when you want to build a stacked sandwich, but it may not be perfect if you're looking for a super-soft loaf.

Like most of the other loaves on this list, you're not going to be getting a super flavorful loaf of bread when you choose this variety. After all, white bread is largely appealing because it doesn't have a strong flavor of its own. There is a hint of sweetness here, which sets Country Kitchen's white bread apart from the others, but unless you're tasting a variety of white bread side by side, it may not even be something that you pick up on.

If you're looking for a loaf that's a bit bigger in size to account for a more stacked sandwich, then you might be looking for Arnold Country Style White bread. This is one of the better-looking loaves on this list, with a nice white sprinkling of flour on the crust that immediately makes it more visually appealing. The texture of the bread is soft, but not too soft, so it allows you to layer on several ingredients at once without worrying about your slice buckling under the pressure.

The flavor here is what really stands out from the rest of the other varieties on this list, though. It has an especially buttery flavor to it, which makes it vastly more appealing than the other rather flavorless options listed here. Although it's not the best-tasting brand of the bunch, it packs enough flavor that it's a definite step up from any of the others listed until this point.

When you want a loaf of bread that's even more buttery than the last, you may want to try out Nature's Own Butterbread. This is probably the richest-tasting white bread on this list, and although it may not be as flavorful as most other types of bread you'll find on store shelves or in the bakery section of your local grocery store, it definitely has a pretty pronounced flavor for white bread. This bread has a lovely creaminess to it that's delicious on its own but even better when layered with actual butter.

But it's not just the flavor of this bread that allows it to rank near the top of this list. Texture-wise, it's also a win. It's pillowy soft, with a smoothness that makes it easy to pair with just about anything. Although it may not be as substantial as some of the other slices on this list, that rich flavor and soft texture still makes it one of my favorites that I tried for this ranking.

For those who are looking for the ultimate loaf of store-bought white bread, Sara Lee's Artesano Bakery Bread might just be the loaf you've been waiting for. For white bread, it's actually pretty delicious. First of all, the slices are super thick — thick enough that this is definitely the best bread to choose when you want to make a sandwich with white bread. The texture is also the best of the bunch. It's super soft, but because of the thickness of the slices, that softness doesn't impede the overall structure of whatever you decide to make with the bread.

And, of course, the flavor here is on point as well. It's not quite as flavorful as Nature's Own Butterbread, but it's close — close enough that it nabs the top spot in this ranking. Add in the aesthetically pleasing sprinkling of flour on the crust, and it's clear that this loaf is the absolute winner.

I tried all of these white bread varieties at once, with sips of water in between to clean my palate. I chose to taste them plain, without toasting them, to focus on the natural flavor of the bread without anything interfering with it. I ranked them according to both flavor and texture, with more flavorful and softer but more substantial slices ranking the highest.