America...your bread sucks.

[Peet 1]

After 2 months living here I gave up on bread. I just can't stand it, there isn't a decent full grain bread available here.

These days I will have muesli or Wasa multigrain.

As for the cheese, I have my family send some when needed.

I love the Dutch old cheeses, not something you find easily here.

[TracyTN 237]

Our bread does suck. I always wanted to bring boatloads back with me after having visited hubby in the UK but I doubted it would travel very well.

[jkminney 30]

I grew up in the Midwest and it wasn't until I moved to the UK for 3 years that I realized just how bad the bread was. I long everyday for really nice warm bread. While visiting at New Years I made sure to intake enough of the starchy goodness that my body would allow...hence my need to now lose 5 lbs!

[Twisted K 2]

a whole topic on bread

[Ladylethal 12]

Yes! I miss the bakeries from Brazil, every corner has one, and I lived in a city known for it's bakeries and it's breads. And cheese too, I can't get decent cheese here unless I spend a fortune!

[that_girl 9]

For those of you who have an hour or so to spare on the weekends, I highly recommend the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". I've been using their basic recipe to make my own bread for months, and it's so so much better than anything from a store. And after a few tries, you get it to be just what you want. Of course, there will be some less-than-perfect loaves, but even so, they'll never be as bad as that supermarket #######. Good luck!

http://www.google.com/search?q=artisan+bre...lient=firefox-a

P.S. If you live anywhere near Madison, WI, or need a vacation to a nice little city (when it's NOT winter) they have a great Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings with some excellent artisan cheeses. Also, there's (or at least there used to be, a couple years ago) a great cheese shop called fromagination. A bit pricey, but so worth it.

Edited January 21, 2010 by megger

[Krikit 1,164]

Our bread does suck. I always wanted to bring boatloads back with me after having visited hubby in the UK but I doubted it would travel very well.

I had my sister bring me two loaves when she visited from England in December. They made it intact! Yum.

[Lorenzoid 12]

I feel myself getting sucked into the VJ discussion vortex.

My wife (we've been married 21 days now, thanks) finds herself having to do without many things she was accustomed to having back in Europe, but her comfort breakfast and sometimes lunch consists of some combination of bread, cheese and deli meats, and getting decent bread here in the US is indeed the most difficult part. We have been making a point of picking up a loaf of fancypants "artisanal" bread--like a rustic baguette or whole-grain round loaf--from a bakery here a couple of times a week. They charge five bucks for a loaf of bread, but it's worth it if it keeps my new bride happy. She's also learned to make good bread with the "no knead" recipes (overnight rise, very wet dough) that have been popularized on the Interwebs.

[Mrs.J06 4]

I had my sister bring me two loaves when she visited from England in December. They made it intact! Yum.

Really? Was she allowed to bring it in? I always wanted to bring whole loaves from Germany but was told I would not be allowed to bring it - did she smuggle it in or declare it?

[KiminON 0]

amen to that! my husband thinks I'm a nutter for saying this.

That said, I hardly eat it any longer. I have recently found some wheat flat bread in sammich size that isn't too bad.

I also find the flour is different. My recipes that always worked out at home don't come out quite right, including my banana bread, oatmeal cookies and other stuff.

[evilmonkee 0]

I am so glad that I am not the only person who hates American bread. I converted my husband into a bread snob, so he agrees with me, but my in-laws and most of my friends think I am crazy when I say that American bread tastes like sponge cake.

This is my 6th year in the US (got my undergrad here, in grad school now), and I am still repulsed by Wonder Sponge. At first I thought that it was just the bread in the dining halls, but it's US bread in general. I find the phrase "best thing since sliced bread" very ironic.Even the artisan breads they sell in most grocery stores are sweet, almost crustless, and mushy.

It is not that hard to find good bread from small local bakeries, but it costs $7/ small loaf where I live, so I have been making my own ever since I moved out of the dorms.

Bread makers are great for making oatmeal bread , breads with fruit, and they make excellent soft sandwich bread, but they don't make good crusty bread.

I highly recommend the 5 minute a day artisan bread. It takes some initial time investment, but it's totally worth it.

I have also used Alton Brown's recipes and several recipes from the Joy of Cooking, all with good results. Even the flops were better than grocery store bread.

If you prefer crusty bread, invest in a pizza stone or an unglazed ceramic tile. Make sure it's unglazed, because the fumes from some glazes can be very toxic. Just put the stone/tile in the oven when it preheats, and put the bread in about 20 minutes after the oven reaches the desired temperature. The stone will retain heat and it will prevent the oven temperature from dropping when your first open the oven door to put the bread in. Don't open the oven door for at least 15 minutes after you put the bread in.

If you can't find a pizza stone or don't want to use it, you can use a French egg wash, or brush the bread with milk about 5 minutes before it's done.

My name is evilmonkee, and I am a bread snob.

Edited January 21, 2010 by evilmonkee

[Kirsten UK 2]

I'm over the ####### bread, what i'm still struggling to come to terms with are the dreadful sausages, why can't you buy proper bangers over here??!!!!

[TracyTN 237]

I had my sister bring me two loaves when she visited from England in December. They made it intact! Yum.

My luggage was always too chock full - even my carry on. UGH!

[Gemmie 142]

I'm over the ####### bread, what i'm still struggling to come to terms with are the dreadful sausages, why can't you buy proper bangers over here??!!!!

What are they like? I haven't tried them yet.

I'm still getting used to the bacon.

[Kirsten UK 2]

What are they like? I haven't tried them yet.

Well, most are 'Franks', which are fine if you want a hotdog, but not so nice if you fancy toads or just in gravy. The closest I came are 'breakfast' sausages, thin little sinnewy things that go a strange greyish brown colour, yuk! I'd love a nice pack of Wall's right now, my poor daughter misses them more than me. If there was a butchers round here I might be able to do better at finding something similar, but i'm out in the sticks in NC with no butchers in sight.