i have been experimenting with a lot of breads recently in my quest to find a suitable replacement for the Brownberry brand stuff I used to get when I lived up North.

me requirements are simple:

- must be wheat bread- no preservatives- must have a "hard" boderline crumbly moist texture- grains, oats, or nuts may be present but aren't necessary

so far i have tried:

Health Nut Bread:

taste - pretty decent. every once in a while you get an almond sliver or oat and it adds dimension to your sandwich.texture - close, but no cigar. versatility - good, but if you like to make toast with it, make sure your toaster has a removable pan for all the **** that falls off.

Honey Wheat by Natures Own:

taste - sweet but unobtrusive.texture - soft but spongy. kinda moist.versatility - its a utility bread and can be used for almost anything.

Double Fiber:

taste - fiber-y. texture - hard but dry.versatility - good if your plumbing is backed up.

Dark German Wheat by Pepperidge Farms:

taste - really powerful wheat taste, very earthy.texture - firm but very dry. versatility - okay sandwiches, surprisingly good toast.

please add more!

This is coming from a person who really doesn't like bread:

Have you checked out 'The Baker' brand? They're pretty hardcore wheat bread from Germany (obviously they have bakeries here too or else .. it would be moldy). No preservatives, no bleached flour, etc etc (so eat it fast or keep it in the fridge). They make a lot of varieties. http://www.the-baker.com/Default.aspx

Personally, I like Ezekiel bread, it's sprouted wheat/spelt/oat/lentil/etc so it's flourless. Since it's sprouted, it's more nutrient dense than flour-type bread. So you get a lot of B vitamins and Iron out of it (not added in like the flour breads) and another point to mention is sprouted grain bread doesn't spike your blood sugar so it has a low G.I. index (don't know if that appeals to you or not, but it does to me). It also tastes pretty good..looks like regular bread. They also make slammin' english muffins. Keep 'em in the fridge or freezer though. http://www.foodforlife.com/

Oh, The Baker brand makes a sprouted grain bread that's really dense, nutty, chewy and moist. But it's flourless and looks kinda strange. It falls apart kind of easy too but it's goooood. http://www.germandeli.com/mebr.html

Health food stores tend to carry both those brands I mentioned. I hope you can find any of those in TX.

im on a sandwich kick now, thanks for the info. i might just start baking my own.

I really enjoy the bread that my mom buys. Nothing fancy about it though, but for the life of me I can't remember the brand. I will get back to you.

Love,Orlando

orlando, do they have brownberry in Canada?

Have you ever tried Sprouted Wheat bread?

It's the only way to go. I don't think you can buy it at stores. . . well. . . maybe health food stores.

There is a family who makes it locally here but it's like $4.50 per loaf.

Maier's Italian Wheat...

nom nom nom nom nom..

lol, and the ad for bread makers on the side of the page is funny.

i recently tried sara lee whole grain wheat... Deli Style. it was thicker sliced than regular bread and did taste pretty damn close to actual deli bread. and then it was discontinued.

But you've never tried Sprouted Wheat right?

You're missing out on life.

i was excited because my mom went on a trip to ohio recently and brought back about a dozen loaves of the brownberry bread that i used to love as a kid. it was like heaven for the whole week that it lasted. im making a trip later this year so im hoping to pick up some more.