CATEGORY

100 Percent Whole Wheat Wide Pan Sliced Bread

2010 CHEFSBEST® AWARD FOR BEST TASTE WINNER

Pepperidge Farm

What Makes a Great 100% Whole Wheat Bread?

100% Whole wheat bread is a healthier and more flavorful alternative to white bread. Its sweet, toasted notes add a little extra intrigue to sandwiches and breakfast favorites like French toast, while its fiber aids digestion and reduces cholesterol.

Our chefs define high-quality wide-pan whole wheat bread as being brown to golden brown in color. It should have a toasty, fresh-from-the-oven appearance.

The moderately complex aroma can include earthiness, graininess and natural sweetness from the wheat. Also possible, though not required, would be a slight richness from the germ. A hint of lactic tang from the fermentation process is expected in the aroma, but this sourness should be at a discernible level and no higher. In addition, there should be no aroma off notes from packaging, processing or unwholesome ingredients.

Whole wheat bread is in taste balance when moderate sweetness is the dominant basic taste. Saltiness should follow the sweetness at a barely discernible level, and sourness and bitterness are expected at very low levels.

The complex whole wheat flavor character should include toasted grains, yeast and a lactic tang. Honey notes may be evident depending on the variety, but there should be no flavor off notes or staleness.

When eaten, the bread should offer a discernible resistance and an appropriate chew. The bread should cohere, or stick together, without adhering to the upper palate or teeth. There should be a good moisture level, and the bread should break down and dissolve easily.

Product Category Definition

The product judged was defined as sliced, 100 percent whole wheat wide-pan bread for the consumer market, not including multigrain bread or any other types of sliced bread, e.g., rye, sourdough, white, etc.

Other Leading Brands:

Arnold, Nature's Pride, Oroweat, Sara Lee