The Only Bread Worth Buying at Trader Joe's

When Oprah said, “I love bread,” I think she actually meant, “I love Trader Joe’s cracked wheat sourdough.” I don’t want to put words into the living legend’s mouth, but it’s the best bread out there. Or at least the best one you can buy at a grocery store. 

There is one catch, though—only eat this bread toasted. The texture is not great when it’s fresh, but comes alive when it gets lightly golden brown, allowing for a crispy exterior and tender, toothsome chew in the interior. One of my best friends Irene introduced me to this bread, sharing her killer combination of prosciutto, Brie, hot honey, cracked black pepper, and furikake. I ate it on repeat for a week after she shared her secret recipe with me. Open-faced sandwiches are my go-to with this bread because the boule shape makes nice, wide slices (cut ‘em in half to fit in a standard toaster or use a toaster oven to get the whole shebang in there), but it also makes a killer grilled cheese.

Sometimes sourdough can be too tangy, but this one strikes a perfect balance. It works with both sweet and savory foods, has a nice nuttiness from the cracked wheat that peppers the sliced loaf in a crunchy, speckled way, and has a lot of holes to provide some airiness instead of aggressive density. I described it as “sturdy yet light” to a friend recently who was thinking about making the switch to the cracked wheat-sourdough lifestyle. As soon as I spread some fig jam and triple-cream Brie on a slice for her, she was on board. 

This is one of the only items at Trader Joe’s that I have been intensely loyal to for almost a year. It’s the loaf that I have in my cart almost every week, and I hope they never get rid of it. With no preservatives, it molds at room temperature but freezes beautifully, enabling me to pull out a few slices at a time. It’s excellent with good butter, even better with jam or honey, and best as an open-faced sandwich with your favorite cheeses and cured meats. I also will always pile eggs high on top of this toast. If those aren’t enough ideas, here are a handful of combinations I’ve been loving lately to make my cracked wheat sourdough even better.

1. Prosciutto, Brie, hot honey, cracked black pepper, and furikake (optional, but encouraged)
2. Tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni for a pizza toast
3. Over-easy, sunny-side up, or poached eggs with plenty of salt, pepper, and Parmesan
4. Egg in a hole!
5. Pesto, mozzarella, tomato, and basil
6. Chicken or tuna salad
7. Grilled cheese—open-faced or closed!