As I get older, I have strayed away from the soft doughy breads when packing sandwiches for lunch. Back in the day, my lunchtime mainstays included cold cuts with cheese, peanut butter, and jelly, and even marshmallow creme “fluffer-nutters”. I would serve up these creations on usually ultra soft Wonderbread or Butternut; sometimes with the crust still on, other times they had to be removed. I have since moved on to more artisan types of breads whether it be oat based, sour dough or a good French or Italian bread. Aldi carries several artisan breads including Specially Selected Italian Loaf. At just about any Aldi the bread section is easy to locate at these items are displayed in plastic pallets packed floor to just about the ceiling. Buns, bread, danish, rolls……. they are all in that same section of the store. I have learned from experience that if you visit the store late in the weekend some of the more premium breads can be scarce. Now, let us dive a little deeper into this bread to see if it measures up.
Packaging
The Aldi Italian bread weighs in at twenty-four ounces and is sold in clear packaging with the black specialty labeling on the front with smaller label indicating the product is non-GMO verified. The black label indicates the bread consists of the main three ingredients of flour, water, and salt. The transparent packaging reveals a golden-brown crust covering this sliced bread which makes it appear very appealing.
Price
The cost
of the package of Specialty Selected Italian Loaf is $3.99. In comparison, a sixteen-ounce
loaf of sliced Turano Italian bread purchased at the local Jewel is priced
$6.99.
Convenience
I have
purchased Italian bread before and had to slice it myself. My bread cutting is
not very straight so I find pre-sliced bread the way to go. What is better than
sliced bread? Right? The bread slices or cuts in the package are decent size
until you get to the ends or heels. For some reason, the factory cuts the ends
to0 thick which makes for some large end pieces that be waste. For situations
like this I hand cut the heel to get another slice out of it or diced it up for
home made croutons. This loaf of Specialty Selected Italian bread comes with
small plastic clip to seal bread package when done using. The expiration is
stamped on it also which warrants close attention if your household does not
eat sandwiches frequently and keeping bread at room temperature. If using the
bread sparingly, you can place it in freezer storage bag for later use.
Taste/Texture
If you
want to eat this bread straight out of the package, it will hold its own for
the first day or two. The bread has a quality Italian bread like semblance as
it is flaky, not too yeasty, or doughy in bite, in general a very tasty
bread. However, after day two, the bread
does dry up quite a bit and requires the assistance of the toaster or even a
grill top to maintain its tastiness. Interestingly, toasting this bread at a
light toast setting takes this bread to another level. I enjoy this bread
slightly toasted with herb butter or honey butter to accompany a salad or bowl
of soup.
Overall Result
If you
enjoy a rustic, shiny golden brown crusted Italian bread, then the Specialty
Selected Italian loaf is your answer. The bread will get you a few days of good
fresh bread; after that you can make incredible toast, grilled cheeses, or
paninis. This bread will also save you two to three dollars from the name brand
labels. I recommend this one a strong buy.
