Why does it feel like bread, (even outside bakeries), is so much nicer in Europe than in the UK? What do they do differently?
Posted by Rosslefrancais@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 488 comments
And is this even a thing? Maybe it's more that everything tastes nicer on holiday
taart_@reddit
its completelly different bread, its why we say that the uk doesnt have real bread, because its not the same thing
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
Go to America. Buy some bread there. Come back to the UK and revel in how much better ours is.
Smugness1917@reddit
OP is clearly comparing ours to the European bread. Not everything is about America.
Electrical-Pizza7998@reddit
But American bread lasts for many months without losing any of its rubbery texture!
Elegant_Win6752@reddit
Thank you, yes, not everything is about the States!
SoupyLad@reddit
Ah yes, in the entire 340 million strong US, there is not a single bakery and everyone only eats pre sliced white bread
---x__x---@reddit
Why does America live rent free in the kids of the users of this sub?
OP question compares UK to mainland Europe and of course the top comment is some smug “what about America?” dig.
I say this next part as a Brit living in the US - you can absolutely get good bread here.
While garbage such as wonderbread exists, this shouldn’t be extrapolated into “this is just how all bread is in America”. It’s on par with eye incorrect opinion often parroted on this sub that American chocolate tastes like vomit because of the existence of hersheys.
Most opinions echoed about the US and Americans on this subreddit should be disregarded as the kind of material found on r/confidentlyincorrect.
27106_4life@reddit
Yup. I lived for years in the states, and it's amazing how apparently there is no good chocolate, beer, or food in America. I'm guessing most users of this sub, their experience of America is the foreign food aisle at Sainsbury's
Outside_Suggestion23@reddit
It really depends on where you are though, just like in the uk.
27106_4life@reddit
Not really. They have shipping there too.
Outside_Suggestion23@reddit
Of course they do.
Agreeable-Foot-4272@reddit
People will really find any reason to start dunking on America on reddit. It is getting so boring.
Outside_Suggestion23@reddit
That’s the lowest bar you can find though, unless you’re in nyc or San Francisco.
27106_4life@reddit
What does that have to do with this thread? Also, I've had incredible American bread, better than anything I can get locally in London
Firm_Doughnut_1@reddit
I still recall this delicious honey oat bread I had in Seattle. It was so nice. One day I will return for the delicious honey oat bread.
27106_4life@reddit
Right and I'm sure that bread Had sugar in it, as it's in the name. Enriched breads are a thing, and it's ok. Nobody goes off on Brioche!
Firm_Doughnut_1@reddit
What's wrong with having sugar in it? It obviously has honey in it, it didn't taste overly sweet either.
27106_4life@reddit
Nothing! Nothing at all! I'm supporting you 😂
pencilrain99@reddit
With the amount of sugar in it Its more like cake in the USA than bread.Even plain old toast with butter over there is horrible because of how sweet the bread is.
27106_4life@reddit
That's just not true though is it. But hey, keep that old trope going mate.
pencilrain99@reddit
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/food/1993563/uk-us-bread-difference-sugar-content
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/subway-bread-sugar-content-irish-court-vat-exemption-tax-b736255.html
27106_4life@reddit
Ah yes, the express. An incredible resource of thought provoking journalism.
Tacklestiffener@reddit
Slightly off topic but we had had a Krispy Kreme donut in the UK and it was OK, a bit sweet for me but OK.
We went to a Krispy Kreme outlet in Memphis and, I swear, one bite put me on the edge of a diabetic coma (I'm not diabetic)
Couldn't eat one donut and yet there were people coming in buying boxes of 24, obviously every day because it was like Norm from Cheers getting a cheery wave from the staff.
knight-under-stars@reddit
"This other place is even worse" doesn't make the bread here any less shite.
I will never understand this mentality people have to be accepting of crap just as long as they can see it worse elsewhere.
andyrocks@reddit
This whole thread is about comparisons.
knight-under-stars@reddit
Well yes, obviously.
That only makes dismissing a comparison because somewhere else is worse even more stupid.
andyrocks@reddit
They didn't dismiss a comparison, you did.
knight-under-stars@reddit
Denying reality.
Mundo7@reddit
“We’re not the best in the world at something, therefore everything is shit”…also a pretty braindead way of thinking
Weak-Employer2805@reddit
“you can’t complain about your problems because someone has it worse somewhere else”
knight-under-stars@reddit
Exactly, it's such a brain dead way of thinking.
Electrical-Pizza7998@reddit
I live in uk and SW France and i can reliably say that the bread is better in UK. French supermarket sliced bread is full of sugar and inedible, and baguettes and loaves are all very tough crust with no soft middle, just large holes. Also there is much more variety of bread in British supermarkets, where it is freshly baked on the premises, than in France. French Lidl bread is not too bad though.
Good_State_2423@reddit
I live in Germany and the UK and suffer from acid reflux- this is particularly worse when I get bread or “ fresh bread “ from UK supermarkets than off the bakers in Germany or in store bakers - in addition UK bread and bread rolls are so much more claggy - I researched it and it’s because UK bakers are obliged to add stuff in their mix and the uk flour is more refined - in addition “ we the Brits “ tend to demand long shelf life’s and don’t appreciate paying for quality - - so the market in processed bread and in store baked bread ( most of which comes in already made ready for baking or finishing off ) caters for cheap skate and time poor Brits -
cgknight1@reddit
Because you are more likely to go to bakeries and the like on holiday.
Pop to a local supermarket (depending on country) and you will find the same sort of processed shit we get here.
You can replicate the nice bread effect by going to a bakery and spending more money.
I have two fantastic bakeries by me.
iamnogoodatthis@reddit
This is not really the case in eg France or Switzerland. They have bakery sections which are mostly freshly baked, there is sometimes a small "processed shit" section but it's not by any means the majority of the offering.
That said, the French don't know how to make bread that lasts more than two hours so be careful what you wish for.
No_Ideal996@reddit
Have you ever been to a UK supermarket they mostly all have fresh bakeries ?????????????
arpw@reddit
Almost all of them are not actually making their own fresh bread, they take deliveries of frozen part-baked loaves and whack them in the oven to finish them off. The result is far worse than actual fresh bread.
CatEmbarrassed3306@reddit
True, but better then pre sliced bread and keeps longer
cjo20@reddit
It's worse than that now. Supermarkets seem to be getting rid of their bakeries and just getting the bread itself shipped in. It's terrible.
DugaJoe@reddit
That's the sad reality of them operating on razor thin margins and keeping our food prices artificially low. Now they have total market dominance, even with product quality slipping and price increases, it's still very difficult for a new player to become mainstream and reverse the enshittification.
Proof_Review_3792@reddit
The prices aren't artificially low. Is that even a real thing? The price is the price. British supermarkets work on high volumes, low margins. The prices are low.
DugaJoe@reddit
They're loss leaders on a lot of "essential" products, making their profit up on other items. They have to do this, or people will just shop elsewhere rather than buy essentials in one shop and luxuries in another.
BuncleCar@reddit
Some thirty odd years ago a girl I worked with told me she'd worked in the bread section of Tesco and it'd been her job to check and replace the canned fresh bread smell canister.
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
Do you think French etc supermarkets are literally making bread from flour in the supermarket? They also get it frozen and bake it. If you want it actually made by hand you have to go to a bakery and not even all of them.
cinematic_novel@reddit
Continental supermarkets don't necessarily have a professional in-house bakery, but their bread is often supplied by such bakeries - they bake at night so they have time to deliver to various retailers, including large supermarkets and small shops. This is customary in Italy.
lambaroo@reddit
you think bakers don't work overnight in the uk?
skloop@reddit
I'm sorry to say but this is less and less the case in France, though they pretend it is (I live in France)
Even boulangeries aren't necessarily baking every item themselves, far from it
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
I live in Spain and even the bakeries mostly get their bread partly baked. The few proper bakeries that make their own bread by hand don't have the capacity to supply large supermarkets and charge a premium because making bread by hand is labour intensive.
Maybe it's different in Italy but I'd suspect the "bakeries" are basically a factory. Not that the bread isn't good but it's not someone carefully hand shaping every loaf.
Jennyjuke@reddit
My husband used to work in a speciality bakery factory, they did bakery for the big supermarkets all alike and the fancier smaller designer bread brands!
ellieofus@reddit
In Italy they are, yes. If the bread is fresh then it’s made on the spot. Italian supermarkets are not like the ones in the UK, they have proper kitchens in the back where they cook all sort, including freshly baked bread.
juicy_steve@reddit
Yes.
r_mutt69@reddit
Is this why I can’t get soft baked sub rolls any more? Everything I see in the supermarket bakery these days is crusty
norflondoner@reddit
And some of these frefab frozen loaves can be up to a year old when they are baked in the shop. Smells lovely, but buyer beware.
No_Ideal996@reddit
This is literally not true, I can literally see them making the bread fresh in Tesco, asda, Sainsbury's and Lidl 🤣 Look on indeed for job listings they'll probably have bakery workers listed.
They also get some fresh bread delivered from local suppliers but that doesn't mean they don't make their own, especially lidl which has an amazing fresh bakery imo
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
It comes in frozen, par-baked and they pop it in the oven to finish and brown.
Morrisons was the last supermarket to have proper bakers on site shaping bread and frying doughnuts, but that was a few years ago.
Source: I work in the industry
No_Ideal996@reddit
Source I also worked in the industry, I literally see them rolling dough 🤣🤣
Secret_Oligarch@reddit
Emphasis on 'worked'
Away-Activity-469@reddit
Did you see them mixing flour, yeast and water? Are they in this room now?
No_Ideal996@reddit
Yes
Is the entire bakery of ALL frozen products in the room with us now.
Icy_Act_7634@reddit
Tbh I don't know what you're talking about and I imagine most everyone here doesn't either. All supermarkets I've been to bake frozen pre prep bread.
Rikishi_Fatu@reddit
Some make it from scratch, some don't. I think there is a lot of cost cutting going on now so I wouldn't be surprised to see in house scratch bakeries falling by the wayside.
I used to make the bread from scratch at Sainsbury's a couple of years ago. The "specialty" bread like sourdoughs and olive loaves etc, they came in frozen.
At the same time, other nearby branches weren't baking from scratch.
palishkoto@reddit
Must vary between brands because I know a case of my former flatmate - ten years ago already - who was a 'baker' in Sainsbury's whose job was essentially to finish part-baked goods in the oven. So it certainly does exist.
Euyfdvfhj@reddit
Are these bakers in the room with us now
No_Ideal996@reddit
Nope theyre in the bakery section of my local supermarkets making bread mate sorry to break it to you but trying to attack my mental sanity just once again reveals how little you people have to say. If your old wives tale conspiracy isn't upheld the other person must be schizo ,🤣🤣🤣
Supersalv@reddit
It's been a change made this year in at least one of the big supermarkets, and it's a phased rollout. There will still be some stores that bake their own for now, and I can't speak for all chains but when one moves, the others tend to follow in time.
I give zero shits whether you recognize this as truth or not I'm just stating the facts and I can prove it. What you do with it is up to you.
Which brand is your local supermarket?
The_Blip@reddit
Then why does Tesco bakery keep fresh yeast?
deepfriedjobbie@reddit
Morrisons doughnuts used to be incredible. Far superior.
Alarmed-Cheetah-1221@reddit
Oh to be so naive must be blissful
No_Ideal996@reddit
Conspiracy bollocks again, I've actually worked in supermarkets btw and seen the ovens 🤣 tasted the bread and baked goods fresh out of the ovens.
You're just so hilariously wrong no wonder the only comment you could muster was some smug nonsense, fuck off to whoever else wants to believe your delusional old wives tales.
AssumptionEasy8992@reddit
No, mate. They are baking pre-made frozen dough. No supermarket in the UK is making their own dough for multiple different types of bread and pastries. They just aren’t doing it. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s the truth. This is a really weird hill to die on for you. 🤨
Rikishi_Fatu@reddit
To be fair a lot of people are dying on the other hill that "no supermarkets ever make fresh bread"
Of course we did. Key word probably being did by now though. There was talk of going to full-on production from frozen while I was still at Sainsbury's, and that was only like 2 years ago. But at the time we were making several different types of bread doughs plus hot cross buns and doughnuts.
Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of frozen stuff coming in too, namely the specialty breads and things like croissants and single pick and mix rolls. But we were doing scratch baking.
I imagine there aren't too many places that still make their dough on site, but I would be surprised if there were literally none left.
ampmz@reddit
As someone who’s worked as a supermarket baker, you get par baked frozen bread, it gets finished off in the ovens.
BackgroundDesigner52@reddit
Yep. I worked as a "baker" for Tesco. It's all frozen loaves that are defrosted and then baked. Can't speak for other supermarkets though.
DontTellHimPike1234@reddit
I also worked in the bakery at Tesco, can confirm this is true. We received either frozen par-baked, or prepared dough that was put in tins and baked. We never made anything fresh from scratch, even the "finest" (lol) loaves came in like this.
Alarmed-Cheetah-1221@reddit
I think you might genuinely be insane.
Lucky-Midway-4367@reddit
What you've said answered nothing that was asked, tasting bread that has come out of an oven doesn't mean they weren't par-baked, 'seeing the ovens' doesn't mean they were mixed on site.
elparaguas@reddit
Literally, lol. I feel like I’m in bizarro world reading that person’s comments.
cinematic_novel@reddit
Lidl's bakery is all made in Germany, then shipped frozen all over Europe
QuasiPigUK@reddit
I guarantee you they're not making fresh bread.
No_Ideal996@reddit
You're literally wrong, I can literally SEE THE OVENS 🤣🤣 it's open and visible from behind the counter in my local sainsburys and asda, I've also worked in asda and was friends with some of the bakery workers.
You're just spouting some conspiracy bollocks someone told you once as if it's fact.
IndependentHawk9541@reddit
I worked in the Tesco bakery we got frozen and finished in the oven
QuasiPigUK@reddit
???? They're not making fresh bread
Are you familiar with the concept of part-baking?
TheBikerMidwife@reddit
Of course you see ovens. They need them for those part baked rolls.
No_Ideal996@reddit
The only things they sell at the bakery is rolls you got me
alltorque1982@reddit
These comments are mad, but I'm gonna roll with it.
indratera@reddit
dont worry, im with you mate. Reading this comment thread of them gaslighting you did give me a giggle I have to admit though
AssumptionEasy8992@reddit
He’s wrong. They don’t make bread dough at supermarkets. They get frozen dough delivered and bake it.
Th3-Sh1kar1@reddit
Ken M in a transmuted form
Desperatelyseekingan@reddit
Hahahaha.... Love the humour 😂😂😂😂
DontTellHimPike1234@reddit
Can confirm this is not true. I worked in the bakery at Tesco for 3 years, not once did we make a product from scratch. It came in prepared and we put the dough into tins and baked it.
BiggestNige@reddit
They don't 'make' the bread from scratch, it comes in frozen and they 'bake off' by doing the final cook. Lidl is a perfect example of that, you think 1 person is making all that food from scratch?
Majority of major supermarkets haven't used in store bakeries from scratch for years. Here's some evidence: https://www.sustainweb.org/news/may24-expertly-freshly-baked-in-store-since-1968-tesco-trading-standards-complaint/
CliveOfWisdom@reddit
That absolutley never used to be the case. When I worked at Morrisons back in school, I used to help the Bakery supervisor haul the massive sacks of flour over to the mixer. The pies and stuff were frozen, but the bread was absolutley freshly baked.
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Morrisons was the last supermarket to make fresh product, I had a friend in the bakery a few years ago.
It was all ‘just add water’ mix, but they still did all the proving and shaping and baking
MathematicianOnly688@reddit
You’d think they’d comfortably win the blind taste testing that newspapers do periodically but no.
The fact is that the average consumer can’t tell the difference whether it’s made from scratch or part baked from frozen.
paulmclaughlin@reddit
Why would baking from scratch necessarily give a better end product? What part of the kneading, proving etc processes would inherently benefit?
MathematicianOnly688@reddit
It wouldn’t but it does feel a bit counter intuitive if you’re not familiar with the industry.
If you asked a group whether they’d prefer some fresh bread made from scratch or something that was baked 6 months ago and heated up, I suspect the vast majority are going to choose the fresh one.
Darkmoon_AU@reddit
When I worked in Asda near Chelmsford, between 1997-2001, it was all freshly baked - from pre-mix I think, but mixed-to-dough, baked and risen in store. I remember the 'Tin loaves' being popular. I often operated the slicing machine for customers, bagging it for them.
No_Doubt_About_That@reddit
That’s why we need to follow the Real Bread Campaign
MaximumRequirement60@reddit
This is what's happening in France too
krappa@reddit
Yes and the bread is often undercooked or bland. A baguette from UK supermarkets is way worse than one from French or Italian ones.
UnholyDoughnuts@reddit
Bread often has less than 5 ingredients. Look up what's in "freshly baked bread" next time you go to the "in store bakery". Its a glorified Greg's. Selling frozen shit day in day out.
claireindc@reddit
I have but the pastries are crap. Every single time I buy a sad croissant from Sainsbury's I vow to move to France ASAP.
Gekiran@reddit
Just moved to the UK from Munich. Had a LIDL close-by there and always bought my bread there, always amazing. Here the bread from LIDL tastes like cake for some reason??
Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit
Most don't where I live. M&S and Sainsbury's have a frozen dough to oven service.
Lidl are the exception here.
iamnogoodatthis@reddit
Yeah but there's a massive aisle of bagged sliced stuff that accounts for the majority of bread sold. This is what doesn't really exist in France. Maybe there's like one small shelf of stuff like that.
Johnlenham@reddit
I mean, it's fresh in that it was cooked that day, but it isn't knocked up out the back for the most part. It's frozen and "cooked" in the ovens.
My experience is very dated (20years odd) but in sainsburys bakers would make 4/5 loafs like split tin, hot cross buns and bread roll. All specialist stuff was out of a box and cooked in the oven.
I can't imagine they have done MORE baking in house and now do what lidil do which is bang everything pre baked into an oven
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
Yes I live in Spain, even bakeries do the same thing unless it's a specialist traditional/fancy place. I see the delivery vans all the time and see them opening the packets.
Familiar-Repeat-1565@reddit
More modern experience with their cafe, all the cakes, pastries, etc come in frozen then they get defrosted and cooked.
Tbh there are very few places in the UK that make their own pastry.
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
They do the same thing in Europe!
TJTheree@reddit
Did you wanna add a couple more question marks, I don’t think we got the point ???????????????
Terrible-Group-9602@reddit
Selling crap
LittleSadRufus@reddit
Since the 1990s, French bakeries by law can only use flour, water, salt and yeast in their bread. Unless it's specialty bread like brioche etc.
Hard to stop bread going stale quickly when you can't add anything else to it.
TheRealVinosity@reddit
I used to live in France. Honestly, a lot of the bread is ordinary, at best.
At least it's better than Italy though.
Consistently the best bread I've had was in Germany.
Don't even get me started about Bolivia, where I now live...
izzie-izzie@reddit
Germany and Poland have the best breads. It’s largely because we use similar recipes.
TheRealVinosity@reddit
Some of the best breads I've had in the UK have been from Polski skleps.
elonyoutosser@reddit
Utter fucking horseshit. France easily does the best bread in the world. Even a fucking Leclerc 99 centimes baguette shits over anything you'd get in a UK supermarket.
mand71@reddit
Never had a Leclerc baguette (only Super U, Casino and Carrefour near me), but supermarket bread in France is generally shite. Also, this may be regional, but where I live I've never been able to find bread rolls (apart from supermarket hamburger buns)...
I still miss German bread :(
dapea@reddit
Agreed, guess region also helps. Haven’t found better bread in the world than basic burgundy pain.
DaddyCool13@reddit
Bread is the most valued foodstuff in Germany. They have a massive bread culture which really helps with quality.
Though it’s not nearly as good I really like the fresh bakery section in waitrose. It’s good enough for me.
pintsized_baepsae@reddit
Our bread culture officially part of our Intangible Cultural Heritage!
We do take it very seriously. There are good loaves to be found in the UK, but unless it's the Lidl bakery they're often pricey 🥲
pipnina@reddit
I can't get over how in Germany I could walk into a Rewe, get a bag of Laugenbrötchen or some sort of heavily seeded roll, frozen, and in 20 mins in the oven they weren't much different to the bakery ones.
Meanwhile in the UK, part-baked rolls are plain white bread, dry, with nothing to give them flavour.
I wanted to make Laugenbrötchen in the UK but the chemical required isn't legal for sale to civvies for some reason. I tried substitutes but it didn't really work.
€2 for a pretzel was pricey in a local bakery in Germany but at least it was banging bread. The Lidl ones in the UK are usually stale :/
bored_toronto@reddit
WTH is it? V2 rocket fuel or something?
pipnina@reddit
Sodium hydroxide (colloquial: Lye)
Laugenbrötchen (lye rolls, also used for pretzels etc) are made of dough that is boiled for a short time in brine that has this sodium hydroxide in it, which brings the PH way up. Basically the brine is full of cleaning agent and you boil the dough in it. But it's the source of the bread's dark colour and incredible taste.
A similar process is used for some types of noodle in east Asian cuisine
Sternschnuppepuppe@reddit
That’s not true, you can buy lye from a soap making store. I make laugenstangen all the time.
bought from here
Fond_ButNotInLove@reddit
During lidl's 'alpen fest' weeks they often do a box of 10 frozen pretzels. Not a patch on the real deal fresh ones but the best I've found in the UK.
pintsized_baepsae@reddit
LAUGENBROETCHEN 😍 I miss those so much in the UK. Properly seeded rolls and bread, too, but a friend supplies me with seeded sourdough from her local bakery which is delicious and freezes well.
Rolls here are so boring, tbh. Even when you buy them all ready, they're still not crusty enough and just overall too soft.
Can you not buy food-grade lye at all here? That's WILD. It's often not easy to find in Germany either, but pretty much every pharmacy will be able to get it for you.
Yeah the Lidl ones here are hit and miss :( Waitrose does quite nice ones - they get the raw pretzels from Ditsch, a German bakery chain, and bake them here. They even have salt on! Not quite the same as in Germany, but the closest I've found. Harrods also do good ones, tbh, but they're more expensive so would be a rare treat and depend on you being in London 😅
As the last ditch report, Lidl's self-bake pretzels they often sell during German week are also quite nice!
TheDuraMaters@reddit
I went to a cookery class in Bologna, the woman running it told us their bread is famously bad!
Oxygene13@reddit
Who needs good bread when you created the worlds most famous pasta sauce!
TheRealVinosity@reddit
But their pizze are amazing!
I don't get it.
surreyade@reddit
German bakeries are wonderful.
actualinsomnia531@reddit
But they cram all that nice into just those 2 hours. Noone can beat the french for bread.
farraigemeansthesea@reddit
Not true. You do get long life, plastic-wrapped loaves which are as horrid as the UK ones.
iamnogoodatthis@reddit
Yes you do get them, but the relative shelf space given to that vs store-baked is vastly different
daddy-dj@reddit
And here in France the most common brand for pain de mie (or a "sliced loaf" to you and me) is by a company called Harry's, which they proudly say on their website is based on American sliced bread 🤢
ComprehensiveApple14@reddit
My stepfather had an old joke that says the spirit of croissonts evaporate at the french border.
iamnogoodatthis@reddit
So true. I live 5 minutes cycle away in Switzerland, and they're just not the same
brinz1@reddit
France has laws limiting factory made bread and culturally can't stand it
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
It's not meant to last, you're meant to eat it immediately. But not very practical in the modern day.
MonsieurGump@reddit
Not true.
Freshly baked bread in France goes stale in a couple of hours but the sliced bread from the supermarket will be good for a fortnight after your wharburtons has gone green.
myNameIsHopethePony@reddit
I have to disagree. As a tourist I've bought many nice breads like a Pain de campagnes in for example Leclerc supermarkets which were still quite fresh the next morning. For the rest I agree, also in Dutch supermarkets there's usually a pretty good bakery with freshly baked bread inside most supermarkets.
Commercial-Pear-543@reddit
There are UK supermarkets with fresh bread too, I think lots of people do not seem to have shopped around enough to know this
CaledoniaSun@reddit
False.
AmorphousBlob-0001@reddit
Where I live in England the only bakeries are sort of hipster places where a loaf is between £4 and £6.
When I lived in Athens every block had a local bakery where I'd get the bread for the day every morning for €1.
Similar experiences on holiday in France, Italy, all over the Balkans, Germany and Switzerland (price obviously higher in Switzerland but not as high as UK bakeries relative to other basics in Switzerland).
I don't think fresh bread is popular enough in the UK to sustain a bakery on every block serving the neighbourhood its daily bread affordable, and as a result there's a noticeable difference as described by OP
bored_toronto@reddit
...run by a Tarquin or a Prunella whose Daddy works in the City and was able to gift them a gap yah so they could "learn their craft" in a boulangerie in Provence or some shit.
PlasticNovelPorn@reddit
I like how you can tell this guy got really pissed off from his own imaginary scenario
stonkacquirer69@reddit
Some places will have non-hipster bakeries. But those places will still have just your basic bread, albeit for a slightly higher price. If you've tried it, you'll see why and that it's worth it, but from a marketing standpoint that sort of thing just doesn't work in the UK anymore.
krappa@reddit
This is the classic answer that sounds plausible but is just false.
systematico@reddit
No, absolutely not. And no, you don't have two fantastic bakeries near you. Don't worry, it's not your fault that you think that. You probably grew up in the UK, where bread doesn't go stale for a week and/or costs £5.
reocoaker@reddit
In Mainland Europe even the Supermarkets have nice bakeries though.
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
The Lidl bakery in most of Europe is identical to the UK except a few local products.
nocitylights@reddit
Yeah but at the same time UK Aldis don't have bakeries. Aldis where I'm from do
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
Yes, but that doesn't mean Lidl bread is any different there.
nocitylights@reddit
I think it's the same, at least the pretzels and Bavarian rolls are
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
Yes, most things are the same, but each country and even region has a few things adapted to the local market and not sold everywhere. Not all of them have pretzels where I live, for example, only ones where German tourists go lol.
weekedipie1@reddit
most supermarkets in spain bake their own bread
sexthrowa1@reddit
Idiotic take. Bread in mainland Europe is cheap, accessible, fresh and good. It isn’t here.
ThrillHoeVanHouten@reddit
This reply is pure cope
sharkmaninjamaica@reddit
bro the supermarkets in France serve the most insanely top quality produce u wud be amazed
CrewHead7190@reddit
This is one thing we got great in Turkey:
There are like 5x more bakeries, not all are as fancy as in the EU. Most do not have seating, or many do not have anything on display, some just has a small window.
Supermarkets do not have bakery sections, they get it delivered from an actual bakery in the morning.
Small grocery stores do the same too.
On top of that, for the less privileged, there are government stations that sell freshly baked, cheap bread with decent quality so there's a minimum standard for an affordable price, you never need to pay more to have decent quality, and that creates good incentive for private bakeries to keep quality high / prices down.
Joshposh70@reddit
I could basically live on Simit’s if they existed in the UK in the way they exist in Istanbul.
dinotoxic@reddit
Yep 100%, I’m in Sardinia atm. The local bread in the supermarket is absolute shite. More sugary than UK and processed. The fresh bakery bread though, lovely.
I’ve found this all over different locations in France, Spain, Portugal etc
izzie-izzie@reddit
That’s simply not true. We use different recipes for our breads. UK bread style is mostly similar to the one in the US.
kernowgringo@reddit
I don't know, bread I've still yet to find a bread that reminds me of the bread I had in the Swiss Alps
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Nope, just a time in your life that you remember fondly.
It probably wasn’t even that great
kernowgringo@reddit
Thanks mate
ChuckCassadyJR@reddit
He clearly means the bread, not an assessment of your experience of that time.
What he’s saying, rightly or not, is that your positive memories of the time are likely influencing your memory of the bread.
kernowgringo@reddit
I know
ChuckCassadyJR@reddit
I mean you didn’t know, the sarcastic thanks doesn’t make sense unless you thought he was on about your experiences. But you’re welcome!
kernowgringo@reddit
Clearly. The sarcastic thanks was because he was pissing over my happy memories. But, hey, you obviously know what I'm thinking better than me so thanks mate, for pointing that out.
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Food memories are an incredibly amazing & powerful thing, sorry for pissing on your chips buddy.
Didn’t mean to come off as harsh as it may have sounded mate
kernowgringo@reddit
Lol, it's fine, I found it funny, it's something my friend would do after I'd spent too long describing some bread and butter I had in Switzerland
"yeah, it was probably shit though"
Evening-Tour@reddit
He's a chef, his job is flavour and texture, he probably accurately assessed the bread.
Having that other guy tell him it "wasn't that great" warrants not other reply than sarcasm
ShabbatShalom666@reddit
Thanks mate
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Thanks mate
baddymcbadface@reddit
It's like that amazing wine you have on holiday. Take a bottle home and it doesn't hit quite the same way.
Ranger_1302@reddit
Well that’s taking it too far.
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Taking what too far?
SimianSimulacrum@reddit
Hah funny to see this comment. I grew up in the UK but live in Switzerland now. The bread is great, even (or especially) the supermarket bread. And I'm in the German speaking bit, I'd expect it to be better in the French bit. There's a crazy variety of bread here, even in a supermarket, and most of them are delicious. However, as others have said, most of it is only good for a day, while I think the average British supermarket loaf tastes pretty reasonable the next day (and sometimes, weirdly, for 3-4 days).
One bad thing is that the pastries aren't very good, even in a bakery. I assume they're better in the French speaking parts.
pintsized_baepsae@reddit
This can (apparently) be part of the reasons, yes. I've spoken to bakers in London who've been on training courses in Denmark etc, and they all said the recipes that worked there didn't turn out the same here even if they imported the same ingredients.
Fond memories definitely also play into it, but if you consistently go to the same bakeries you'll realise a variation in flavour etc that every bakery will tend to blame on natural varieties in temperature / weather /.... My local baker in Germany offered a whole batch at a discount at Christmas because his apprentice used the wrong sourdough starter, so the loaves didn't taste as people expected and they complained.
JudgmentOne6328@reddit
As someone that lives in Switzerland I promise you our supermarket bread is leagues above uk bread. Honestly if I left the bread is one thing I’d seriously miss. I do however sometimes love some shit bread, give me a warburtons toastie bread any day and there’s something about Allinson’s whole meal with butter than just hits the spot.
mcyeom@reddit
Hard disagree.
It was few years ago but I remember going to 3 different supermarkets trying to find some shit sliced white bread that was shit enough for my mothers tragically english taste and in the third supermarket we settled for a cube of brioche.
The worst you'll generally find in France is something akin to the baguette you get in supermarkets here, but no wonderbread.
Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit
I would love to go to a bakery in the UK. However, the nearest I can get is a fucking Greggs.
drquakers@reddit
Id mention another big difference is bakeries are everywhere in Germany and France. Town (30k people)near where I used to live didn't have one. Town I used to live in in Germany (17k people) had six.
PatchyWhiskers@reddit
Most American independent bakeries only do cake and cookies
27106_4life@reddit
That's not true, and also has nothing to do with this thread other than to shoe-horn some anti-americanism into the thread. Good job ol boy
Enamoure@reddit
This is not true. Have you ever tried the baked goods at Switzerland supermarkets??
thefirstofhisname11@reddit
This is not the case. Supermarket bread in Eastern Europe is less likely to be ultra-processed. In fact, Britain is leading in how much ultra-processed food people eat.
FamSender@reddit
Why does it feel like bread, (even outside bakeries), is so much nicer in Europe than in the UK? What do they do differently?
I feel like you didn’t read the question.
HighlandsBen@reddit
Nah, you can get decent bread (even sliced, plastic wrapped) in supermarkets in Germany that is miles better than most of what we get here.
Ok-Fig-7510@reddit
Sometimes even more processed depending on the country lol
TheCarnivorishCook@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorleywood_bread_process
UK grown wheat has lower protein due to our climate, making fluffy loaves difficult to make,
We figured out how to do it, allowing cheaper bread, if less tasty.
You can buy expensive bread if you want in the UK
Elegant_Win6752@reddit
These responses are ridiculous - in Europe, I can get excellent brown bread that's healthy for half the money it costs here. I would wager it's because bakeries are simply not considered a luxury and are more integrated in many European cultures, while in the UK processed bread gained prominence decades ago, as did premade sandwiches, both of which are quite rare in most European countries. That makes proper bread hard to come by and equates it with luxury goods, which it isn't, as it's a basic nutritional staple.
olivercroke@reddit
I've been to France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Denmark recently. France is the only place with good bread and easy to come by. Italy and Spain are awful, they have lots of patisseries but not many making artisanal breads and offerings in supermarkets is worse than in the UK. What you get at restaurants is barely edible.
Copenhagen has lots of artisanal bakeries so can pick up good bread but supermarket offerings are worse than the UK.
Offerings in supermarkets in the UK are better than any in Spain, Italy, Portugal or Denmark. We have more bakeries making good bread too.
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
Totally agree with you.
Elegant_Win6752@reddit
I mean I don't mean to discount your experience, but I've been to Italy, Croatia, Spain, Slovenia, Germany, Serbia, Portugal, Poland, Norway, Bosnia, Greece and France and every single one of them had better bakeries and bread. I really don't get which restaurants you ate in in Spain if the bread wasn't good.
olivercroke@reddit
Every single one of them had better bread than the UK? Do you live in a rural area with no bakeries?
I've also been to most of those countries and more. Just not so recently to recall the bread. Literally got back from Andalusia 2 weeks ago and visited 5+ cities there. Mostly eating in tapas restaurants of different varieties. The bread was utter crap in all of them and included bread sticks. Only in nice restaurants where the food and wine was absolutely excellent was the bread ok. Still then, not good enough for my French partner. It was so bad to the point I discussed the bread quality with my friends. But we've all lived in London, Copenhagen and Paris so our standards are high I guess.
Elegant_Win6752@reddit
Yeah thanks for that, I've lived in four major cities in the UK so far. And also, the fact that you cite London vs rural proves the OPs point -any European village has bakeries galore vs. a British bakery where an average sourdough you pay through the roof for, if the bakery is even there to begin with. And in Europe actual supermarket bread is good too. But whatever, to each.
olivercroke@reddit
Yeah this is true. There's more of tradition around food and it's more widespread but then doesn't evolve as much. Doesn't need to in many cases. It's like their coffee. It's available everywhere but it's god awful. You have to go out of your way to find speciality coffee that's not over roasted until it's tar and that's 99% of places. In the cities you can find better stuff but few and far between.
In Sicily (and I'm sure everywhere else) they had bakeries making simple white rolls that were all the same just in different shapes. They weren't terrible but not great and no variety. Not as good as French bread. I'm sure you can find artisanal breads in cities. What was served at restaurants was very bad.
There absolutely was no good bread in the mercadona's in Spain. They had baguettes equivalent to what you get in British supermarkets. That was it.
ellieofus@reddit
You’ve been to the wrong places in Italy if you say the bread isn’t nice and there isn’t any artisan bread.
For a start, bread is a regional thing in Italy, so you won’t find the same type of bread in all regions. The ingredients and processes used are different.
Bread in Palermo, Sicily, is not the same as the bread you would buy in Milan, Florence, or Rome. In Sicily, bread is much better and there is artisan bread everywhere, if you’re a local and know where to buy it. Supermarkets have standard bread, the artisan one is either in Panifici (not bakeries, but shops that mostly just bake bread) or in street stalls.
olivercroke@reddit
Italy have a few good bread options for dishes (pizza, focaccia etc.) but otherwise it's crap. I was in Sicily, it was not good. What you got at a restaurant was not good, even at fancy ones. What you got in the supermarket was bad and very little choice. I'm sure there are artisanal bakeries around, but they're not popular. Most patisseries/bakeries were not selling bread.
You get more choice in supermarkets in France and UK and more bakeries selling bread. You would not get bad bread being served at good restaurants.
ellieofus@reddit
The fact that you said that most patisserie/bakeries were not selling bread simply confirms how little you know or noticed. Italians eat bread lunch and dinner, and you think there aren’t enough Panifici (different from bakeries and patisseries) around? You can even buy bread directly from home as they sell it door to door still warm from the oven.
I would say de gustibus, but your facts are just wrong.
New_Plan_7929@reddit
Stop buying supermarket sliced, there is great bread in the UK.
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
Even supermarket can be great if you just don't go for the lower tiers
Impetuous_doormouse@reddit
BEcause ever since the 1960's, most UK bread has been made by the Chorleywood process, which was developed to utilise much lower quality wheat, be made much quicker and be cheaper.
Artisan bakeries still make nice stuff, but the usual bulk produced bread is mostly done this way and is very meh, compared to other countries.
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
Oh god, this is going to become a Reddit thing now isn't it?
Ahhh, but the ChorleyFM process!
Banes_Addiction@reddit
"Lower quality wheat" is subjective. It's wheat produced in the UK, which is lower gluten, making it better for cakes and worse for bread.
Nowadays for non-CBP its common to use some imported high gluten flour, usually from Canada.
Jinkzuk@reddit
That's a nice bit of trivia, but does that mean the UK is the only country in Europe using that process? I'd say unlikely.
kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit
I believe you can only call something a baguette in France if it's ingredients are flour, water, salt & yeast. And Germany has similar rules. Etc etc.
cf Tesco baguette: INGREDIENTS: Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Yeast, Salt, Flour Treatment Agent (Ascorbic Acid).
Yup, ascorbic acid, Chorleywood.
Impetuous_doormouse@reddit
No, but we're the only country in Europe to be using it to such a massive, amount that you'd actively have to seek it out in other countries, instead of it being the default.
kimba-the-tabby-lion@reddit
Indeed. And you can tell it's Chorleywood from the ingredients, ascorbic acid/flour treatment/vitamin c. It's shocking even quite posh places use it. For example, Pret is expensive, but the bread is (mostly?) Chorleywood.
StrawberryRoutine@reddit
that's so interesting!!
Routine_Ad1823@reddit
Not sure I agree with that. The quality of supermarket bread is better than most European countries, except maybe France.
It's shite in Northern Europe for example
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
Bread from a good bakery in Britain is just as good as break from a good bakery in Europe
DamnitGravity@reddit
The trick is finding a good bakery.
Banes_Addiction@reddit
And that's where some EU countries have the lead. There are bakeries all over the place in, eg, France.
Outside_Suggestion23@reddit
Exactly.
not_a_bot991@reddit
Not much of a trick is it?
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I must just be very lucky in west Wales that we have many excellent small bakeries!
pinkdaisylemon@reddit
Oh your comment reminded me of being on holiday in Wales over the years. Started going in the sixties as a kid and for many many years with grandparents, parents and then with my own kids. Early in the morning my dad would walk to the local bakery and buy the most beautiful fresh baked bread and rolls. We would make a picnic and take it with us to the most beautiful places. I will always love Wales, so many bittersweet memories of my late family members.
TempUser9097@reddit
Except we have like 1/10th the number of bakeries.
I love in a mid sized (150k population) town in England. There's 4 or 5 bakeries in town. They all just bake frozen pre baked crap, and their sandwiches are made using supermarket grade baps. The same kind of quality you'd get from a greasy spoon.
In Iceland, in my home town of 17k people, we had 5 bakeries that do fresh bread every morning. They do amazing pastries as well, a lot of Danish style pastries, and the sandwiches and savoury bakes they have are incredibly good, and UNIQUE to that bakery.
The UK doesn't come anywhere close to competing with bakeries in Scandinavia, France, Switzerland, etc. - our bakeries are ambitionless tat.
floodtracks@reddit
Nein. Lüge!!!
ellieofus@reddit
What a preposterous comment!
I refuse to compare British bread with Italian bread (especially in the south) and claims it’s all the same.
redskelton@reddit
True. But there are fewer good bakeries in Britain
notarobat@reddit
And the prices. Dear lord
neneumi@reddit
This my friend is a lie
i-love-rum@reddit
Non.
Few_Reward_7593@reddit
Op comparing warburtons to EU bakeries for sure.
pipnina@reddit
Despite it still being ultra processed bread, I've found Warburtons is usually still the best of the carbohydrate bricks that pass themselves off as bread at least.
Few_Reward_7593@reddit
I can't say i haven't eaten it since i was a kid but i does slap with some beans
havaska@reddit
I live 5 mins from the main Warburtons bakery in Bolton so when I buy their bread in the supermarket, not only is it fresher, but I’m “supporting my local bakery” 😂😂
Pogeos@reddit
show me that good bakery. I tried it so many times here in London and it's never even close to an average supermarket bread in France. Even the independent real french baker in my area produces baguettes that are nothing like in France.
QueensAndBeans@reddit
Are you joking?
Pogeos@reddit
i'm dead serious. I love bread, a LOT. I'm buying it from bakers (btw for ridiculous money compared to France) and somehow as soon as I cross the La Manche, even Auchan bread is better.
Otters_noses_anyone@reddit
Supermarket bread in Europe is way better than bakery stuff here. The European stuff tastes as bread did when I was a kid.
External_Violinist94@reddit
As a former chef with over a decade of baking experience I can confidently say you're chatting shit mate. Absolutely ridiculous comment
TheBikerMidwife@reddit
Well if you bake British bread of course you’ll defend it. I feed it to the ducks and apologise to them while doing it.
Lord_Bamford@reddit
Shouldn't feed any bread to ducks, ignorant in that regard too I guess.
TheBikerMidwife@reddit
So confidently wrong!!!!!
Even the RSPB say it’s ok in small quantities.
Ignorant because I disagree with you? Do you need a nap?
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
Sorry but you’re talking rubbish now.
Otters_noses_anyone@reddit
How daft. I’ve literally just come back from a month round Europe. The bread here is shite in comparison.
petrolstationpicnic@reddit
Where have you been in London? There’s literally hundreds of amazing bakeries
My two favourites are Quince Bakery, and Dusty Knuckle, both excellent
cine@reddit
I don't know where you're at but these are my local bakeries that all produce amazing bread:
Evening-Tour@reddit
Out here pitting truth, a good baguette made in the uk is meh in France.
Bicolore@reddit
In France right now, Super U Boulangerie is a pretty low bar.
constructuscorp@reddit
I mean...it's London. Nothing there tastes good because it's filled with pollution and avarice.
StatisticianThick938@reddit
Better than being full of F*h people
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I don’t know about London as I don’t live there but in west Wales where I do live there are many excellent bakeries that all make their own amazing tasting bread
https://crwst.cymru/pages/crwst-bakery
https://rock-n-dough.co.uk/
www.loafley.wales/
Ill_Republic_6484@reddit
I agree there is good bread here, but the variety in Germany is just quite special in comparison (especially with whole grain etc). But I can totally see how that's cultural - many Germans eat bread with spreads etc in the evenings regularly, so it's nice to have different types.
Evening-Tour@reddit
This isn't true, you can't get a good baguette here.
Only time for me was a kosher bagel shop, but their like a handful in the uk and none where I live.
stevedavies12@reddit
You can get good baguettes here, even in the likes of Tesco and Lidl.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I disagree.
Evening-Tour@reddit
Well the kosher bagel place was really good, so I don't know your basis of disagreement.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I said that bread from a good bakery in Britain is just as good as bread from a good bakery in Europe. You said “this isn’t true”. I wholeheartedly disagree with your statement.
That is the basis of my disagreement.
Evening-Tour@reddit
You don't like bagels, or just the ones from the kosher bakery I was at?
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
Why are you banging on about kosher bagels?! We are talking about BREAD 🤨
Evening-Tour@reddit
That's a bit odd to claim that bagels aren't a bread product. Im not sure your opinion can be trusted
Are you an anti-bagelite? I hope your prejudice isn't for the other reason?
buy_me_lozenges@reddit
Of course there are good bakeries in the UK, lots of independent businesses, some new artisan style places and some generations old with a great history. Add that post to the same old 'UK don't eat food with spices' or 'they put beans on toast' level of wilful ignorance.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
The flour, often is still contaminated with "flour improvers".
Tacklestiffener@reddit
That reminds me, must sweep the factory floor.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
Often - maybe, always - definitely not.
Fantastic_Fig_8559@reddit
Where are you buying your bread in the UK? There are tons of nice loaves to be had if you’re in a supermarket buy Jason’s.
knight-under-stars@reddit
Jason's bread is shite.
olivercroke@reddit
Go to Europe outside France and tell me the supermarket bread is better. Can't believe what OP is saying. Just spent a couple weeks in Spain and Portugal and the bread was gross. Last year in Italy the same.
knight-under-stars@reddit
Germany.
Fantastic_Fig_8559@reddit
Depends which variety you get. It’s the best from the supermarket
No-Neighborhood2213@reddit
British supermarkets don’t have bakeries, they are tanning booths. There are some bakery brands sold in supermarkets that use traditional baking techniques - that goes for pretty much any REAL sourdough (not ‘sourdough style’).
Longjumping_Win_7770@reddit
Gregg's is not a bakery.
dirtysantchez@reddit
It is, in fact, a reasonably priced reheatery.
BugAdministrative683@reddit
Didn't they used to be until relatively recently though? They stopped doing bread though.
dirtysantchez@reddit
Honestly, I have no idea. Looking at their fayre on display, it is clear that everything hot arrives ready-made and is baked/cooked on site. Nothing wrong with that btw, it makes commercial sense to consolidate production from a cost and consistency basis.
james_s_docherty@reddit
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-13670278 Nice article from years back on our sacrifice of taste for speed.
Consistent-Show1732@reddit
My grandmother used to make her own bread every couple of days. She bought fresh yeast from the bakers. Proved the dough in a warm place till it doubled in size. Kneaded it well and put in tins. Proved it again in the tin before baking. It was beautiful. It didn't keep well but it tasted amazing. When she got older, my grandad would walk into town and buy similar bread from one of the three bakeries. Also delicious. Nan taught my mum, who taught me. It was never quite as good. I miss my grandparents so much.
Bart_osz@reddit
The UK industrialised it's bread making process because of low wheat quality,( check out the "Chorley wood process".) enriched it with bunch of stuff to feed the population in post war Britain. That prioritized mass production and killed off bakeries. This in turn stopped.whatever traditional methods there were (sourdough before industrial yeast became available).
Where in countries which I know France or Poland that's was never a thing. They had good quality wheat to produce bread for centuries and have traditional method of doing it which continues until this day.
Shit supermarket bread it's a mass production afterthought brought with everything else in the supermarket.
There is bread in the UK that is fantastic but that's unfortunately considered recent years fashion and I see a lot of pushback against it , calling it hipster or fashion or whatever
TomLondra@reddit
Yes- the Chorleywood process was a disaster and has ruined British bread.
professionaleisure@reddit
Baguette laws and price might be part of the reason in France at least:
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/s/uu2QKDuRNO
KombuchaBot@reddit
UK bakeries use flour improvers more to chemically enhance the rise of the bread and prolong its shelf life.
French bakery bread and Polish bakery bread is definitely superior: the French stuff goes stale much faster, and the Poles prefer a kind of bread that naturally lasts longer than the pure white kind.
You can get good old style bread in the UK but it's a deli thing, or the sort of artisanal bakery where they buy it from.
GotAnyNirnroot@reddit
Because we culturally overwhelmingly prefer processed branded sliced bread.
Presumably this is another one of those war-time hangovers, like our love of canned food.
There is plenty of good bread, for those who want it, but it's certainly not the norm.
mikolv2@reddit
We, on average, don't have a food culture, people don't give a shit about eating good food. People willingly eat Hovis bread. There is just very little demand for quality baked good, or quality any food in the UK. In parts of Europe there will be a bakery baking fresh bread on every other street. You can absolutly get fantastic bread here but will cost you, I think I pay £7 a loaf.
UnacceptableUse@reddit
Because you're on holiday
nocitylights@reddit
I lived in Central Europe and now I live in the UK and I also agree with them. I was thinking that perhaps people in the UK value the "tost" bread more as it's more convenient for tosters? I was also considering maybe it lasts longer but mine usually get mouldy right after the bed so idk about that
cccactus107@reddit
In general, people in the UK value bread/food that is cheap, convenient and lasts a long time, the quality doesn't really matter.
jamnut@reddit
Yeah everything is nicer on holiday, even the shit stuff like accidentally waking up early or getting the shits. It just hits different when it's not at home and you can smash the cocktails from 10am
icantbelieveitssunny@reddit
I don’t think there’s much worse than getting the shits whilst on holiday lol. I’d rather deal with them from the comfort of my own bathroom!
jamnut@reddit
Had the shits a few days ago out in mexico, never had anything like it. There was no stomach discomfort but I'd literally piss water out my arse on the regular every 20 mins or so. Had a nice comfy day in bed then had fruits and bread for dinner.
icantbelieveitssunny@reddit
Was the bread better than uk bread? It’s important information!
jamnut@reddit
The bread was sweeter! I only had a couple of slices per breakfast but it was certainly different!
machisuji@reddit
I don’t think that’s it. I come from a tiny village in east Germany with less than 1000 people in it. Yet we have an actual stand-alone bakery making actual bread. No mass produced, preserved supermarket slop.
And virtually every town has these. Good lucky finding bakeries in Britain.
Chidoribraindev@reddit
Even finding a bakery is rare in the UK. I lived in 3 cities in the midlands and they had fuck all but Gregg's.
The UK has about 1/10th the number of bakeries in France. Fewer bakeries means less competition and worse food because any crap will do
Enamoure@reddit
No it's not. I lived in Italy and the UK and I noticed the same thing
Fickle_Hope2574@reddit
There's guarantees to be a bakery in your town who makes just as good bread as anywhere in the world. Or just make your own you know that's in it and the smell is just divine.
CaporalDxl@reddit
Idk, those M&S big round bois are pretty damn good (Romanian here, bread is in my DNA (I need a doctor)).
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
CBP bread. ( Chorleywood bread process)
It's not really bread.
Islingtonian@reddit
This is the answer! Bread used to give me terrible stomach pains. Then my partner got me onto fancy artisan bread and I no longer have issues. We think the Chorleywood process is to blame.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
They put loads of gluten in it.
So that would explain, your discomfort.
Tacklestiffener@reddit
Came here to say this. When we lived in the UK bread used to make me bloat like a Michelin Man. Now I live in Spain and I can eat bread again - unless I'm stupid enough to buy "British bread".
That said, I can buy baguette type bread cheap but a seeded loaf, for example, costs 3-4€. People forget that bread is a loss leader for supermarkets.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
Bread in the UK has extra gluten, added to it,
Hence, the bloating.
TSC-99@reddit
Go to Lidl 🍞 😋
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
😂😂
nocitylights@reddit
Lidl bakery actually nice and I will stand by it
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
OK but it’s not real bread is it, like OP is talking about. It’s part-baked, shipped in and re-heated. If your standards are that low then great but it’s not “real bread” by the standards of proper bakeries and bakers.
nocitylights@reddit
For a supermarket that's very cheap I think the quality is alright compared to the price. You obviously won't get the same quality as bread from an actual bakery. But it's still better than other shops that are more expensive
go_simmer-@reddit
I went to Corfu last week and couldn't wait to get back to the UK so I could have some proper bread 🍞
RelevantDetective198@reddit
What a load of nonsense. So many amazing bakeries in the UK in nearly every town and village You need bread to be fresh importantly. I’d also argue we do better sourdough than Spain/France.
WellnessWhispers25@reddit
I feel like everything tastes better when you’re outside of the UK
straightnoturns@reddit
British people tolerate mediocrity.
straightnoturns@reddit
British people tolerate mediocrity.
straightnoturns@reddit
British people tolerate mediocrity.
Beobacher@reddit
Because European bread has a nice tasty crust while British bread is lumpy and soft. Oh did I miss European bread when I lived in England …
Monsrage@reddit
My partner is gluten intolerant and he gets a bad reaction from UK bread, but not from Mediterranean bread. After a bit of research the wheat we use has more in common with us wheat (way more processed or something) and is different to EU wheat. So there might be something bigger at play...
draxenato@reddit
During WW2 rationing, the accepted recipes for bread in Britain used less and less sugary ingredients. When I emigrated to Canada, I thought their supermarket bread wasn't far short of cake, but it turns out that the British palate is just used to our ration-inspired recipes. We're the odd one out.
Alarmed_Inflation196@reddit
Wow the absolute cope in this thread. "It's just cos you're on holiday" lol :D
icantbelieveitssunny@reddit
As a southern European, that tried a lot of bread, I can say (in my humble opinion) that uk bread is actually really nice. Especially a tiger loaf. I know people talk about German bread, rye bread or whatever but to me they’re awful. I’m Italian, our bread is nice, French bread is nice too. But uk bakeries are well good!
In terms of super processed bread in supermarkets, then I think uk has the best tasting ones.
FletchLives99@reddit
UK artisan bakeries are great. Turkish, etc. shops too. And good-quality supermarket bread can be decent.
You probably just need to find a good bakery.
Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit
Turkish long bread for the win!
captainclectic@reddit
Turkish bread is miles better than UK bread. Softer, smoother and all round better taste.
aggieja@reddit
I lived in the UK for 15 years and ended up baking my own bread, as I couldn’t digest the chewy supermarket one, and there was no bakery around. But still it was not the same as the bread I’d buy at home in Poland. I always thought it was the flour, but now having baked my own bread back at home, it doesn’t differ from the one I baked in the UK, so it was just me… I think the recipes are slightly different, maybe just proportions or something?
deepinthewoods@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorleywood_bread_process
Shap3rz@reddit
The avg French bread that’s readily available is way better than English. It’s no contest. Of course you can find good bakeries in the UK.
Kamikaze-X@reddit
Eww absolutely not.
Basic white bread in the UK is miles better than basics from Spain and France in my experience.
French stuff was very tasteless and cardboard like (but then you would just get a fresh baguette anyway) and Spanish stuff smells like vinegar because they have to bleach their poor quality flour to make it palatable
trysca@reddit
I believe we have a softer type of flour that makes nice light cakes but not great bread- it was the same when i lived in Sweden their supermarketwhite bread is even worse than ours. French German & Polish flour is harder('stronger') and makes better bread - Italian bread can sometimes be too strong but makes great pasta ( type 00) . I also think our cool damp climate also doesn't help yeast to rise , British bread is generally better in the summer.
Nikkotak@reddit
French bread is nicer. They get up early and make loads of it every day in a specific type of oven and it’s worth doing so because French people buy fresh bread regularly. There isn’t enough demand for baguettes in England to make this work. Although I believe there are some bakeries in London.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
Haha have you been anywhere other than London?
There are bakeries in every town and city of the UK. There are bakeries in most supermarkets.
Nikkotak@reddit
Can any of them make a proper baguette though? I don’t think they have the right type of oven. Or the right recipe.
squash-finder-london@reddit
Yeah I love having the roof of my mouth ripped to shreds by the crust and then getting no nutritional benefit whatsover because the white flour is so refined. Vive la France.
Nikkotak@reddit
Tastes nice tho
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
While it’s true that they get up early to make bread, that’s also true of hundreds if not thousands of small independent bakeries up and down Britain! It is definitely not isolated to “a few in London” 😂
Nikkotak@reddit
That is true. I meant thru get up to make baguettes and there are some in London that allegedly make a proper baguette. But everywhere I’ve tried outside London does that kind of doughy English approximation of a baguette which is ok but nothing like the real thing.
fleetwood_mag@reddit
Where in live is a bit alternative/gentrified and we have several artisan bakeries. The bread is amazing! Don’t count the crap in the supermarkets.
DefiantTelephone6095@reddit
Just bake it yourself, but be aware, I can't now eat normal bread because it tastes so shit
Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit
Their should be a revolution in UK about supermarket bread
MonsieurJag@reddit
There's only about 4 ingredients in proper French bread.
I don't know whats so different in the UK version but all the UK 'French' bread seems to have emulsifiers and other stuff in it, it also has a finer consistency (the French 'pain tradition' has larger holes for want of a better description of its texture) so I wonder if this is part of the issue?
Also the French bread tends to have a crispy crust while the likes of Morrisons et al seem to under-cook it.
I've never found an acceptable 'pain tradition' in the UK, I tolerate Waitrose/M&S/Lidl until I can next get abroad. The other 'big 4 supermarkets' seem to be worse still. 🙁
Imajzineer@reddit
Because they bake bread (and lots of different types), rather than steam a biologically inert polymer and wrap it in plastic.
claireindc@reddit
less processing, fewer ingredients! True baguettes for example are only supposed to have flower, water, yeast, and salt.
JavaRuby2000@reddit
I just don't think you've been going to many good bakers in the UK. The "fresh" bread in Tescos and Sainsburys is not fresh. Some stores even use commercial scent machines to make them smell of fresh bread.
If you go to an independent bakers then their bread will be on a par if not better than most you will find in Europe. I don't think you will find much better than my local artisanal bakers.
The exception should be France until 1997 they had laws dictating the maximum price you could charge for a Baguette. Those laws no longer exist but, French people will still not pay more than they deem necessary so bakers have no choice other than to supply good bread for cheap. Meanwhile here in the UK good bakers can get away with charging £10+ for a French stick.
Total-Coconut756@reddit
Quality of the wheat?
ChampionshipComplex@reddit
Because you're wrong
Agreeable-Foot-4272@reddit
Sainsburies do really nice bread IMO.
BMET_@reddit
The UK is in Europe. Do you mean mainland Europe or the EU?
Silver-Appointment77@reddit
Our bread from a decent bakery is the same quality as the ones you get from bakeries any where in Europe.
But most of us just buy a cheap loaf of bread from a supermarket, all full of preservatives, which lasts a few days.
Fresh bread from a bakery lasts at the most 2 days.
spammmmmmmmy@reddit
I'm afraid bread really isn't an art form in the UK. That's probably why we get those fucking brioche everywhere.
Chorleywood process is what ruined everything. Consumers don't demand traditional bread, consumers don't demand government oversight.
Practical-March-6989@reddit
I would say this is because on holiday we spend more and goto the nice places. In the uk we goto aldi for the weekly shop. If you are willing to dish out the money there is some superb bread about in the UK.
I have eaten total crap bread in France many a time, its not all good by any stretch.
MintImperial2@reddit
I'm the other way on this subject.
I never appreciated just how good "off the rack" staple foods are in the UK - until I've just come home from a trip to the European mainland.
Euro Milk - Tastes odd.
No instant coffee, except the chicory adulterated brands.
Bread that's very dry, and isn't easy to chew.
Cold Meats that are hard to chew, and not really suitable for making sandwiches with.
Water out of the tap - Don't go there.
"Full English Breakfast" that is stone cold, and uses the lowest-quality Bacon/Ham available, which we'd call "Streaky" if we had it in the UK.
No Ale
No Chippy
and even a shortage of Chicken in Switzerland the last time I found myself there.....
(I could only order "Scampi McNuggets" at the Zurich branch of McD's.)
At least having that as a "Substitute" was more acceptable compared to the way I've been "Substituted" over my UK-based online orders....
Just give me a proper family platter UK fry-up any day of the week!
MKMK123456@reddit
It's all about the money .
There is great bread to be had in the UK. It's quite pricey.
Careless_Count7224@reddit
As the son of a baker I'm biased but I will die on this hill. UK bread from a decent bakery blows out of the water anything Europe has to offer bar possibly a French baguette. Added qualification, I'm married to an Italian and spend a lot of time eating foreign bread in Europe.
FantasticAnus@reddit
Bake my own bread, will never go back.
lucylucylane@reddit
You ever buy bread in Scandinavia
Tyler_Benett12@reddit
Bread is no more a secret! It's just simple as making perfumes copy
CaterpillarLoud8071@reddit
In the UK, you're buying bread in your weekly supermarket shop to make sandwiches for work - you want it to be affordable as it's a staple, and a bit processed or it'll be stale by the time you get round to eating it.
When you're on holiday, you're not doing a weekly shop, you're not working, don't need it to last a long time, probably are in a viral bakery rather than a supermarket and are willing to splurge on nicer things.
For the record, the artisan baguette in Lidl and the San Francisco sourdough in M&S are both great (fresh).
Dear-Jellyfish382@reddit
Im sure you can find similar quality in both places. Lots of people arguing about freshness and how its probably mass produced the same here as europe.
My experience from France is that i can get nice freshly cooked bread and pastries from any basic cafe and it will be both nice and reasonably priced.
Here in the UK the value isnt quite there. I have to seek out a place that does fresh pastries and when i do, im getting charged more for it.
ForeignWeb8992@reddit
Morrison bread is typically good, coop too but it is a but more shop dependent (pretty sure they do not bake it in shop, but they must have some centralised nhoven that serves an area).
What I found is that in certain places in Europe they mix different flours
planktonmenace@reddit
Aldi sourdough mix is only 90p, 10 minutes of prep and gives a good result imo
Tsuntsundraws@reddit
They make actual bread a lot more of the time
Fine-Night-243@reddit
By the same note, cheap beer is nicer (and colder) on holiday.
DeCyantist@reddit
Bread can be very good in the UK - it’s about where you shop.
Urist_Macnme@reddit
Supermarkets use tricks (additives and preservatives) to sell you old stale bread.
I only buy from my local bakery, and they only use salt, water, and flour to make their loaves. Granted they only last a day or two. But it’s essentially a different product.
ohpm500@reddit
I have no idea what you're talking about. I've had terrible bread in many European countries. Just this summer I had a mediocre baguette in France. Maybe you don't know where to get good bread in the UK? M&s and Sainsbury's both do perfectly good, freshly baked bread...
Key-Cat2596@reddit
Based on my observation after living here for 10 years, seems like the British are more invested in pub culture than food culture.
Only1Fab@reddit
Better flours
Competitive-Sail6264@reddit
The salt content is higher outside the uk due to the salt reduction scheme here.
krokadog@reddit
Because we use something called the Chorleywood process to fast-prove and batch bake our bread.
neneumi@reddit
I don't know the answer but this is true. I buy bread in Italy and it's to die for, it doesn't matter from where, it's good from most bakeries, even supermarket ones. I buy insanely overpriced fresh bread in the UK, not from supermarkets, and it's almost always too sour and doesn't have enough salt in it, so it tastes like nothing but sourness. Flavourless and sour. I have tried A LOT of bakeries and haven't found really good bread anywhere in the UK yet. If you guys think UK bread is good you simply have UK skewed taste buds ✌🏻
Beer-Milkshakes@reddit
Because we love mediocrity in the UK. It's why butchers have declined, bakeries have declined, and independent sweet shops have declined. We buy bulk processed shit and we love it
Tight_Blueberry1074@reddit
M&S is grand. Waitrose 'sourdough' is not bad. Lidl bread i find to be terrible.
Ordinary-Look-8966@reddit
Many of my European friends in the UK absolutely INSIST you can't find good bread anywhere in the UK, and believe it is largely down to the flour.
One of them used to bring giant bags of white flour whenever he visited France or Germany
classaceairspace@reddit
Some places take their bread way more seriously. I'm a brit living in Germany and I walked into the German equivalent of B&Q and they had their own bakery in the entrance. All this directly opposite a supermarket.
jrob10997@reddit
Then fuck off to Europe then
And dont come back
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question
Finalstan@reddit
As a well-travelled European living in the UK, food in general in the UK is the worst out of all countries I visited and it's a shared sentiment among my peers. Only exception is great access to vegetarian meat substitutes but that's more of a side-note. Literally everything, equivalents of supermarket food, artisan food, restaurant food (London can compete) is better outside of UK. This includes East Asia and poorer countries there. You can find good with a bit of looking but rarely great. In Europe and other countries (eg East Asia) food is good from the get go and often great. I don't know why but that's just how it is. Profit margins must have sth to do with it, I'd guess.
seklas1@reddit
Depends what bread you’re compare to in the UK. Anything I’ve had from Tescos or Aldi etc - is crappy. M&S has some awesome breads and buns. I usually bake my own, but it doesn’t stay fresh and soft for long enough, M&S is comparably very delicious and stays soft for longer.
RecommendationOk2258@reddit
Bread isn’t supposed to last a long time. Ciabattas are nice for maybe 24 hours. French sticks even less.
You can get it to last longer like the supermarkets do, but you end up with bread the texture and taste of a washing up sponge.
I’ve also started baking my own as I don’t have time or money to go to a decent bakery every day, but I do have a few mins to put flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast in a bread machine and press start. My own is only suitable for toast the day after. After that, the compost.
GnaphaliumUliginosum@reddit
Yep, supermarket bread is the result of the Chorleywood Process, it's been ubiquitous in the UK for long enough that the average Brit expects bread to be like this and Superarkets have driven a lot of the real local bakers out of business ussing tactics such as using bread as loss-leaders. Many other countries have never really taken to Chorleywood process bread, have political institutions that better support farmers, small business and consumers, and so still have abundant local bakeries and a culture that supports and values them. Proper bread takes time to make which increases price, and without the economies of scale, local bakers have to charge a lot of money to make even fairly basic proper bread available in the UK.
The British approach is still far too often along the lines of 'never mind the quality, feel the width'
ohgoditsdoddy@reddit
Turkey uses a rapid process for its standard “Halk Ekmek” loaves as well, but they are much tastier due to short but longer fermentation, the type of wheat/flour used and the method of cooking.
Turbulent-Honky@reddit
The problem with British food in general, I feel, is that people want the cheapest price and don’t really care about the quality. It’s why British food still has a bad reputation, despite there being many great dishes here.
pintsized_baepsae@reddit
Fully agree. And it's sad, because (as someone who emigrated here from Germany) a lot of British food is great... But, just like my favourite dishes in Germany, it's of course going to be bad if you use the cheapest stuff you can find for everything.
If it's out of necessity that's one thing, but if it's because you just want cheap, cheap, cheap... Nah.
ploopitus@reddit
Bread in Spain's getting stale before you even get it home.
Tacklestiffener@reddit
In Paris, in the 70's, I used to buy half a baguette in the morning and half in the evening on my way home. The baker was on the corner and he baked at least twice a day.
seklas1@reddit
I’m just saying M&S Ciabattas are actually really nice and they do stay soft for longer. Since I generally make bread by hand and bake in the oven, it takes a while to make it. Lots of hands on every hour or so. Just not something I want to put my time into every few days. We eat bread, but not so much that it makes sense to bake it myself often.
fr_nkh_ngm_n@reddit
True. M&S have proper bakery items, besides Lidl. Most of the rest is ultimate crap. Not to mention the non-existence of (non-industrial) bakeries.
olooooooopop@reddit
I work in an m&s bakery, it all comes in frozen.
seklas1@reddit
Obviously, it’s only baked in-store. But a bread being frozen is not a problem at all. The quality of baked goods is still far higher at M&S compared to pretty much every other supermarket.
olooooooopop@reddit
I'm not saying it's not good quality I was just replying to the comment about it having 'proper bakery' items. I would think proper bakery items would be freshly made, to me anyway.
seklas1@reddit
I wouldn’t say that having a raw dough frozen is “not proper”. About the only reason to buy from an independent bakery shop is “hand-made”, they don’t make them in factories. I used to shop at my local bakery before and I paid the premium for their baked goods and selection of smoked meats. It’s part of the experience, supporting local businesses etc etc. bread is bread. If made to a good recipe with good ingredients and less preservatives, it’ll be a good bread, regardless if a machine, factory, or human made it. We can say “hand-made” adds value to us theoretically, it doesn’t change the flavour though.
fr_nkh_ngm_n@reddit
Exactly! 👍👍
fr_nkh_ngm_n@reddit
No. As long as they are freshly baked and don't come with a heap of preservatives, moreover with flavour, they are proper. Much more so than the flipping sliced, rectangular plastic that is all over the place. Frozen does not mean dated. They are frozen for keeping the quality.
Taken_Abroad_Book@reddit
Like the whole of Europe?
I've had some shite bread from a village shop in rural Bulgaria.
totoer008@reddit
I believe it is a mix of multiple items. A you spend more during holidays, you seek out good experiences. B as a French man, believe me, we have shit bread too. C I found good bread here too, it is a discrete small shop that sells incredible bread for a fair price (it is pricey but you get like a kilo of good quality) I wouldn’t say bread is bad here just the expected quality of daily bread is definitely worst.
stuckwitharmor@reddit
I think at least here in Greece, if a bakery opens and their bread is a bit shit, people just won't go and will spread the word about how bad their bread is. Basically, bad or overpriced bread is enough to make people take to the streets, as in seriously. Bread is synonymous with food here, and a revolutionary slogan still used to this day is 'Bread, Education, Freedom' which are the holy trinity of basic rights for humanity here. People just do not tolerate the kind of bread you get in the UK, whereas in the UK people complain about it but still eat it. That's why. Can you imagine the French accepting UK standards of bread? They'd burn down the bakery. The UK has terrible bread because the Brits still eat it.
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
You’re probably using bog standard chain stores in the UK. Go to an independent baker and you’ll get the same quality level as you’re experiencing abroad.
I recently visited two in France… One was an authentic boulangerie and obviously gorgeous while the other was generic and not a million miles away from going to Greggs, really…
You get what you pay for.
Lumpy-Home-7776@reddit
It's definitely a mix of holiday vibes and where you're buying it. The good stuff exists here, but you have to seek out the independent bakeries and specialty shops instead of the supermarket aisle. Once you find a local spot, it completely changes the game.
ohgoditsdoddy@reddit
It absolutely is a thing.
postexitus@reddit
You probably are going to the wrong bakery, if you are going to a bakery at all. Otherwise, bread is very decent in the UK.
olivercroke@reddit
Ermmmm are you serious? Britain has some of the best bread. France does too.
The rest of Europe is disgusting. Italy makes good bread as part of dishes (focaccia, pizza etc) but the bread you get otherwise or served at restaurants is awful. Just got back from Spain and it's shockingly bad. Used to live in Copenhagen and they had some of the best bakeries and patisseries in the world but you'd have to go there and £6 to get any nice bread, it was all crap in the supermarkets and mostly rye bread.
Please tell me what countries you think have good bread in Europe?
Plugged_in_Baby@reddit
Nah, even the nice bakeries near me (Blackbird and Gail’s) have nothing on regular supermarket sourdough in Germany.
HomelanderApologist@reddit
Like with everything, here in the UK we do the bare minimum.
TomLondra@reddit
This question is confusing because the UK is in Europe. For example The Guardian " the UK is the fifth-worst country in Europe for the loss of green space". Others say things like "one of the worst countries in Europe for millennial retirement preparedness" or "the UK has the worst quality of life among Europe's biggest countries"
So we are in Europe. What on earth is the question about?
palishkoto@reddit
One thing you may have noticed about UK (and Irish) English is that 'Europe' is often used to refer colloquially to 'the Continent' - mainland Europe. Sweden does the same.
People know we're part of the continent of Europe; it's just a shorthand for mainland Europe.
TomLondra@reddit
Thst is very confusing. Please stop doing it.
palishkoto@reddit
I see you're a translator - you'll know about those kinds of conventional terms, so it really isn't confusing for us! It's as clear as when e.g. Italians say 'England is leaving Europe' - they mean the UK is leaving the EU, and it's a weird sentence to us, but it makes sense to them as a common convention.
laurasoup52@reddit
WHY IS FRENCH BUTTER SO GOOD THOUGH
zhephyx@reddit
It has more butter per butter
EmmaInFrance@reddit
Did you buy demi-sel? Usually sold in red packets? That's salted butter, often here, i's usually Breton butter as salted butter is traditional here in Brittany.
You can find salted butter in British supermarkets, either sold as from Brittany or Normandy, but also from back home 🏴, as traditionally, Welsh butter was always salted.
If you prefer unsalted butter, then you may have bought butter with the appellation 'd'Isgny' which is an area famed for the extremely high quality of their dairy products, and yes, d'Isgny when anglicised became Disney!
Johnlenham@reddit
Huh, you can buy salted butter anywhere in the UK.
No idea what lunatic wants unsalted for other than baking
Bicolore@reddit
Eh it’s not?
If I want “commercially” made butter I’d go Irish. If I wanted just wanted insanely good butter I’d go somewhere that uses jersey cows and raw milk.
Vitalgori@reddit
Isn't butter supply basically a public service in France?
Zak_Rahman@reddit
Having spent long periods of time in foreign countries, I know believe that British bakers are the best or at least amongst the best.
I am entirely biased and make no apologies for this. A lot of the world puts way too much sugar in bread. Or they bake it until it's rock hard.
I think for flat breads, the naan making cultures have got it down, but we imported that good stuff already.
Tiger loaf superiority.
TheGinjaPrince@reddit
Have you tried Spanish BIMBO bread?Its terrible.
contemplativeme@reddit
To be fair Bimbo, or any other packaged bread, is not really considered proper bread in Spain. We would always add an adjective like "pan Bimbo" or "pan de molde". When Spanish people talk about bread, we mean baggets, or loaf of crusty bread.
Fair_Effect4532@reddit
I noticed the bread here is ‘creamier’ (?) & way sweeter than in Europe. Also, why do we have so many ingredients in a bread? I buy Sainsbury’s bread with 4 ingredients and I’m shocked the other 52 brands and loafs have at least 20 weird ingredients in it. Like flour, raising agent, water should be the recipe 🫣😅. So I second your opinion, bread here doesn’t compare to the plain & simple European bakeries where popping to a bakery is an everyday activity & doesn’t cost an arm & leg to buy bread. We go there every month & buy sweets for £1 that I can see the baker making fresh in the back🙈
Smart-Resolution9724@reddit
The flour is different, protein content and bread recipe proving etc results in a different product. With a by the time its cold its going off shelf life. UK seems to prefer long shelf life.
When you make homemade bread you get a more European type of bread.
neo4025@reddit
No idea as I didn’t find this, having lived in France for two years. I much prefer the bread here in the UK. Bakeries were about the same. But sliced bread in places like Leclerc etc is American in origin, which is sweet. When we got back to the UK, it was like heaven having proper sliced bread.
palishkoto@reddit
Ugh, French 'pain de mie' is awful!
neo4025@reddit
😂
fern_is_typing@reddit
I used to work in a grain store and kinda know a reason why! Uk wheat doesn’t have high enough nitrogen to rise properly due to fields lacking nutrients so it’s mixed with wheat from North America (cheap, higher in nitrogen) considering how farming is done over there it wouldn’t surprise me if its full of unnatural chemicals that affects how the bread tastes
contemplativeme@reddit
To me it has to do with tradition. France, Germany, Spain... Have a really strong bread tradition and bread is eaten with every meal, that's not so much the case in the UK.
The best supermarket bread in the UK is from Lidl because it's a German supermarket, even if Lidl bread in Germany is mid. I have not yet been lucky enough to find one of those good bakeries people talk about in the comments, but it might have to do with my own preference of crust bread instead of soft bread.
MrMikeJJ@reddit
It may sound counter intuitive, the local butchers sells amazing bread rolls. No idea where they buy them in from. They are really nice.
DaijoubuKirameki@reddit
Where I live in London, my local bakery when ever I walk past it has maybe 20-30 people queuing up outside
It's next to a university and I think mostly students queuing up
I never been since I'm not willing to queue up for half hour
DaijoubuKirameki@reddit
On the other hand, one of my cousins works at another bakery and gets free bread and the kids in our family prefer store bought bread because it's softer
Satyriasis457@reddit
Bread in m&s is pretty decent. Focaccia, Ciabatta, the white boule. Not bad at all. I can't recommend the bread which contains sugar and emulsifiers. Stay away from that.
PiscineIllusion@reddit
I used to live in both Austria and Italy. And let me tell you, I really began to miss a regular white loaf.
They have all sorts of fantastic bread products. But if you just want a normal loaf to have a normal, boring sandwich, it's all pretty universally horrible.
Interesting-Job-7757@reddit
It’s two things, how the crops are grown and treated and how much shit they add. Pretty much every supermarket bought loaf of bread is garbage and in my opinion not fit for purpose. Full of bad oils and fillers to make manufacturing more efficient and profitable. People need to educate themselves and stop buying this stuff. Even better, have a law that prevents manufacturers from calling it bread - maybe highly processed bread alternative.
lastkni8@reddit
As someone not from Europe I love the bread here.
Halfmoonhero@reddit
Bread in the Uk is great. Every time I’m back it’s so good to have real bread for a normal cheap price compared to most other countries
ProcedureGloomy6323@reddit
utra processed crap, the UK is the largest consumer of UPFs in Europe by a lot
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
We have bakeries making nice bread as well though
Snap_Ride_Strum@reddit
Yeah. And just look at their prices.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
2-3 quid for a loaf? Worth it in my opinion.
They're never going to enjoy the economies of scale of somewhere like France because it's a different culture, French people are much less likely to settle for mass produced supermarket loaves.
Snap_Ride_Strum@reddit
Where I live the decent bakers charge £8 for a nice loaf.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
£8 is madness. Presumably that's a hipster bakery in the South?
Here are some typical prices from independent bakeries in the North:
Hadfields Bakery (Huddersfield) Regular independent bakery in Yorkshire Large white loaf \~ £2.30
Hadfields — Small white / small wholemeal / small brown \~ £1.50
Hadfields — Large granary loaf \~ £2.45
Moin Moin Bakery (Rawdon, Yorkshire) Artisan / traditional + continental styles Small white / small wholemeal / small harvester \~ £2.70
Moin Moin — Large white / large wholemeal / large harvester \~ £4.10
Moin Moin — White sourdough or some continental loaves \~ £4.70
Bondgate Bakery Northumberland / County Durham region Large white loaf \~ £2.85
Bondgate Bakery— Small white loaf \~ £1.90
Bondgate — Large granary loaf \~ £2.95
Bondgate — Large white sourdough boule \~ £3.35
Leeds Bread Co-op Leeds Sourdough loaf £3.50 per loaf
Snap_Ride_Strum@reddit
Yes, I live where the well-paid jobs are.
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
And I live where the cheap bread is
Snap_Ride_Strum@reddit
There are times I envy you. But it is easier to forego bakery bought bread.
Lord_Bamford@reddit
Do you live in an airport?
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
£8 is madness. Presumably that's a hipster bakery in the South?
Here are some typical prices from independent bakeries in the North:
ProcedureGloomy6323@reddit
95% of bread sold in the UK falls short of "real bread" standards
https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/what_is_real_bread/#:~:text=Real%20Bread%20is%20made%20without,Ingredients
SnooStrawberries2342@reddit
It's no surprise that 95% falls short of real bread standards given the popularity of bog standard supermarket loaves, however I'm in a rough part of Sunderland and there are three decent bakeries within 10 minutes walk.
5% of the bread market still represents a lot of bread.
neityght@reddit
I live in Northern Europe and am constantly pining for some good British bread.
Captain_Kruch@reddit
If you think British bread is bad, you obviously haven't had the displeasure of American bread. 'Wonder' bread must be a misnomer...
27106_4life@reddit
You find the most processed American bread and think it's representative of the entire country. Much like Carling is the best British beer, by far, right? And representative of British beer as a whole?
Groovy66@reddit
Or Japanese. It’s like Nimble diet bread if you’re old enough to remember that brand
ScentedSyphillis@reddit
Now go on holiday to the USA and try their "bread"
Astronaut_Level@reddit
I’m from Poland and it is true that ‘artisan’ bread is just regular bread in Poland, more accessible and cheaper than in the UK. Sliced toast bread is rare.
Large_Department_571@reddit
Probably cause you on holiday in a good mood so everything seems better
tartanthing@reddit
Clearly never had Scottish Morning rolls.
YorkieLon@reddit
What bread are you comparing. Is it like for like?
West-Ad-1532@reddit
It's remarkable how far society has come when people associate supermarkets with fresh food. It's upf junk, hence why everyone is fat.
Terrible-Group-9602@reddit
Ive travelled all over the world but nothing beats a nice crusty roll or crusty tin loaf from the local baker
Ohbc@reddit
The hipster bakeries are just as good as European ones (although I'd like to see more dark bread) however an average European bakery is far superior to what you can find here
Sweaty_Sheepherder27@reddit
Because as I saw someone point out on another conversation on here, all countries industrialised their food weirdly. Our hang up is effectively destroying our bakery tradition, in France it's UHT milk being the standard, and so on.
lunarpx@reddit
There are plenty of good bakeries in the UK. Even supermarkets have decent bread if you get the freshly made stuff.
mountainousbarbarian@reddit
You'd struggle to finish a slice of black rye bread and it's a European classic. I think you don't know what you're on about.
brutallyhonestJT@reddit
To be fair, Lidl bakery is pretty good when you are comparing "supermarket shit ". Rest are trash though.
Goto a local bakery for better quality, sadly not many exist due to rising costs.
Particular_Store8743@reddit
What do they do differently? They ask for it. Other European countries don't consider shit food an important part of their national identity.
StrawberryRoutine@reddit
downvote me all you want, please leave the uk and go have some actual good bread because you are being ripped off and eating terrible bread.
Strange_Man@reddit
The bakery section in supermarkets has great quality bread?
melanie110@reddit
I very very rarely eat bread in the UK after my surgery. It bloats me, it’s painful. Etc.
Went to France and consumed my body weight in bread and no issue at all
RecommendationOk2258@reddit
I was getting pretty bad bloating (trousers fit at start of day, not by end of day) and I cut out a lot of crap from my diet to see if it helped. Honestly there was stuff I was eating because it was convenient or I was bored or too lazy to make it myself. I’d buy a pack of biscuits and eat half the pack. Some of it I didn’t even really like the taste.
The fact the prices kept going up was even more of an incentive to change something.
I started making more things from basic ingredients, including baking my own bread. I haven’t bought supermarket pizza for ages - it’s much cheaper to make my own, and it’s nicer. Can’t believe now I used to buy basic tomato pasta sauce when it’s so easy to make.
I started reading labels more and avoiding things with too many ingredients I didn’t recognise. I cut out a lot of artificial sweeteners by mostly stopping drinking squash.
Honestly feel so much better for it. Only time I’m bloated now is when I’ve done it to myself by eating too much.
jaymatthewbee@reddit
I’m going to whisper this because I’ll get downvoted and because we do have good produce available, but the majority of the general British population has pretty bad taste when it comes to food and drink.
Away-Activity-469@reddit
They don't use the chorleywood method.
unearthedmalady@reddit
Buying a bread maker has changed everything for us. We have a Sage bread maker and the taste of a homemade loaf is superior to almost all breads I've tried in a supermarket.
stevedavies12@reddit
It's just as good, you're just buying the cheap crap stuff and getting what you are paying for.
thesteelmaker@reddit
Mass produced and cheap.
If you want nicer bread, all supermarkets have it, but it will cost you a lot more.
llynllydaw_999@reddit
"French ‘cannot tell a good baguette anymore’ says bread historian. Bakers are in crisis as French people no longer have a taste for good bread..."
https://www.connexionfrance.com/magazine/french-cannot-tell-a-good-baguette-anymore-says-bread-historian/118903
LadyMirkwood@reddit
I'm quite picky about commercial bakery goods but I find M&S decent.
Learn how to make bread. It's not difficult and the payoff is huge. Ciabatta is a good place to start or a simple boule. You can make a fantastic, crusty loaf in a Dutch oven pot.
This No Knead recipe is a great place to start.
StrawberryRoutine@reddit
it's definitely a thing, bread in the uk is not good.
I think it's the obsession with sourdough?
llynllydaw_999@reddit
Plenty of good bread here if willing to look for it and pay for it. I don't believe that the worst bread in France can possibly be better than the best bread here. I also don't want to buy a fresh baguette every day, and if that means my bread has preservatives in it so that it lasts a while then I'm fine with that.
Nearby_Impact6708@reddit
To be fair they just make bread
A lot of the "bread" in the UK has been altered to the point it doesn't really resemble bread. If it's not rock hard after like a day or two then I'm sorry to say it's not really bread anymore it's some sad futuristic copy of bread made to resemble the real thing but tastes, feels and behaves nothing like it
I am a bread snob and my views are at least partially based on pomp and ego, I understand that and will not be accepting arguments that fail to account for this.
I think my tastes on bread are just better than yours ok, giving me your opinion won't make me change it, it will just fill me with even more disdain for your sad little soggy sandwiches that were made 5 days ago and are still somehow fresh. It's an abomination.
DangerousDisplay7664@reddit
I said that bread from a good bakery in Britain is just as good as bread from a good bakery in Europe. You said “this isn’t true”. I wholeheartedly disagree with your statement. That is the basis of my disagreement.
I dunno why you’re going on about kosher bagel shops
perhapsflorence@reddit
Everything is nicer on holiday.
Lazy_Helicopter_2659@reddit
Because it is...
luala@reddit
We buy fantastic bread from our local artisan bakery but it’s a fiver a loaf. I’d argue we can make fantastic bread in this country but it’s not the staple here like it is in France so there’s less demand for artisan product and you’re more likely to have supermarket bread available and affordable in the UK.
BroodLord1962@reddit
You can still get really nice bread in the UK, but you need to find a proper bakery, not supermarkets own stuff. Although you can get some lovely breads from Waitrose, and M&S, and I think the baguettes from Lidl are really nice. But over the last 10yrs the breads in Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, and Morrisons have gone right down hill.
F133T1NGDR3AM@reddit
Tesco's tiger bread batons are actually pretty good. Expires in 2 days, though.
The home-baked baguettes are pretty good, too.
I do prefer French butter, though.
Lidl Bakery does some nice rolls and different bits too.
Most people's experimentation with bread ends with the supermarket loaf, which is loaded with chemicals in order to get it last on the shelves.
Natural bread degrades quickly.
breadmaker2025@reddit
I grew up with a local bakery a few steps from my house, I took waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread in the mornings for granted. They moved away during the turn of the millennium, so it went from being a small local bakery to a larger industrial setup. I'm sure it's still great here if you have a small local bakery, that makes everything in-house.
IainMCool@reddit
We put extra misery into ours.
fartingbeagle@reddit
It's the tears that give it that extra zing.
thisthrowawaythat202@reddit
😍
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
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PsychologySpecific16@reddit
It doesn't but I don't buy supermarket bread. I get mine from the local market and it's lovely.
gorgo100@reddit
Yep, the good old "Chorleywood Process" is to blame. Anything in a packet from a supermarket is generally going to be through that process and is designed to churn out bread in bulk as quickly as possible using mechanisation rather than in quality. Get a loaf from virtually any small bakery and you immediately notice the difference.
I mean the Chorleywood Process is a manufacturing wonder looking at it objectively, but the product is not as nice as a loaf made traditionally.
ichirin-no-hana@reddit
I was shook by how good French supermarket bread was compared to here so I feel that
I do wish I lived near a bakery though 😭
FancyMigrant@reddit
It's because you're on holiday, that's all.
WilkosJumper2@reddit
You’re going to shit bakeries.
Silly_Tomatillo6950@reddit
The processed stuff is cheap and we lost the heritage and expertise
Butters16666@reddit
There’s a bit of rain in each loaf
IncomeKey8785@reddit
Look for local bakeries or Eastern European shops for good bread in the Uk
EffectiveAlarming875@reddit
mass produced bread tastes the same everywhere in my opinion. Fresh stuff, bakery dependent is typically better
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