Our expert judges have reviewed sliced white bread from leading brands. Check out the summary article below, or read the full review to get the best bread.
Which bread do you prefer?
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We donât eat any white bread other than Coles Finest White Sourdough Bread occassionaly.
We usually eat Coles Multigrain Toast Bread which is the nicest multigrain bread we have eaten since the small suburban bakery we patronised for years changed owners and we never returned again after our first purchase.
How about a review of multigrain breads in light of all the articles claiming that white bread is so unhealthy?
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We are wholemeal eaters and never buy white loaves. Choice covered the other ones (wholemeal) ones a few years agoâŠ
We prefer wholemeal for many reasons, including its flavour/taste.
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Good suggestions. Iâm sure that weâll consider running a similar test for multi-grain and wholemeal in the future 
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I never buy white bread. I usually buy wholemeal or grain bread.
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Supermarket bread is our second option after the local bakery. Most often if it is supermarket supplied Helgaâs (sometimes white) is the most common purchase, although pricing can vary and if it is not at the right discount we skip the purchase.
Looking at the white bread reviews.
Interesting when using the filters, 4 of the brands are manufactured from 50% or less Australian ingredients. All big name brands too!
Great for the remainder that many are 90% or more Aussie ingredients.
What is so critical to the mix it needs to be imported?
One sample from the Abbots Village Web site.
Definitely not one on our shopping list!
@BrendanMays, it is worth noting the Choice review (45% Aust ingredients) and brand web page have very different info on the Australian content. Itâs only 35% Aussie if you buy the online variety! 
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Well spotted! Weâll update the article.
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You are welcome. I really was just wondering about what was so critical to the ingredients they needed importing.
Modified Tapioca Starch magic no 1442 might be one, and soy another? Why some of the alternative brands can source most of the ingredients locally is noteworthy.
Bread dough can be up to 40% water, which is unlikely to be imported, which suggests the dry bread mix is fully imported?
I know food grade water is an expensive local ingredient given the drought etc. ($3/tonne approx tap price).
Or is there some other explanation?
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I think youâre correct, the mix must be imported or mostly imported. However, I donât have any insight into the specifics of this companyâs manufacturing process so I canât for certain which parts are which.
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, which puts water at number two on the list. We can also see on the parent company website that the bread is manufactured in Australia or New Zealand, so it seems likely that your theory holds true.
When the primary Australian ingredient is water, I wonder how this affects peopleâs perception of the accuracy of country of origin labels.
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How do the words ânutritiousâ and âwhite breadâ even appear together?
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One has to read it with the wordâŠâmostâ. It doesnât necessarily mean it is nutritious, but possibly, the âbest (nutritional value) out of a bad bunchâ.
Also, many white (and other types of) breads are fortified with minerals and vitaminsâŠto boost their nutritional value.
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They probably really should not. And yet, I love good white bread. Preferably a block white made with some vaguely traditional recipe/ingredients, so it tastes like the bread we used to get when I was a child. The local bakery, before its ownership transferred to a Chinese mob, used to have a fairly low carb one but now you canât trust it. In fact the Coles-made one is closer in taste and texture to what I expect and like.
Country Split White has fewer carbs, as does a Helga product, but both taste like cardboard. So⊠its back to the Coles white⊠again.
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I suggest this is key: âso it tastes like the bread we used to get when I was a childâ.
A good reason not to be giving kids white bread so it becomes a âcomfort foodâ for life.
There are much healthier alternatives that will serve them better through their lifespan and reduce community Medicare costs.
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Which, to me, mostly taste disgusting. I dont eat much bread, dont have kids, and Iâm too old to change now (I tried). I suppose if you are brought up with the so-called healthy alternatives, its OK. For me, its a wash. Iâd rather have a lettuce leaf wrapped around some ham and cheese, than those other breads. Carb loads are too high in most of them, and as for seeds, UGH!
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I brought my kids up eating wholemeal bread. As adults, they now refuse to touch it! So much for trying to do the right thing.The only white bread I eat is occasional Turkish bread - it is quite different and delicious.
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Agreed it is not the most nutritious of all the food options. Hopefully everyone is still free to make their choices.
Iâm happy for Choice to look at potato chips (crisps) and all their variations in the same light.
âWhatâs the tastiest, most nutritious supermarket packaged potato chipsâ?
Could we ask the same of milk chocolate. Vague recollections this has sort of been done previously.
Perhaps all that is needed is a common understanding some food products are more treats than essential?
Taste always comes first. Thatâs what makes them treats. It would be a very dull and boring life without the occasional indulgence, and Choice there to ensure consumers can maximise the benefits.
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If you comb through the archives at CHOICE, youâll find some interesting tests - wine, gin, champagne, you name it and at one time CHOICE has tested it. However, we also take a role in informing consumers, and as part of that role we do our best to consider any health questions or concerns and provide appropriate information. There is a balance to all of these things, so we hope that we get this as close as possible for people.
Continuing our above discussion @mark_m, I have confirmed with the product testers that the Abbottâs bread we tested listed 45% Australian Ingredients (pic below). Is this a regular fluctuation or the sign of an incoming recipe change? Weâll have to keep an eye on it to find out.
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Great to see the evidence for the a actual loaf tested.
Is the fact that Abbotts Village brand web site has a different and lower Australian content asking a different question? As you suggest something to keep an eye on.
More broadly.
How often to brands vary ingredients, and when they do how hard is it to identify changes? Stopping every time you pick a product off the shelf and reading the fine print, comparing it to a saved database on your tablet device. How much longer will a shop take if a consumer chooses to verify products continue to match the details of any prior assessment?
It seems consumers are on a loose loose if this becomes more common. For online purchases, I also wonder if the product labels and descriptions are continually kept up to date.
Not a criticism of Choice. More an opportunity to increase awareness.
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I never buy or eat white bread. Only wholemeal or a bread with fibre. I am inclined to stick to Abbotts breads which seem to be bulky rather than light without substance.
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If that happens, could we have the results as one big table that compares the nutrition of all the types of bread.
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