Sainsbury's Free From White Sliced Bread - Now Egg Free - Completely Ruined It

[HAUS]

Living with Coeliac Disease since birth, Bread has always been an issue, never too nice, small slices and always overpriced, But Sainsbury's Free From White Sliced Bread seemed to me to be an exception with it's large uniform 12 x 12cm slices that had the bounce, texture and taste of white bread even after toasting with no issue that it was also Milk Free.

Unfortunately Sainsbury's have changed the recipe and have made it 'Egg Free' too and it has lost everything that made the original loaf so unique.

Now the loaf is unevenly risen with 8 x 8cm slices at best, having lost it's bounce with the texture dense and cake like after toasting resembling nothing like White Bread anymore.

Unsure as to why they have had to make it 'Egg Free' as the price is the same at £1.90 a loaf.

Anyone else experiencing the same issue with it? - also any recommendations for White Bread that isn't prescription? / Tesco's / Asda's are ok but Sainsbury's was superior.

[trents]

This is a common experience across the board with various brands of gluten-free bread products. Prices go up, size goes down. Removal of the egg component may be for the purpose of cost-cutting related to bird flu supply shortages or it may be catering to those with egg allergy/sensitivity, fairly common in the celiac community.

[Scott Adams]

Whole Foods carries a 365 brand that is large slices.

[cristiana]

I'm based in the UK and haven't tried that bread but in the past have got on quite well with Genius. Mostly I tend to eat bread with added seeds just because I find it more interesting.

 

It is good to speak to another UK coeliac though as I am absolutely sure that up until recently a lot of the bread I was eating had added vitamins - but when I was in Tesco's today I couldn't find a brand that did.  Am I imagining this?

[Russ H]

For people who can tolerate oats, Marks and Spencers sell a nice loaf:

 

https://www.marksandspencer.com/food/made-without-wheat-gluten-free-oaty-loaf/p/fdp60140058

[Scott Adams]

1 hour ago, cristiana said:

I'm based in the UK and haven't tried that bread but in the past have got on quite well with Genius. Mostly I tend to eat bread with added seeds just because I find it more interesting.

 

It is good to speak to another UK coeliac though as I am absolutely sure that up until recently a lot of the bread I was eating had added vitamins - but when I was in Tesco's today I couldn't find a brand that did.  Am I imagining this?

In the USA only wheat-based breads are fortified with certain vitamins, but not gluten-free breads, thus we typically encourage celiacs to take multivitamin supplements.

[cristiana]

Thanks for this Russ, and good to see that it is fortified. I spend too much time looking for M&S gluten-free Iced Spiced Buns to have ever noticed this!

7 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

In the USA only wheat-based breads are fortified with certain vitamins, but not gluten-free breads, thus we typically encourage celiacs to take multivitamin supplements.

That's interesting, Scott.  Have manufacturers ever said why that should be the case?  

[Scott Adams]

In the U.S., most regular wheat breads are required to be enriched with certain B-vitamins and iron, but gluten-free breads are not required to be. Since many gluten-free products are not enriched, we usually encourage people with celiac disease to consider a multivitamin. 

In the early 1900s, refined white flour replaced whole grains, and people began developing serious vitamin-deficiency diseases:

• Beriberi → caused by a lack of thiamin (vitamin B1)
• Pellagra → caused by a lack of niacin (vitamin B3)
• Anemia → linked to low iron and lack of folate

By the 1930s–40s, these problems were common in the U.S., especially in poorer regions. Public-health officials responded by requiring wheat flour and the breads made from it to be “enriched” with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron. Folic acid was added later (1998) to prevent neural-tube birth defects.

Why gluten-free bread isn’t required to be enriched? The U.S. enrichment standards were written specifically for wheat flour. Gluten-free breads use rice, tapioca, corn, sorghum, etc.—so they fall outside that rule—but they probably should be for the same reason wheat products are.

[Rogol72]

@HAUS,

I was at an event in the UK a few years back. I remember ringing the restaurant ahead to inquire about the gluten free options. All I wanted was a few gluten free sandwiches, which they provided and they were delicious. The gluten-free bread they used was Warbutons white bread and I remember mentioning it on this site before. No harm in trying it once. It's fortified with Calcium and Iron.

https://www.warburtonsglutenfree.com/warbs_products/white-loaf/

The only other gluten-free bread that I've come across that is fortified is Schar with Iodized salt, nothing else.

[Scott Adams]

Eating grains typically depletes certain B vitamins, so I'm not sure why they decided to fortify with calcium and iron, but hopefully we'll see more B vitamin fortification in gluten-free products going forward.

[cristiana]

It's strange because I'm pretty sure not too long ago I picked up a loaf of bread with B vitamins, but I can't find a single one now.  Probably cutbacks, everyone's trying to save money now!

[Russ H]

BFree bread is fortified with vitamins and minerals as is ASDA own-brand gluten-free bread. All the M&S bread seems to be fortified also.

[cristiana]

More great tips, and a good excuse to shop at M&S and also buy more iced buns!   I wish we had an ASDA near us, as the few times we've been to one their gluten-free pasta range seemed very reasonably priced compared to other shops.  Thanks so much, @Russ H.