Put down that morning slice of toast right now. Step away from that lunchtime sarnie you lovingly made earlier. Banish your bready post-work snack you’ve become so accustomed to eating…
Did you know that some slices of bread contain more salt than a whole bag of crips? Action on Salt (AOS) analysed 242 sliced loaves available from the supermarkets across the UK and found 75% of sliced loaves sold contained “as much salt or more per slice than a packet of ready salted crisps.”
Which is the worst offender, we hear you ask? Well, the “saltiest culprit” was named and shamed as Hovis. AOS revealed that Hovis’ ‘Soft White Extra Thick’, especially made for softness and the bread of choice for many Brits’ beloved bacon butty, contains “as much salt as a McDonald’s hamburger” per every two slices. Yep, you read that right…
We know what you’re thinking – salt is an important part of the baking process as it contributes to the structure and enhances the flavour of bread, and is necessary for the yeast to be activated properly.
Don’t say this within earshot of any Tuscan folk, but bread without salt can be pretty bland. Of course, there are some exceptions; Waitrose’s ‘Rye & Wheat Dark Sourdough’, Asda’s ‘Extra Special Farmhouse Wholemeal & Rye Bread’, and Aldi’s ‘Village Bakery The Classic Malted Bloomer’, which the AOS highlighted in their research as all having fairly low levels of salt, are all perfectly serviceable slices. However, in our opinion, ain’t as good as a salty, white bloomer. Alas.
So, what’s a bread lover to do? Especially a white bread lover? You’re in luck! SUPERLOAF, a new nutritionally optimised bread, is launching at 400 branches of Marks & Spencer across the UK from this week, and we can’t wait to get stuck in.
SUPERLOAF, retailing at £2.30 for a 400g seeded and sliced loaf, is the brainchild of co-founders Melissa and Leo Campbell, a husband-and-wife team who run Modern Baker in Oxford. The idea came to Melissa during a spell spent fighting breast cancer, when she was shocked at the nutrition support on offer in hospitals. Consequently, the duo spent 5 years researching and creating the product, teaming up with food researchers, scientists and nutritional specialists, with some additional help from government grants along the way.
Since 70% of all the bread the UK eats is white, SUPERLOAF has also been made with ”good white flour”, as most people prefer, but they have somehow, magically made it better for digestive health than most wholemeal breads. In fact, it has more total fibre than all of the leading 100% wholemeal loaves, if you’re wondering.
This bread has been dubbed ”bread as good as veg” and ”the healthiest loaf ever made”, which is high praise indeed. Made using by using a targeted fermentation process, SUPERLOAF has been designed to support the body’s immune system, digestive health, and boasts high omega-3 content. Yep, it’s packed with optimised prebiotic fibres and bioactive compounds – just like vegetables are.
So, what does it taste like? Well it tastes good and like it’s doing your body good, with a loaf volume and softness of crumb indistinguishable from industrial bread, all with better flavour thrown in for good measure.
With loaves co-manufactured and co-packaged by Hovis, perhaps a sense of equilibrium is restored after the saline shock of their ‘Soft White Extra Thick’? Perhaps…
The Bottom Line
Of course we’re not saying you should completely give up your bacon butty’s beloved white bloomer … Everything in moderation, and all that.
But if you’re having a slice of toast every morning and then a meal deal with a supermarket sandwich and a packet of crisps everyday… Well, let’s just say that’s a lot of salt in your diet. Should this be you, firstly; have a glass of water, for heaven’s sake! But perhaps more (less, actually), get down to M&S stat and start making your sandwiches at home with SUPERLOAF.
