Am I out of touch? I always thought wheat bread was just bread, and the default type of bread for thousands of years.
Most bread is made of wheat, but “wheat” bread usually refers to the brown version of bread in which the grain goes through less processing.
You’re correct. White bread is new. It’s made by stripping out all the nutrients of the grains and replacing them with a bunch of added sugar. Of course it tastes better; pure fat and refined carbohydrates always do. And then we get a country where 3/4 of the population is overweight and nearly half are obese.
When I was a kid everyone ate white bread. In Texas it was Mrs. Bairds Bread. Then wheat bread showed up, and once one adjusted to the taste/texture it was OK, and there was little difference between brands. Now, there are so many brands of wheat bread it would take a lifetime to try each one, and each one I try is lousy.
Orowheat’s Oat Nut seems best, meaning I can put up with it. That one is edible but not good. A few years ago most wheat bread was fine, but not anymore.
Maybe I’ll just eat Italian bread. Italians are known for living long and happy lives.
Well, technically yes, you are correct. The vast majority of breads contain wheat as their primary ingredient.
Post-modern “Wheat Bread” generally refers to a spectrum of breads which range anywhere from using unbleached flour to an inedible collection of various seeds (”grains”) and coarsely ground wheat kernels. This sort of bread is often marketed with implied health benefit claims.
So yes, you are out of touch. But not a bad thing to be out of touch on.
I like what is sold as “Italian” bread from the local bakery myself.