We Had Pro Chefs Pick Their Top Store-Bought Bread Brand

Listen, we all want to make our own bread at home. Or, at least, we want our bread to be made in somebody's home before making its way into our home. However, unless another pandemic-like societal shutdown is on the horizon, most folks have to pass on using sourdough starters and proofing baskets due to daily life's time and bandwidth constraints. Therefore, bread must be procured from the grocery store inventory.

The thing is, which of the selections in the supermarket aisle are going to give you something close to elevated? And, if not that, then which ones at least don't suck? We know which bread brand is preferred by Consumer Reports, but how about the ones recommended by food experts? After all, chefs are regular people too, and they go to regular-people stores, as we lay-folk do. (Except for Jamie Oliver, who probably gets all his food towed to his cottage by a Cotswold sheep or something.)

Tasting Table spoke to chefs at the 2026 Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival to get their takes on the store-bought breads worth buying. A peek at an Instacart shopping list was involved, as was a reference to the Holy Bible — and kids played a big part in at least one parent-chef's choice. Let's see how it all shook out and which mainstream loaves the pros prefer.

Andrew Rea from The Babish Culinary Universe brings up an interesting point regarding the Old Testament bend of some supermarket breads. "I don't know why most bread brands are very, like, Bible-focused. Like there's Ezekiel and there's Bread Alone. I don't know what's going on there, but I tend to opt for Bread Alone." Not that he feels like he's lacking in choice, thanks to his hometown. "I'm so spoiled in New York. All the grocery stores have stuff from Bien Cuit and from Balthazar, but widely available."

However, Rea is still sticking with his first mention. "It's pretty safe to go Bread Alone. That's a really nice, high-quality brand." Although he did mention another, non-Gospel-ish label when he's going simple and classic. "If I'm making just a straight-up sliced bread sandwich, I love Arnold's. Arnold's makes a really great country white loaf."

You need the right bread for the purpose, even if — or especially if — that purpose is humble. "The honey wheat bread for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by, I want to say, Newman's," suggested chef JJ Johnson. "That's amazing on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich." (No matter the bread you bring to the checkout counter, though, make sure you bring along the best peanut butter you can get your hands on.) Chef Johnson gave another shout-out as well. "Trader Joe's brioche bread is amazing."

Maybe when you have James Beard and Emmy nominations under your belt, you're worried folks are ready to judge your every food move — including your Instacart order. But Jet Tila has no reason to apologize for his very relatable grocery shopping list. "Oh my gosh. I'm going to get in trouble. There's a sourdough that I really like, and I'll tell you exactly what it is because I'm doing my shopping right now for home on Instacart."

With bated breath, all was revealed to us. "Here's my most frequent ordered sourdough bread. It's Rustik. Rustik Oven Bold California Sourdough ... it's a great store-bought brand, and it's nationally available." Good news for anyone living in the U.S. who loves sourdough. Can't be that many, right?

Another luminary, Aarón Sánchez, was a bit more succinct and straightforward with his choice — one that many people can get on board with. "I love Hawaiian rolls," he said. It didn't take much pressing to get his preferred brand. "King's Hawaiian, yeah, absolutely." Sánchez almost certainly recognizes the utility of the popular label, especially when you can hack King's Hawaiian Rolls in so many different ways to elevate your cookout.

If Catherine Willhoit — co-owner of The Hive — had it her way, she wouldn't need to head to the grocery store for King's Hawaiian or anything of the like. "I'd be baking my own bread. I do an overnight loaf that I got into during COVID." Anyone who's ever sampled The Hive's fare knows that she'd be delivering the goods in this regard. There's just one problem: her kids have independent thought.

"I always use Dave's Killer White Bread, not because that is my first choice, but it is my children's first choice. They decide it all." Any parent can empathize. This is nothing against the brand itself, by the way, especially since Dave's Killer Bread has plenty going for it. This is just little palates making their little iron-clad demands. "So that is my default whenever I'm at the supermarket." And even if she put in the hours to give them an overnight loaf, "they would take Dave's Bread over mine."

It all goes to show that bread can be treated in two different ways. One, as purely functional: your daily, workmanlike sandwiches and toast and kid-pleasers and whatnot — which is where the grocery runs come in. Two, as elevated — where you're either crafting it DIY or seeking out artisanal bakes. When you can somehow combine the pragmatism of the former with the quality of the latter, then domestic bread bliss can be achieved. Hopefully, these chefs' suggestions help.