Off the Wall: Bruce R Suggests B&M Brown Bread - in a Can

John Seaborn Gray's recent post about the worst canned goods contains my favorite line in food blogging history. In reference to the high cholesterol level in canned pig's brain, he wrote, "It would be healthier for me to swallow a fucking grenade."

John switched gears in his latest post, serving up the best canned goods out there. Comments were aplenty, but for me, the most intriguing one came from loyal follower Bruce R. He suggested giving B&M Brown Bread a try. So, I did.

He even wrote where to fine some--at Kroger. I stopped by my usual Oak Forest location and searched the baked goods aisle--nothing. An internal dialogue of expletives flew. Luckily, an employee was nearby, and assisted me. Sure enough, there it was, next to the boxed cake mixes: B&M Brown Bread (with raisins). At $2.99 a can, I was willing to give this a shot.

Getting the bread out of the can, as you can see, proved challenging--partly due to my not reading the directions. I needed to open both ends of the can, and then push the log of bread out from the bottom. I got about ¾ of the "loaf" out unscathed. I quickly took a bite and was taken aback by the disgustingness of it all. I then sawed off two pieces, toasted them, and applied a little cinnamon butter. This proved to be much better. The bread, as you might assume, was extremely dense, with a heavy molasses flavor. The toasted version felt like eating a soft hockey puck.

Here's the thing, though: I gave the bread another try the next morning (untoasted), and it was pretty good. I think I was initially just turned off by the whole concept of canned bread. As my dad always says, "This would go good with a cup of coffee." It does.

I'm not saying to run out and buy a can of B&M Brown Bread, but I'm glad I gave it a whirl. And I could see taking some on a camping trip.

Thanks, Bruce R, for the suggestion.

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