Edison could not have invented the light bulb if Alessandro Volta hadn’t discovered the battery. So it is with prepping. Everything I know I learned either from someone else or is based upon things I have learned from others. Because of that I am always on the prowl to find how other people prep so I can take what works and apply it to my situation.
My main food prep system comes from the LDS, they have a doctrine of preparedness and have spent many years creating a workable yet affordable system. However, wheat, dried milk, and beans may keep me alive, but I worry about appetite fatigue so I try to find how others introduce variety.
Alaskan’s Order Canned Bread in Bulk
Like my video below says, I found that many Alaskans order their food in bulk and have it flown in to them by bush pilots once or twice a year. By necessity this food needs to be shelf stable, calorie dense, and affordable. Interestingly enough special grocers have developed shopping lists for this process.
By looking at these lists I have augmented my food storage, but at the same time I learned about a new food storage product, Canned Bread.
I always wanted to try canned bread, it just screams disaster food, and while I am a little stranger than most I liked the MRE bread that we got with our meals on special occasions. I figured it would be like “normal” bread, but maybe a little drier and denser.
Unfortunately I did not want to pay Alaska bush prices to have B&G foods to ship me a case of canned brown bread at $3 a piece until I had tried it so canned bread promptly was filed in my mental storage cabinet (junk drawer)…
I Saw it and Had to Try it
However, when I happen to make a quick stop at a local rural grocer I happened to see a case of this bread on the shelf and I had to buy a couple to try.
When I got home and opened the metal can, I expected it to slide out, but it did not do so. After some research into home canning of bread (another thing the USDA does not recommend) I came to the conclusion that this was a moist bread recipe and most likely baked inside the container it was packaged in.
No worries, I just opened the bottom and pushed it out like a orange ice cream push up bar. Once the load starting moving, it popped right out with no problem and sat on the plate looking like the bread version of cranberry jelly. I then cut off a round slice and took a bite to see if I could eat this on a daily basis if needed.
It Tastes Okay, but Not Great
It tasted ok, meaning I did not have a gag reflex. However, I would not choose this as a snack. It had a very slight preservative taste. Mostly it tasted like a very moist molasses flavored hunk of bread.
The wife gamely tried a piece also, but she is not known for her adventurous palate, so it did not surprise me when she asked if she could give her piece to the dog. (who liked it). I cut a couple round slices and toasted it, and that is where this bread is most useful. Toasted, with jelly, it was pretty good, and if I had a case of this, and if I was eating it in a disaster situation, I would probably serve it toasted with honey as a diversion to morning oatmeal or cracked wheat.
Of course your mileage may vary, as different people like different kids of food. So I recommend that if you find some of this on your grocer’s shelf (I doubt it will be at a major chain store though) get a couple cans and try it for yourself.
