This is another one of those Trader Joe’s products where I
reallllly wanted to like it. We have tried several Trader Joe’s breads and
they always fall short of my expectations.
Is it too much to want a bread this is not dry, tastes good, and lasts
more than 2 days? Maybe my standards are
too high…
 |
| It is a cute boule of bread |
First the good stuff:
1.
It is a perfect size for our household of 2
people.
2.
It is a pretty color.
3.
It is cheap.
Now the not so good stuff:
1.
It is
HARD. If you toast it, be warned, you
will not be able to bite through the toast with any ease at all.
2.
It goes stale very quickly, and by stale I mean
EVEN HARDER than it was the first time you opened it, which, if you have been
paying attention, was really quite hard.
3.
It is really DRY.
 |
| David's piece, toasted with bread and jelly |
 |
| My piece, toasted with Sunflower Butter (reviewed on day 96 ) |
So even though there are an even number of “good stuff”s
vs. “bad stuff”s, to me the bad stuffs outweigh the good stuffs in this
instance.
Petite Poopy Pain Pauline is not perfect. Not even close.
Note – David liked it better than me. He says it is a particular French bread taste
in a small package.
Price - $1.29
Rating – 2.25
We bought this about a month ago. I noticed it had been previously frozen. One of the associates heard me say that it felt wet. The associate told me that it is the only bread that comes into TJ's frozen and you have to eat it all the same day that you buy it. My husband and I warmed the bread in the oven, but we didn't really care for it. It didn't taste stale, but it just wasn't for us. If you didn't eat yours on the very day you bought it, that is probably why it tasted stale. They should probably make a TJ's sign to explain the importance of eating this bread ASAP.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting and letting us know what the employee told you. I wish I had known to eat it immediately. I think your suggestion of a sign saying "EAT this bread today". What TJs location do you shop at?
DeleteI shop at the Jacksonville Beach, FL location. Prior to them opening here last October, we would take a long drive to Gainesville every month to stock up on items. I don't live at the beach, so it is still about half an hour to travel to our TJ's, but at least it doesn't take a day trip anymore to get there.
DeleteThat's dedication! But hey, the money you used to spend on gas driving to TJs to stock up you saved on the cost of the groceries, right? Glad they built a store closer to you.
DeleteYes, the trips were worth it because the food is a much better quality for a great price. Plus, once you cut out the artificial ingredients and flavors from your diet, you just can't go back again. The artificial stuff tastes horrible. I think it is especially something you notice with cheese and chocolate.
DeleteWe love this bread. We slice it the day we buy it and keep it in the freezer so it never tastes stale. It has a sour-dough taste and is great toasted.
DeleteFor those of us with dietary restrictions that preclude bleached enriched white flour, Pain Pauline was a godsend. I wish they would bring it back. For those unhappy with the product, I can only say that it's not Wonder Bread, and not supposed to be.
DeleteThis bread is the only one we found in America that does not have bunch of crap in the ingredients. If I remember correctly the only ingredients are flour, water, salt and probably yeast.I come from Europe and I'm used to eating a lot of bread. I'm also used to mom making white bread at home and she would use only those 4 ingredients as well. To me it cannot get better than this. Some people complain that it is dry. Well thats how it is supposed to be. It's a heavier bread, one slice of this makes you feel more satiated than 2 slices of the fluffier softer breads.
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ReplyDeletewho knows, is there the yeast in this bread?
ReplyDeletePer the Fooducate app, here are the ingredients:
DeleteOrganic whole wheat flour, water, salt
I believe it uses a sourdough starter for leavening.
DeleteI buy this bread all the time and I love it. The crust is a bit hard, but the interior is always soft, I toast it with butter and usually put jam on it. So delicious. And you cannot find a better ingredients list for bread.
ReplyDeleteI think this bread is a "really LIKE it" or "really DON'T like it" item. Not a lot of in betweens.
DeleteThis is the first bread I've come across in 30 years in the US that I would call "real German farmer's bread", the same kind found in Munich and southern Bavaria. Considering that Trader Joe's is owned by a German company, I am almost surprised that it took so long to get "real" bread!
ReplyDeleteIt is not meant to be toasted, It is eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Some like it sweet (butter and jam or honey), but most eat it with Cheese (Brie, Camembert, Swiss, Tilsit, Havarti, etc.) or Salami, or Liverwurst (to find "good/real" i.e. spreadable and tasty, is another difficult endeavor, but I have found Oskar Meyer Braunschweiger to be quite acceptable). I don't buy the petite Pain Pauine, only the whole size one - as many as I can get my hands on - and freeze all but the one I will eat over the course of a week. Here in San Antonio, however, getting them has been quite hit or miss.
I wish I could send you some loaves from here in Virginia! :) But I think by the time they arrived they would not be as tasty. Drat.
DeleteThis bread is the only one we found in America that does not have bunch of crap in the ingredients. If I remember correctly the only ingredients are flour, water, salt and probably yeast.I come from Europe and I'm used to eating a lot of bread. I'm also used to mom making white bread at home and she would use only those 4 ingredients as well. To me it cannot get better than this. Some people complain that it is dry. Well thats how it is supposed to be. It's a heavier bread, one slice of this makes you feel more satiated than 2 slices of the fluffier softer breads
ReplyDeleteFor some reason here in (Menlo Park and Palo Alto) California, They've replaced the larger half-rounds with another (not 100%) "Whole Wheat" bread. This is not as healthy for pre-diabetics such as myself, nor does it taste better.
ReplyDeleteWell drat! I hate when Trader Joe's discontinues or changes the products that we love! I really think this bread was one of their big sellers, so I am not sure why they are messing around with it and not leaving it be. People who LIKED it really LIKED IT :). - Susan (blog author)
DeleteI soak it in coconut water so the petit pain pauline will become soft. I have also tried soaking it in soy milk or juice.
ReplyDeleteYou talk about Pain Pauline as if she still exists. Does she? I miss her so.
ReplyDeleteAnd YOU talk about Pain Pauline as if she were a long long friend who used to come for tea with you! I love it!!! I am not sure if she still exists, but if she does not, I bet she misses you, too!
ReplyDeleteTraitor Joe stopped carrying my favorite Bread: Pain Pauline. They changed bakeries and the new loaf is full of the usual bad ingredients and lacks the fiber content of Pain Pauline. Boycott the substitute loaf and maby TJ's will return to the perfection of the three ingrediant loaf, Pain Pauline.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why people who don't like bread keep buying bread just to bitch about it. Real bread is supposed to have a crust that is substantial, or what you whiners call hard. Trader Joe's Pain Pauline is the closest to real European bread I have found in the U.S. that I didn't make myself. If you don't like it, fine. But don't unilaterally decide that makes it bad. It's like saying Faulkner is bad because he's not easy. Or Picasso is bad because his pictures aren't like Thomas Kinkaid's. If you want white bread that you can cut the crusts off, then buy it and leave the good stuff for those of who appreciate it.
ReplyDelete:) I for one didn't keep buying it. I just wrote this review of it. I love European style bread. And I love bread with hard crusts. I just didn't like THIS bread. That should make you happy, more for YOU! :)
ReplyDeleteI love Pain Pauline but the Trader Joe's in Evanston, IL where I live just discontinued it. I would go there especially to get the bread because it was often sold out. I would buy all the loaves there, usually only 2 or 3. The reason for discontinuing it, they told me at the store, was for lack of sales. That I can't believe.
ReplyDeleteLove this bread. PUT it in the fridge (in plastic) after one day, as with any whole grain bread you want to keep awhile. Toasting does NOT make it rock hard. I eat it every day. Some find the taste a bit sour, but I like it. Yes, it's frozen (made in Quebec, I think) and that makes NO difference. Means it is fresh when you get it. I'm a long-time bread baker and know bread. To each her own. . . .
ReplyDeleteWith lockdown in place, my entire house is missing this bread a lot!! We recently discovered it and loved it!! There are only 3 ingredients, but can someone or TJ's share the bread recipe? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you discover Pain Pauline? I've been without her for years and still I dream of Pain Pauline: her delicate round shape, the way butter smooths across her surface and strawberry jam pools on top with a good cup of Lapsang Souchong or black coffee! She's a curative little one. Lockdown wouldn't be so bad with a freezer jammed with PP.
ReplyDeleteMy friend led to my discovery of Trader Joe’s Pain Pauline Artisan Bread but it was my doctor who recommended whole wheat sourdough and I’m hooked. I buy by the twos so I always have it on hand, freezing one loaf. It is never hard or tough. I toast it and it softens the bread perfectly. I couldn’t make a loaf better than this.
ReplyDeleteThe ingredient list says whole wheat flour, sea salt, and water. However when I looked up the nutrition on line for this particular bread, it also has weak gluten, yeast, and a bunch of chemicals that I cannot even pronounce let alone know what they do. Feel free to check it out here for yourself https://www.nutritionix.com/i/trader-joes/artisan-bread-pain-pauline-100-whole-wheat/552bdfb6e7cc8a475a770563
ReplyDeleteWe buy the large loaf all the time. I slice it when we get home, then freeze part of it as there are only two of us. Never had a hard loaf, ever. Even if I leave it for a few days before slicing and freezing, never hard, always tasty.
ReplyDelete