If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. Marby Super Loaf is the only brand of sliced bread that really works … in Manila, at least. In Iloilo, where bread is called pan, bread from the Tibiao Bakery is just as good and some say — altho I’ve never tried it myself, so is Angelina’s. So what makes these pan so much better than others?
Starting with a tangent, it’s called pan because these things are baked in a constraining, y’know, pan. This ensures uniformity in size and shape because who likes blob-shaped bread? Having settled the etymology of pan, let’s examine the characteristics that all pan is judged by.
Crust
Personally, I cut off the crust, but that outer skin is a very good indicator of the quality of the bread. Good bread will have a nice darker color than the insides. If it doesn’t, you would be justified in wondering whether the bread is worth bothering with. A good color on the crust, on the other hand, means that the baking process went well and that care was taken to ensure a good product. You’re also looking for consistency in color. Remember, sliced bread started out life as a big chunk of bread. So if some slices have patchy crust, while others don’t, that’s a dead give away that the bake was substandard. The crust on a Marby is even and nicely golden. It isn’t crispy – like you would find on a pan americano – but there is a satisfying chomp to it.
Air pockets
Marby bread is dense without overdoing it, making it stand out in contrast to other brands that are really just a collection of air bubbles bound together by a tissue of gluten. The best test to see whether your bread is really bread or just touchable air, is to flatten it. Marby, like good bread, becomes more compact. Others – I’m looking at you Gardenia – practically disintegrate as the air pockets collapse.
Look and Feel
Good bread has a slightly glossy appearance, bordering on moistness. This shows that the bread is not dry and is likely to have a satisfactory mouthfeel. It’s also a good indicator of the quality of ingredients that were put into the bread. Marby excels in this category (as it does in all others, tbh). When you run the tip of your finger over the bread, it doesn’t crumble. Nor does it stick to your finger – both good signs that the bread is well-made.
Flavor
Of course you’re looking for good flavor! Not too sweet and certainly not tasteless. Marby hits the perfect balance of creaminess and light sweetness, giving it a distinctive flavor. Unfortunately, a lot of other brands are either too bland or too sweet.
Finish
And finally, the bread doesn’t only have to taste good, it’s got to look good too. Marby loaves come in well-formed blocks that hold up well, keeping their shape despite roughy handling. The individual slices too are well-proportioned, consistently throughout the loaf – from joker to joker as it were.
So these are my criteria for judging bread, and Marby aces them all. How do you judge your bread? Oh and, while you’re here – tell me in the comments what you call those end pieces on a loaf? I call them jokers.