The Breads I Like Using | Mountain Kitchen

Bread was one of the first things I thought I’d have to give up. It’s mostly carbs, and a couple of slices of soft white sandwich bread can send my blood sugar up fast. But I didn’t actually want to give it up, so instead I started paying attention to which breads I do well with.

The short version: not all bread acts the same. Fiber, protein, whole grains and fermentation all slow down how fast the carbs hit, and the right loaf makes a big difference. These are the three I keep in rotation, starting with the one I eat the most.

Rye

Rye is my main bread now. I’ve always liked it, so switching to it was easy, and it turned out to be one of the best choices I could have made. Rye flour has a lot of soluble fiber, which is the kind that slows digestion and helps keep blood sugar steady. How much of that you get depends on the loaf: dense, whole grain rye breads, like traditional German pumpernickel, are some of the most blood-sugar-friendly breads you can buy, while most store-bought sandwich ryes are a mix of wheat and rye flour with less fiber.

My favorite is Oroweat Schwarzwalder dark rye, with 0g of sugar per slice. It’s the loaf I reach for most days, and it’s great toasted with eggs in the morning. It’s a sandwich-style rye with only about 1g of fiber per slice, so it’s not a fiber powerhouse, but it has no sugar at all and I always eat it with some protein.

Be careful with rye: check the label

This is where you really have to read the label. A lot of rye breads on the shelf add sugar, often in the form of molasses, brown sugar, honey or corn syrup, and many dark ryes get their color from molasses or caramel coloring rather than from the grain itself. Light deli rye is often mostly wheat flour with a little rye added for flavor.

Watch out for American pumpernickel. Most pumpernickel sold in American grocery stores is not the best choice for diabetics. It’s usually mostly wheat flour with some rye mixed in, and it gets its dark color and sweetness from molasses, caramel color, cocoa or coffee. Traditional German pumpernickel is a completely different bread: just whole rye kernels, rye meal, water, salt and a sourdough starter, baked low and slow for 16-24 hours until the grain darkens and sweetens on its own, with no sugar added. You’ll usually find the real thing as a dense, thin-sliced loaf in a small rectangular package, often imported from Germany. Even then it’s high in carbs per slice, so it’s a high-fiber choice, not a low-carb one.

True rye bread doesn’t need any of that. Traditional rye is just rye flour (or whole rye kernels), water, salt and a sourdough starter, and the dark color and deep flavor come from the whole grain and the long fermentation. When you look at the ingredient list:

Rye should be the first ingredient, ideally whole rye flour or whole rye kernels.
Check for added sugars anywhere on the list: sugar, molasses, honey, corn syrup, malt syrup or caramel color.
Look at “added sugars” on the nutrition panel. A true rye should be at or very close to 0g.

Don’t go by color alone, since molasses and caramel color can make any bread look dark. A dense loaf with a short ingredient list and whole rye at the top is usually the better choice for blood sugar.

Dense rye is great with savory toppings: smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, or a fried egg. It’s also what I use for my cinnamon French toast; just give it a little longer to soak.

Sprouted whole grain

When I want something a little softer than rye, I reach for sprouted bread. Sprouted breads are made from grains that have started to sprout before they’re ground, and they’re usually made with whole grains and sometimes lentils or other legumes. The result is a loaf with more fiber and protein than regular bread. A typical slice has around 15g of carbs and 3g of fiber.

Most sprouted breads are sold in the freezer section because they don’t have many preservatives. I keep a loaf in the freezer and toast slices straight from frozen, so it never goes stale before I finish it.

It’s great for sandwiches and avocado toast, and it makes a softer French toast than rye.

Sourdough

Real sourdough is made with a wild yeast starter instead of commercial yeast, and the long, slow rise does a few useful things. The fermentation breaks down some of the starches, and the acids it makes seem to slow down digestion. For a lot of people, me included, sourdough causes a smaller blood sugar spike than regular white bread.

Whole wheat sourdough is the best of both: the fiber of whole grains and the benefits of fermentation. White sourdough is still a better choice than regular white bread, just with less fiber.

One thing to watch for: a lot of grocery store “sourdough” is regular yeast bread with vinegar or sour flavoring added. Check the ingredient list for a starter or “cultured wheat,” and look for a short list of ingredients. A local bakery is usually a safe bet.

When I’m buying sourdough at the store, I sometimes pick up a loaf from Seattle Sourdough Baking Company. Even with a brand I like, I still read the label on the specific loaf, since ingredients can differ from one product to the next.

Sourdough has a sturdy crumb that holds up to just about anything, which makes it great for French toast, grilled sandwiches and soaking up soup.

What I look for on the label

When I’m trying a new bread, I check a few things:

Whole grain first. The first ingredient should be a whole grain or sprouted grain, not “enriched wheat flour.”
At least 3g of fiber per slice. More is better.
Little or no added sugar. Plenty of “healthy” breads add honey, molasses or sugar. A gram or two is fine; more than that adds up.
Slice size. Some breads look low-carb per slice because the slices are tiny. Compare the grams, not just the numbers.

How I eat it

Even with a good bread, I treat it as part of the meal, not the whole meal. I eat it alongside protein and fat, like eggs, peanut butter, cheese or fish, and that pairing does as much for my blood sugar as the bread choice does. One or two slices with a real breakfast keeps me a lot steadier than toast on its own.

If you’ve been avoiding bread completely, try one of these and see how it works for you. Everybody responds a little differently, so it’s worth testing with your meter.

Sourdough English muffins

English muffins are one of my favorite ways to get a little bread in the morning. They’re portioned for you, they toast up crisp, and they’re the right size for an egg sandwich. Sourdough English muffins have a bit more flavor than plain ones, and the tang goes great with eggs, cheese or smoked salmon.

To be honest about the numbers, though: English muffins aren’t low-carb. A typical store-bought sourdough English muffin has about 23-27g of carbs and only 2g of fiber, and most of them are made from white flour. Most store brands also use regular yeast alongside a sourdough starter, so the fermentation benefit is smaller than with a slow-rise bakery loaf. The good news is that they’re low in sugar, usually 1-2g per muffin.

Here’s how I make them work:

Pair it with protein. An egg, a slice of cheese, turkey sausage or smoked salmon on the muffin slows down how fast the carbs hit.
Go open-faced. Using one half instead of both cuts the carbs in half, and it’s still plenty with an egg on top.
Toast it well. A crisp, well-toasted muffin is more satisfying, and I’m less likely to want a second one.

Some popular store brands that are good choices, per muffin:

Franz Sourdough English Muffins: about 23g carbs, 2g fiber and 1g sugar. Made by the same bakery as Seattle Sourdough, and lower in sodium than most.
Trader Joe’s Sourdough English Muffins: about 23g carbs, 2g fiber and 1g sugar.
Thomas’ Sourdough English Muffins: about 27g carbs, 2g fiber and 1g sugar. The easiest to find at just about any grocery store.
Bays Sourdough English Muffins: about 26g carbs, 1-2g fiber and 2g sugar. They’re in the refrigerated case and have great texture, but they’re the highest in sodium of the four at around 440mg.

If you see a whole wheat or sprouted English muffin next to these, it’s worth comparing labels, since those usually have more fiber.

A short list of diabetic-friendly breads

If you’re not sure where to start, these are store-bought breads with 3g of sugar or less per slice and a lower carb count than regular bread. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. Numbers are per slice, from the package labels, and recipes change, so double-check the label on the loaf you buy.

Carbonaut Seeded Bread: about 1-2g net carbs and 0g sugar. The lowest-carb option here, and it’s in the freezer section.
Schmidt Old Tyme 647 Multigrain: about 6g net carbs and 1g sugar, at only 40 calories a slice. It does have a little added sugar and honey in the ingredients, but it still comes out to just 1g.
Dave’s Killer Bread Powerseed Thin-Sliced: about 9g net carbs and 2g sugar, sweetened with fruit juice.
Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain (original): about 12g net carbs and 0g sugar. Higher in carbs than the others, but it’s all sprouted whole grains with no added sugar at all. Skip the cinnamon raisin version, which has 5g of sugar per slice.