instead of high fructose corn syrup? I know it was discussed awhile back how hard it is to find bread w/o sugar in it (short of going to a health foods store which I don't have around here). Is brown sugar any better than the super refined high-fructose c/s, or is bad the same as bad?

I think it is better. I've seen breads more often with honey if they are going for the natural thing.

I have been able to find a bread without sugar though. "The Baker" and it is found only in regular grocery stores around here. Although they do have many types of breads and some contain honey.

I've tried that once - but mine was really hard. I'm still stuck on having fresh indentable bread on the first day or two home from the store. How is your Baker's - kind of stiff or soft? Mine's probably just full of mysterious dough enhancers (blech!) which I read on the label today, that make it soft. ugh

Yes, no problem with brown sugar - really just like to avoid the "fake" stuff. When I'm looking for bread, I look at:

1. Is it whole grain?
2. How much fiber per slice?
3. Fake stuff

I'd like to find an edible bread with no gluten! I've had some real science experiment disasters in my oven lately

I like "indentable" bread too! I usually get Orowheat Country 100% wheat (ingredients: ww flour, water, sugar, honey, wheat gluten, yeast, soybean oil, salt, butter, cream, calcium carbonate, monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactalate, calcium sulfate, calcium propionate (preservative), artificial flavor, nonfat milk, ammonium chloride, ascorbic acid (dough conditioner) soy lecithin and caramel color.

3 grams of fiber
3 grams of protein
2 grams of fat (no transfat)
and only 100 calories per slice.

It probably has more preservatives than "health" breads, but the loaf will stay soft and tasty for up to 2 weeks.

I keep my bread in the fridge so it usually stays pretty soft although it is a hearty bread so it is nothing like wonder bread or anything. Even though I think it'd be nice to have a nice soft bread such as something you get from italian or french bread (mmm!), I go with the whole grain breads because they taste good and have good ingredients.

I'd think that brown sugar would def be better than HFCS, but probably still not the best thing. Brown sugar is nothing but white sugar with molasses added to it. As long as white sugar isn't a problem for you, then brown sugar is fine. I personally prefer honey vs. any kinds of sugar, specifically raw honey if I can find it.

Is it possible to make your own if you don't have a health food store nearby? That might end up being your best bet.

Something made with honey or pure cane sugar/cane syrup would probably be preferable to refined sugar or HFCS, since you at least would be avoiding all that processing and getting the sugar from a more natural source.

If you can't find suitable bread at stores near you, Diamond Organics delivers bread that's whole-grain and sugar-free. The website is http://www.diamondorganics.com/prod_detail_list/39.

I make my own using King Arthur white wheat and although it isn't necessarily for sandwiches, it's a good thing to have with dinner. It's got 2T of sugar and the recipe makes 2 loaves, so it's a negligible amount overall.

My favorite recipe has honey, but also has Shiner Bock beer ... so I'm thinking about experimenting with recipe #1 and substituting honey for those 2T of sugar.

If anyone wants either recipe, send me a PM and I'll give them to you.

I usually substitue any sugar in a bread recipe with honey. I add the yeast and about 1 tsp of honey to the warm water, just enough to "feed" the yeast. Also, you need only about half of the amount of honey as sugar, because honey is sweeter. I just made a couple different breads this weekend for a church luncheon and there was no problems with the substitutions.

That is very good to know! Thanks so much -- I'm going to do it just like that.

Regarding sugars, just a note that any granulated sugar you buy is processed, whether it is pure cane sugar, beet sugar, even "raw" sugar. I keep sugar to a minimum just because I'd rather consume most of my calories from more nutrient-dense foods, not because of the processing itself. Sugar processing isn't anywhere near as involved as the processing of HFCS—maybe you'd say it's "less processed"?

And brown sugar is regular white sugar with molasses added. The only difference between buying bread with white sugar or brown sugar might be a barely-discernable taste difference.