If you follow this blog (and according to stats, no one does), you will know that I recently reviewed Aldi’s banana bread loaf. They have a semi-fakey banana flavor – which I happen to love – and a nice, moist texture to match. They’re not going to be confused for a gourmet, homemade banana bread, but they hit the spot way more than they should.
On a recent trip to Kroger, I managed to score a loaf of their banana nut bread for more than half off the original price of $4.99. I didn’t see how this could possibly improve upon Aldi’s version, but I’m a sucker for banana bread of any kind, and had to see what Kroger had up its sleeve. If anything.
My eagerness to try it was immediately quashed after I tried it: This is pretty much horrible. And I’m not even saying that in comparison to Aldi’s banana bread: I’m saying that just as a banana bread in general. Some might find the artificial banana flavoring in other brands to be disgusting (like my wife), but Kroger’s has an issue that goes in the opposite direction: not nearly enough.
Even the texture is off. I think my wife summed it up best when she said, “Nothing should have a texture like this.” Sure enough, she’s right: It has the consistency of a “specialty diet” product. Like it was made with flaxseed, or some other gluten-free alternative, instead of actual bread. Obviously, that’s fine if that’s what kind of product this is supposed to be. But it ain’t. Pair this up with the neverending dryness, and it’s something I could swear was made with the sole intention of disappointing everyone who likes banana bread.
The smooth, top “crust” – always my favorite part – does manage to be appropriately moist, and while it lacks in flavor like the rest, it’s still the sole highlight. Too bad that moisture couldn’t seep into the rest of the loaf.
To be fair, I bought it a day before the “sell by” date on the packaging. Maybe that had a little something to do with its dryness. But there’s no excuse for it to be this dry…and even if it’s typically the most moisture-packed bread on Earth, there’s no way it would alter the flavor this much. In other words, it would still be an abject failure.
Does Kroger not have a test kitchen, or some way to try their recipes before they make them available to the general public? I’m thinking no.
Overall: 2/10. Note that this score is assuming you “score” it at a discount; at its regular price of $4.49, it would be even worse. It’s a very dry banana bread, with a consistency akin to a gluten-free bread made out of flaxseed rather than an actual bread. The taste is also lacking; there are hints of banana flavoring in there, but not enough for a bread based around the entire idea. I think “bread banana” would be a more appropriate descriptor, assuming the ingredients are listed in order of majority. This is just disappointing all around.
