Product Review: New York Bakery Breadsticks

 

I have two words for this one: Utter Disappointment. 

I don't normally buy products like this anymore, (although I used to buy their Texas Toast once every month or two in the past), because making garlic bread at home is far superior, even if you opt for "quickie" garlic bread with garlic powder instead of minced garlic). 

It was late, I worked all day, and I just wanted a little bit of garlic bread for a meal. I talked myself out of going to a fast food joint, because I knew it would give me misery and it just wasn't really appealing even though I was hungry. So I decided to pick up some fresh pasta (Rana), a salad, and some garlic bread. I already had homemade sauce at home. 

Texas Toast was rejected out of hand, I couldn't deal with the frozen slab of oil and garlic on top of the bread. It's soooo bad. Plus, no room in freezer for excess slices. So...hey, why not try these breadsticks? The breadsticks can't be as bad, right? They can't screw up breadsticks, right? 

Wrong! 

It looked like they might be okay. Not as much of the oil & garlic topping: Great! Short baking time: Good! Slap 'em on a pan, throw 'em in the oven (definitely at a lower temp than recommended), and all is well. 

And so it was. Prep time was short; good meal in about 20 minutes. Waaaaay better than going through that fast food line, which would have probably taken the same amount of time, since Whataburger,  (which is what I would have chosen), is so busy at later hours here. (Small town.) 

So what killed the possible enjoyment of the breadsticks? Sugar. ADDED sugar. Why, why, why? Bread does NOT need added sugar,(beyond the amount used to feed the yeast in the dough), unless it is the type that is supposed to be sweet (like Hawaiian Bread, etc.). 

Sweet garlic bread? Are you kidding me? In what dimension is this acceptable? 

I hate to waste food, so the next evening, I made a garlic spread with fresh garlic & real butter. Cut the remaining bread sticks in half, and spread it on. Finished with a sprinkle of Kosher salt. (Yes, they already had an abundance of sodium, but it was necessary to help kill the sweetness.) 

I popped them in the oven for a light toasting. After that, they were at least palatable. 

Breads off the shelf have more sugar these days. You really have to watch for it. Read every label. Reject breads that have added sugars (unless it is the type that is supposed to be sweet). Consumers can turn this awful trend around. 

Is it a trend? Seems to be. Remember that companies invest a lot of money in research and development to manipulate your tastebuds so you'll get hooked on the flavors and continue to buy their products. That's no secret, but not everyone is aware of it. 

New York Bakery's Bread Sticks are: 

Baked in Ohio by the T. Marzetti Company, (whose owners moved to Ohio from New York many years ago and have had a passion for bread making that allegedly stretches back 90 years, according to the box info), and is...in turn, under the umbrella of The Lancaster Colony Corporation. 

Are they baked in Ohio though? The box isn't clear. It just states "baked FOR T. Marzetti," (with the companies address). It doesn't say baked IN Ohio for T. Marzetti. So that's up in the air. They might be baked in another state. I looked for the info online, but I didn't go down that many rabbit holes to find the true source. It wasn't on their page or the Lancaster page. 

Anyway, here is my recommendation: 

DO NOT BUY. If you do, be prepared for disappointment. Unless, of course, you are a fan of SWEET garlic bread. Ugh!