1999 White Bread, Shelf-Stable

[parafireboy]

Greetings everyone, and kudos to you all for some great reviews. I'm going to try my hand at a review, so bear with me, it's my first.

In my stock, in the bottom of the bin I found a pack of "White Bread, Shelf Stable" with date code 9270. I remembered purchasing a couple handfuls of it back in 2000 at a surplus store, so I know the production date was indeed 1999. I was curious to see how well it had held up over the years, so I decided to do a test.

For starters, the package is tan with brown lettering. The package is intact with no apparent damage or breach of seal.

It has not been kept at a controlled temperature, and has been subject to some high temperatures during storage off-and-on in the 15 years I have owned it.

Upon opening the package, the familiar smell of bread came out. No mold was present on the bread, and it had been packed with an oxygen-absorber.

It was about the size of, and had the appearance of a hamburger bun that had been slightly compressed. It was dense, but moist.

Upon tasting, no abnormal tastes were noted. It tasted like bread, with just a hint of the "canned" taste that I noted in 2000 when tasting the bread last time, when it was only 1 year-old. Certainly not a turn-off, and I ended up eating the entire thing with no ill effects.

Amazingly, this bread is still consumable (safe, but possibly with decreased nutritional value) after 16 years in storage in the retort-type MRE packaging. I still have three more of them, so I'm anxious to see how they hold up to another 5-10 years of storage. We'll see!

[Norton]

parafireboy

This is a great review and the photos are very clear. Good to see even as far back as 99' the bread is holding up.

I have ate the shelf stable bread component from the 2006 and found them to taste like the un-sweetened crust for current production pre-packaged desert products.. For me the bread was a welcome addition to the field meal. The same with biscuts and to lesser extent Corn Bread. Most MREs have a gravy or sauce. the bread makes the meal go further. For breakfast the bread beats crackers if it is heated. My own experiance has been to heat the field bread up with boil in the bag method along with the fruit, while I am making water for coffee. Then pour the fruit with juice over the bread . (Add a granola bar or jam pouch) You end up with a poor man's cobbler. Easy on the stomach sort of breakfast like.
For mid day the field bread goes well with most of the Cheese packs/ Last the beef patty and Mc Rib type meals work great for in the field fast food. I bring Condiments and make a very filling sandwich. Some younger people may skoff at the idea of preserved bread. But given the choice of crackers or Hard Tack as our WW1 troops ate. I am sure they select this component. The corn bread although too sweet for me. It can be used as filler for Chili or stews and I have also poured the heated fruit over the cornbread. It worked much the same like a desert. The next time I go camping I will take field bread, test and post photos

[parafireboy]

Thanks Norton! I agree that it certainly is a nice addition to many of the menus. I'm just now getting through my older stock, so I haven't had one with the cornbread or biscuits yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Great idea about warming the bread, and the cobbler idea is something I'm going to have to try next time out camping. You're certainly right about bread vs. crackers / hardtack. Preserved or not, I would take it any day over crackers, not just for the taste aspect, but it's ability to be incorporated into other components.

Kyle

[steve1989]

Hey parafireboy, awesome review and really nice pictures!

I actually have an old dark-pouch MRE era Shelf Stable Bread and I think it was one of those supplementary items given to the guys with their UGR's and whatnot - maybe someone here knows?

I think I have a picture or 2 of an older shelf stable bread if anyone wants to see - the one here that you have parafireboy certainly held up in your controlled environment!

It really looks decent - almost more appetizing than IMP Petite Pain bread and the kinda flat little bread roll look is surprisingly appealing!

[parafireboy]

Thanks! I've enjoyed reading your reviews as well. The bread would certainly be a nice addition to supplement the UGR's. I wonder when they started producing the shelf-stable bread? I had never seen it prior to picking these up in 2000, but at that point in time I guess I wasn't actively looking either, I just kind of stumbled across it.

Kyle
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Hey parafireboy, awesome review and really nice pictures!

I actually have an old dark-pouch MRE era Shelf Stable Bread and I think it was one of those supplementary items given to the guys with their UGR's and whatnot - maybe someone here knows?

I think I have a picture or 2 of an older shelf stable bread if anyone wants to see - the one here that you have parafireboy certainly held up in your controlled environment!

It really looks decent - almost more appetizing than IMP Petite Pain bread and the kinda flat little bread roll look is surprisingly appealing!

[Ruleryak]

Somewhere I've got a UGR bread package. Six or eight hamburger buns in one large tan pouch. I'll have to dig that up and get some photos on here. I only ever found one so I've never opened it.

[housil]

Six or eight hamburger buns in one large tan pouch. I'll have to dig that up and get some photos on here. I only ever found one so I've never opened it.

Until this, take mine

The tan pouch (2003)

The 6 buns

In the oven

With pulled pork

[housil]

But there was also that bread:

4 bags per case

The tan vs. the dark brown

[Kats]

You can still get those 6 pack hamburger buns. I think it was be prepared.com or readymade. I ordered a pack on an order a year or 2 ago just to see what they were.