It’s back to school time, and Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches are a lunch box staple. However, there appears to be a great debate over which way is the “right way” to make the best PB & J. Each individual ingredient, and even how the ingredient is used is cause for heated discussion. So I decided to poll ten of my fellow bakers to see if I could settle this argument once and for all! Unfortunately, I found very little consensus and a lot of opinionated bakers! Here’s a breakdown by key ingredient…
The Peanut Butter: Creamy or crunchy? 7 out of 10 Milton’s bakers prefer creamy over crunchy. One even likes to use cashew butter when they are “feeling indulgent”. 100% of the bakers agreed that a “medium amount” of peanut butter will suffice. However, one baker recommends putting a light amount of peanut butter on both sides of the bread, with jelly in the middle, to prevent a soggy PB&J. On the contrary, another baker is a separatist who only puts peanut butter on one slice, and only puts jelly on the other.
The Jelly: This sparked the most debate! While half prefer strawberry, the other half is made up of grape, boysenberry, raspberry, and apricot pineapple! Half of the pro-strawberry camp prefers the chunky strawberry jelly. Only one baker was anti-jelly, who prefers margarine or butter instead. A popular substitute for jelly? Honey was recommended by most.
The Bread: Overwhelmingly, 8 out of 10 bakers prefer the bread to be un-toasted, while one intrepid baker recommends a grilled panini style PB&J. However, there was no unity in the bread flavor category!
1st Place: 60% of the bakers agree that Multi-Grain is the best for PB & J
2nd Place: 30% find Whole Grain to be the best
3rd Place: It’s a tie between Whole Wheat and Gourmet White
The Crust: Some PB&J connoisseurs consider this to be a separate ingredient, however 8 out of 10 bakers are pro-crust! In fact, a 2002 German study found that the baking process produces an antioxidant in bread that is eight times more abundant in the crust. If this study is accurate, then it might actually be healthier to keep the crusts on!
The Slice: It was a draw between horizontal and diagonal slices. However, one baker takes it a step further and slices diagonally twice to make triangle shaped quarters. If they are slicing into a shape, most bakers prefer a heart shape. Awww!
Variations: Most variations involved substituting the “J” for bananas and honey, but other crazy combinations include raisins and granola, thinly sliced apples, and potato chips! If you are feeling adventurous, click here to try our Peanut Butter Surprise recipe pictured above.
Beverage Pairing: an ice cold glass of milk…of course!
So even though the results of my poll were inconclusive, I’ve come away with the realization that there is no “right way” to make a PB & J, but rather, a lot of great ways to enjoy this lunchtime classic. Which combination will you make for lunch tomorrow?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My favorite is creamy peanut butter with raspberry or blackberry jam with seeds. But another idea is to use bread and butter sliced pickles and peanut butter. Sounds weird to some, but it really works together and a family favorite!
Peanut butter and slices of dill pickle are the best!