The $4 Aldi Grocery I’m Keeping Stocked in My Pantry This Fall

I head straight for the same aisle every time I set foot in Aldi, but it isn’t the one you’re thinking of. While the “Aisle of Shame” holds the limited-edition buys that make Aldi fanatics go wild, I make a beeline for the bakery aisle first. Spanning half the length of the store, Aldi’s bakery aisle offers some of the best breakfast goodies, homestyle desserts, and loaves of bread you can buy. 

I bought Aldi’s Specially Selected Italian Loaf for the first time last spring in an effort to upgrade my WFH lunches from the standard squishy sandwich bread. Let’s just say that it was love at first bite. But unlike most summer flings, my adoration for Aldi’s small-batch Italian bread has staying power. In fact, this bread is so special that I’ve been buying three loaves at a time. Here’s how I’m using Aldi’s Italian bread this fall for every meal of the day.

Aldi’s Specially Selected Italian bread is the closest to homemade that I’ve found in a supermarket loaf (and I’ve tried a lot of supermarket breads). The bread has a golden crust that crisps up beautifully in the toaster or oven. The crumb is the ideal blend of tender and chewy. The bread is yeast-risen for lift, but also contains a sourdough culture, which gives the loaf a subtle tang characteristic of homemade breads. The bread is also pre-sliced, making it easy to stash my extras in the freezer and remove only what I need.

This bread is so good, half of a loaf will be toasted, buttered, and gone before I’ve finished unpacking the groceries. In the morning I’ll use slices of the Italian loaf to make the perfect cinnamon toast, egg-in-a-hole, or sausage breakfast casserole. 

This fall I’ll serve the bread in this vegetarian take on the classic reuben sandwich and with classic chicken salad with grapes for lunch. For dinner, I’ll dip the bread into this creamy tomato soup or use it to sop up the savory gravy in this beef tips recipe. 

Buy: Aldi Specially Selected Italian Loaf, $3.99 in-store or $4.39 online for 24 ounces 

What Aldi staples are you stocking in your pantry this fall? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The $4 Aldi Grocery I’m Stocking in My Pantry for Fall