What Type Of Loaf Is Hillbilly Bread?

When you make a sandwich, what type of bread do you pull from the pantry? Maybe you're a fan of classic white bread options or found that pumpernickel pairs surprisingly well with your BLT. Perhaps challah bread of choice for French toast. However, if the fluffy texture and pillowy softness of white bread is what calls your name, and you want something with a little more nutritional benefit, it might be time to fill your breadbox with Hillbilly Old Fashioned Bread.

Despite looking and feeling like any other boring package of white bread, Hillbilly Bread is actually a multigrain loaf. It has the same delicate, pale interior and traditional brown crust as white bread but provides more fiber, potassium, and iron due to the additional grains. The flavor is also slightly different from white bread, typically a little sweeter and denser, thanks to the molasses and honey that can go into making the bread.

Hillbilly Bread was created in the early 1960s by Robert L. Roush, who was known for his business, Roush Bakery Products. Roush chose the name "Hillbilly Bread" because he figured it would conjure positive associations with the Appalachian region. The mixture used to make the product was sold at bakeries across the U.S. that were permitted to add its company logo to the bag so long as the traditional Hillbilly Old Fashioned Bread graphics were also on display. Hillbilly Bread advertisements would later pop up in newspapers.

Typical ingredients in a Hillbilly Bread loaf include cornmeal, molasses, buttermilk, multiple varieties of flour, rolled oats, barley flakes, and other grains. You can still purchase it at some local bakeries and grocery stores. The nostalgic appeal and hidden health benefits of Hillbilly Bread have arguably made it a generations-long favorite for sandwiches and breakfast toasts alike.