The pros: Trader Joe's Pain Au Lait is a nice light French bread that while perfect for breakfast, I can totally justify eating this during other meals as well.
The cons: Nothing jumped to my mind.
The verdict: Trader Joe's and bread that comes from you directly from France. It's a match made in heaven. Now, if you've had Trader Joe's French Brioche, you know it is something special. I've had many a cashier tell me stories of polishing off an entire loaf by themselves. I was excited to see another French bread make an appearance at my local Trader Joe's.
I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen this before and since the packaging is so similar to the brioche I decided to give this a try. You get a total of 8 buns that look a lot like hot dog rolls without being pre-sliced. They have a lovely shiny exterior.
I ate mine straight from the bag without toasting them. They were soft and buttery. And yes, they will pair well with butter, jam or jelly. But I can totally see myself dunking this into a rich cup of coffee or a hot chocolate (if the weather around NYC ever cools down to more fall like temperatures. The bread isn't quite as rich as brioche, but doesn't seem far away either. Almost like brioche "lite." It's not quite a really well-made biscuit either. It was just nice to take a bite and schmear on a bit of butter and jam.
For $2.99, this won't be a weekly purchase, but it will make its way into my cart. It's really good bread. If you are fan of the brioche, then this is worth looking for as well.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The bag of Trader Joe's Pain Au Lait:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How Trader Joe's describes this bread:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's Pain Au Lait again.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
I’m convinced and I think I am going to pick up a bag. I’m not sure how I came across your blog, but I am really happy I did. Thank you for your daily posts and detailed photos. Among the many TJ blogs, I’ve read, I like yours the best for those reasons. Your tempting photo of the brioche toast also convinced me to get a loaf…TJ should thank you for my patronage ?
Hey Jeannie! Thanks for stopping by. Your comment made my day. Thanks again.
Do you think these rolls would be too sweet to use for hot dog buns? I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Mitsuwa (Japanese grocery store), but they have a bakery and sell these AMAZING mini hot dogs inside of these sweet buns. They’re so freaking good and these rolls look really similar.
Hey Lila,
I do actually think they would work as hot dog buns. They are the perfect shape, but because of their soft nature and the fact they aren't precut it might be a bit difficult. The flavor (and texture for that matter) is actually sort of close to a King's Hawaiian Roll if that answers your question. I would also consider putting pulled pork on these rolls as well. Thanks for stopping by!