We all love peanut butter and jelly (unless you’re allergic to peanuts–my condolences), but sometimes sandwiching the glorious marriage of sweet and salty between two dull slices of bread doesn’t do it justice. In the name of culinary science, I tested 7 bread alternatives to find out the best way to amp up your PB&J once and for all. Here are the results:
The method for making each sandwich is nearly identical to that of your average PB&J. Just slice or fold the bread substitute so that it creates two sides of a sandwich, then spread on the fillings.
Pretzel Bun
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
This is a simple swap, but the more complex texture and flavor of the pretzel bun is far superior to sliced bread from a bag.
Croissant
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
While still pretty similar to bread, a fluffy, buttery croissant adds instant happiness points to your sandwich, thanks to its melt-in-your-mouth flakiness.
Waffles
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
Because who doesn’t love a good waffle hack? Leslie Knope approves.
Biscuits
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
Venturing farther away from tradition, this biscuit PB&J was a winner. It takes the sweet and salty game to new heights. Confession: I ate this whole sandwich before continuing to work on this article.
Poptarts
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
Okay, I got hungry and things got weird. Depending on your sugar overload threshold, this combination could potentially be delicious. Either way, it wasn’t bad, especially if you use it to supplement your drunchies repertoire.
Doughnut
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
If you’re looking for a dessert PB&J, this was actually quite good. The bready-ness of the doughnut gives it the feel of a traditional sandwich, but the frosting and fried flavor gives it the distinctly unhealthy-yet-delicious quality of any legitimate dessert.
Cinnamon Roll
Photo by Anna Celeste Harrer
They should sell this at Cinnabon, because it was perfection. Combining the bready quality of the doughnut with icing and cinnamon!? Genius. I couldn’t ask for better. If you’re worried about it being too sweet, don’t. Your salty tears of joy will balance it out as soon as this baby hits your tastebuds.
Need more of a PB&J fix? Check these out: