The 7 Best Breads At The Costco Bakery, Ranked

The Costco bakery may not entice customers with the scent of fresh-baked bread wafting out from behind the counter. But the hearty artisan offerings bagged up and stacked on the tables are enough to win the hearts of lovers of baked goods looking for a bargain on beautiful bulk breads and luscious loaves worth lingering over. This section of the wondrous warehouse retailer is especially important for family shoppers who know how costly specialty breads can get when purchased regularly.

While it's tempting to sweep through and grab every loaf in the collection, some selections provide a more favorable experience for bread lovers than others, even if that experience is solely situational. In other words, one bread fan's croissant is another bread fan's ciabatta roll. We wondered how these premium selections stack up against each other, so we made a Costco run, grabbed a bag of each type, and settled in for a good old-fashioned bread tasting. It's safe to say they're all winners, but some selections have a more gourmet touch that lends to a superior experience, while others are ground-level options that may not rise to your more special occasions. We'll explain how we determined our ranking at the end, but for now, let's dive into the seven best breads you can pick up at the Costco bakery. 

No need to book a flight to Paris to get patisserie-level baked goods, as long as you have a membership to the wonderful world of warehouse shopping. Costco baguettes offer everything you want in authentic French-style bread: crusty on the outside, not too tender, and skinny enough to slice into rounds for a party platter or light lunch. Though they're too narrow and tough for mini-sandwiches, these loaves are just the right circumference to stand in for crusty Italian bread when bringing your favorite bite-size bruschetta and crostini creations to life.

These long European treats come two to a bag, meaning you'll probably want to store one quickly to keep it as fresh as possible. This may require slicing it in half to fit it into your icebox. If you find yourself overloaded with too-long loaves, consider slicing one into rounds and toasting them in the oven, then storing them for future use instead. This will help prevent them from going stale while giving you a more manageable form for bagging and stashing.

Otherwise known in bakery circles as ciabatta rolls, these flour-topped squares are the perfect palm-sized canvases for breakfast sandwiches or homemade spreads. They have terrific density, providing a toothiness that feels substantial without compromising chewability. They also come pre-sliced, making it easier to tuck-and-store for DIY sandwich bars at your backyard get-togethers. But the flavor of these plain-Jane bakes will likely leave you wanting if you don't enhance them somehow; there's no inherent taste that lends to the fillings. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since it also lets the fillings and condiments shine through. It's simply something to be aware of before making your purchase.

As for workability, Costco artisan rolls are a real help in the kitchen. Their tidy, linear shape makes them a great addition to lunch boxes, and having a cool dozen in the bag means you can meal prep for the week without a problem. And if you plan on enjoying them more sparingly, clearing space for them in the fridge or freezer will let you extend their freshness until you can use them all up.

There can be no disappointing croissant fans when you toss a tub of Costco croissants into the cart. These authentic recreations of the classic pastry are so soft, so buttery, so darn delicious! The flaky layers melt on your tongue, which can be a dangerous thing; it'll easily fool you into thinking you should eat more than one in a sitting. But there are 18 grams of fat and 300 calories in each, courtesy of the real butter used in the recipe. It's the best way to get the laminated dough required to achieve so many delicate layers, a truth the Costco bakery faithfully adheres to.

There's no bad way to enjoy one of these croissants. You can grab one from the dozen in the tote and pull it apart for an easy-to-reach treat. Or you can slice them in half and add your favorite sandwich fillings or jazz them up sweetly with a drizzle of chocolate or a spot of jam if you think they need more personality for a special occasion. Even if you serve them completely bare and stacked on a tray among your other party fixings, they're pretty enough to make a striking pile anyone will recognize as a posh bake.

The selections available at Costco may vary throughout the year, so we were only able to choose from what we found. Fortunately, the Costco bakery section stocks several fresh-baked loaves bagged and ready for purchase, as well as a few boxed breads found among the more deluxe baked goods. We tasted each item separately, leaving them unadorned to get the full impact of the bread itself. We also gauged their toothsomeness and mouthfeel to determine all-around satisfaction, as well as considering how each bread might be factored into everyday situations and special occasions.

We also learned first-hand how delicate these bakes can be if not stored properly. Because the bulk nature of Costco bakery items means you'll be getting a big bunch of bread no matter what you buy, be sure to clear out fridge or freezer space to store the extra to make your Costco purchase last longer once opened. This is crucial, considering the refreshing lack of preservatives worked into the recipes. Having left a slice or two out on the counter, we found mold spots after a few days that reassured us we were eating a refreshingly wholesome take on store-baked bread, one that requires attentive storage to last.