I eat a lot of bread and this is my Top 3 list of essential bread spreads:
1. Cream cheese
This is a spreadable cream cheese that I’ve grown to love. It retails for about RM 7 for 200 grams – the same weight and price as those “mystery cheese” individually wrapped slices. I can’t say this is 100% real cheese either but it sure tastes a helluva lot better.
It’s creamy and savory! Made in Australia, the best thing about this small tub of cream cheese is that if you don’t consume it within 10 days it turns into sour cream – another *new* spread for your bread. 
I’m kidding, I don’t know what it turns into after 10 days coz I love the stuff.
2. Kaya (coconut jam)
Yup, this is a bread spread that we can count as our very own – made in Malaysia, something to be proud of. The word itself translates to English as “rich” and that’s exactly what the texture feels like. It’s a sweet concoction made of coconut and tastes like custard.
I usually get locally produced original ones (none of the pandan infused flavors for me) for RM 2.50. I also noticed that kaya goes better with softer bread e.g. the bran and wheat-germ types instead of 100% wholegrain.
3. Peanut butter
This is another staple of my fridge. I always go for chunky peanut butter – I’m not a huge fan of the smooth/creamy variety. I don’t like it cloyingly sweet either and I found this brand called Steffi’s Delight that’s made in the United States with no added sugar.
It really makes a lot of difference – it’s almost slightly salty and this brand also has visible chunks of peanuts. It’s cheaper than a lot of local brands too at RM 11 for over 500+ grams.
This kind of peanut butter works well with tougher breads like grain fortified 100% wholemeal/wholegrain. Lovely stuff, the only downside is the slightly disturbing use-by date of 2014…it’s gotta have a lot of preservatives inside for that kind of shelf life. 😡
I still eat bread with the stuff in 3 delicious and dirt cheap meals with bread but have bought a couple of spreads to spice things up a little. This is just a continuation of my…er, bread story after the DBKL spectacle.
What spreads do you like and are you a chunky or smooth person? 🙂
I adore Vegemite! Never Marmite always Vegemite. 😉
Heh! I love it too!
Both versions for me though. 🙂
I know it’s an ongoing thing the Vegemite vs Marmite feud, but both tastes just right to me. I ate more of the former in NZ, the latter in Australia though.
Cheers Suz! 😀
If I can only choose one it has to be kaya! Can’t find it over here so when I have the cravings I wouldn’t even mind standing in front of the stove and stirring the custard for hours and hours just for a few servings of goodness!
Wow! Now that is dedication bro! 🙂
I wouldn’t make it except as a fun project. It would be fun to make your own kaya though.
Yeah, I get the cravings when I was studying away too. A quick trip to the closest Asian grocery shop usually solves that. You’ll never believe how much I paid for a Thai durian (frozen but complete fruit) in Clayton!
Cheers mate! 😀
Me? I’m a cream cheese spread fan, would send my parents crazy with my constant requests for Philly cheese and with me mixing it with the French strawberry jam. Used to have many tubs of it.
To summon it all, I’m both a chunky and smooth person.
If you’re having worries over the expiry date, why don’t you try the organic peanut butter instead? I’ll have to check on the price first; the last I bought it, it was at 9 bucks for 500g but time being time, the manufacturer might have increased the price.
Same here! I love the stuff too Ciana! 🙂
I think if you’re going for taste and price, the Philly cheese blocks would work out to be better – tastier but slightly more expensive, it was RM 15 last I checked, price comparable to a large family pack of those singles of cheddar.
Cream cheese with strawberry jam eh? I’ll give it a go, I know it goes well with peanut butter and kaya (yup, all three).
Nice! I usually shop at the hypermarket closest to home, which doesn’t carry the largest selection, but I’ll go to a more export friendly one next time.
Thanks for the tip Ciana! 🙂
True; it was certainly cheaper in Auckland, you know.
Would always fool myself that I was eating ice cream that way. Cream cheese represented the vanilla ice-cream and the strawberry jam the syrup.
You could try Hock Choon in Jalan Ampang (if you happen to be there) but no guarantees that they’ve the organic peanut butter. Some places sell it higher, some places sell it lower depending on the brand and type.
Yeah, it’ll be a lot cheaper in Auckland…last I was there in 2010 I went on a grocery shopping trip that cost a lot less than what it would over here and I bought heaps of stuff! 🙂
Interesting way of eating “ice cream”. 🙂
Thanks for the Hock Choon tip! I know that place and it’s still open.
I’ll go check it out.
Thanks Ciana! 😀
I eat a lot of bread as well, mostly because I’m Hainanese heh.
My must have on bread is butter. It gives everything else that goes on it this savory smooth taste.
On top of the butter, my top three spreads are: Nutella, Honey, Thick Cut Marmalade. On buttered whole wheat toast.
I don’t really like peanut butter so much. I went through a peanut butter phase for a year, then I got over it.
Haha! I think it could be how we’re brought up too.
Our family ate a lot of bread as we were growing up – my dad would make us fried egg sandwiches for a packed lunch during early primary school. I make my own French toast when I was 8-9 years old too!
I guess tastes develop as at a certain age – I *hated* rice, I was a very skinny kid at 7-12, wouldn’t eat my maternal grandma’s cooking and would rather buy books than eat food outside during family lunches.
Needless to say, I ate a lot of bread. Heh.
I love butter too, and Nutella and also marmalade. It’s an acquired taste, that latter, I used to hate it as a kid, too bitter, now I love it too, also thick cut.
Cheers mela! 😀
I like strawberry jam and chunky peanut butter..mmmmm..
Nice combo!
It’s the traditional PB&J (peanut butter and jelly) sandwich, which I’m not a huge fan of to be honest. I’ll just go with peanut butter, not a big fan of jam until recently.
Maybe it’s coz of the jams that I’ve had as a kid – all cloyingly sweet and just a pretense at any sort of fruit inside.
Cheers! 🙂
I’d say aye to organic peanut butter! Can’t do without it.. pre workout, or post. and even a late night snack!! best invention ever 😛
Organic peanut butter it is then! 🙂
It really gives me the creeps to see such a long use by date for spreads, it just ain’t natural.
It’s like milk – I only drink fresh so it’s supposed to expire in a couple of days (love the local one from Johor – about RM 10 for 2 liters) and other’s just can’t compare, especially the reconstituted crap.
That stuff is meant for ships, much like cabin biscuits (cream crackers), on long voyages without modern technology, a time which no longer exists. 😉
I’ve gotta get me some of that organic peanut butter.
Cheers ciki! 🙂
bacon qualified as spread?
ok, chopped?
Heh! No, I don’t think it qualifies as a spread but I’m thinking to do a long and ongoing series on this…er, bread story.
I have an ex-girlfriend who *loves* bacon bits – the ones that comes out of a shaker. Won’t have pasta without it. Every time I cook, she’s gotta grab that off the shelves.
I’ll rather eat proper bacon but I understand it’s not that convenient to get (also a bit messy while cooking).
Cheers for bacon bro! 🙂
Kaya for me. But I am too damn lazy to spread it on the bread so usually I just dip and eat. Not exactly a very hygienic practice I know 😛
Hello Vincent! 🙂
Haha! No worries mate.
I drink milk straight from the carton too, I don’t bother with glasses.
…although I must admit, it tastes better in a glass coz you can smell it.
Dipping it eh? It sounds great bro! 😀
HB, I thought you prefer hazelnut chocolate spread, I some time spread sweet condense milk on toast.
Haha! No, I said I love Nutella too but these are the essential speads that I have at home. 🙂
Yeah, I remember eating it that way too – just condensed milk on toast, when I was a kid.
Unfortunately, a lot of the condensed milk on the market are not really milk per se but sweetener, unlike the days of old.
Oh well.
Cheers Vickie! 🙂
I’m ok with all three…though I would prefer egg, ham, bacon…..or whatever sandwiches but since we’re talking about spreads, I like liver pate spread on bread! Oooo…haven’t had that for a while now…
Now that’s a really, really nice spread! 🙂
Liver pate I mean. I haven’t had that in a looong time too.
Foie gras on bread, very very good stuff.
Unfortunately, not something you can eat on a daily basis though. Ham, eggs and bacon sounds great too!
I might go and get some in bulk for a hot bread breakfast.
Cheers buddy! 🙂
Hey, I actually bought that Australian cream cheese to add into my potato croquettes and that made it soo creamy and smooth alright! You should try that next 🙂 And I really do hope they don’t turn into sour cream 🙂
Yeah, it’s really good stuff eh? 🙂
Okay, I’ll try that out and see how it tastes like. I *love* it with bread, it’s so awesome. I’ll spread it thickly in the middle and eat the edges first so I get a slice of bread with no crust and a double thick layer of cream cheese to bite into at the very end. Orgasmic.
Heh! I don’t think it’ll turn into sour cream but then again I haven’t left it for more than 10 days. I use a lot each time and I eat a lot of bread – it’s my main meal these days.
Cheers Cas! 🙂
I’m a bread lover too…Despite eating rice as dinner for dinner, I will take bread. And from all the spreads here, I will go for cheese. I’m not too fond of kaya. I must be having it too much during my schooling years.
Nice! Another bread lover! 🙂
Haha! Yeah, I get what you mean, I ate a lot of kaya during my primary school days too!
…but surprisingly, layering it with other stuff e.g. the salty peanut butter or the cream cheese or *all three* at once makes it different.
The sweetness of the kaya will combine with the saltiness of the peanut butter and cream cheese and the different textures interplays well.
Cheers buddy! 🙂
Chunky peanut butter please HB!
Yup that’s what I’ll always go for too! 🙂
Creamy peanut butter just lacks the texture of chunky peanut butter.
I like having bits to crunch and munch in my mouth for a while…and I like it to be slightly salty too!
Cheers Missy! 😀
my favourite is Skippy’s peanut butter!
Nice! I prefer a more salty brand though – Skippy’s is a bit sweet for me. 🙂
I’ve been using all types of different spreads all the while and it seems that the no added sugar peanut butter is the best, although I would want to experiment with the organic ones!
Cheers Eiling! 😀
I swear when I am here, I crave and crave the “roti kahwin” and will have to drive down to the Asian grocery store to pick up a couple Yeo’s brand Kaya tubs 🙂 However, every single time I visit home and visit the parental units, I will drive myself insane with cravings of Peanut Butter….the creamy/smooth ones. I love the ones where the ingredients are listed as, Peanuts and Salt…LOL Don’t know if they ever get all dodgy, as they never last too long in my house LOL
I know I will have to try to eat all I can again when I head to Singapore and Kuching in January!
Haha! That’s the way I am too Dar! 😀
Yeah, I get totally get what you mean. Oh and I remember those Yeo’s tubs of Kaya too! That was what we ate as kids. Lovely stuff!
It’s awesomely sweet and a very unnatural color but we loved it as kids. Haha!
Cream cheese spread never lasts long in my place, always goes within 3-4 days, and that’s just me eating!
Nice, you’re coming back! Give me a buzz if you’re in Singapore, I might be there then too!
Cheers Darlene! 🙂