Flatout Bread Wraps: Perhaps the Best in Low-Calorie Wraps

In recent years, wraps have seen surging popularity as an alternative to the age-old sandwich. Many consumers contend that wraps are lighter, less doughy, and most importantly, guilt-free. And indeed, many wraps do cater to the dieting crowd, marketing their lower-carbohydrate and caloric totals on the front label.

But unlike a good, chewy bagel or a hunk of sourdough, wraps often taste like bland packaging for turkey, Swiss and mayo. They are, as their names suggest, mere wrapping paper for tastier contents. Wraps: not quite as self-consciously health-obsessed as lettuce leaves, but not exactly something that you would crave, either. A few names do offer a pretty tasty product, however, and give the bread aisle dynasty-tough competition

Flatout Bread wraps may just be the best of the field in low-calorie wraps. Flatout wraps hail from Saline, Michigan. Having spent the better part of ten years in Michigan, I have driven or run past the plant countless times; it only took me about eight years before I realized that this plain, industrial block cranked out a national food product. And so now, over a thousand miles removed from the assembly lines and cargo trucks, I finally have tried this "local" product.

My conclusion? These wraps, characterized by their unique, soft-edged "rectangular" shape, are a nice change from their circular competition. I have tried the more tortilla-style wraps and the ultra "healthy" variety. Too frequently the shells would crack and not "roll" properly during lunch prep, or, a few hours later, I would find soggy sandwiches in my lunch box. Flatouts have given me no such problems - nearly every time, a surprisingly fresh wrap awaits me at noontime.

Flatouts come in packages of six, and generally are tucked in or around the deli/bread area at your local supermarket. Good first impressions are always a promising start. The charred streaks running lengthwise, the air pockets - whether these are genuine indications of oven freshness or simply aesthetic gimmicks used to project the aforementioned image, I am not sure. Whatever the case, Flatout wins two thumbs up in the appearance category.

Another noteworthy quality: the texture. Flatout wraps are a little thicker than the average wrap, and the surface is not the slick, plasticized shell of other wraps. Rather, the Flatout wrap is soft, as if dusted with a flour-like powder that keeps the wraps supple and, again, lends that all-important organic, fresh-baked quality.

The Healthy Grain Flatout may be the healthiest option, but I'd recommend a flavored variety, as the Healthy Grain lacked distinguishable flavor. Italian Herb and the Original flavor still only will cost you about 100 calories and fewer carbs than one-third of a deli bagel.

Part of the appeal of a Flatout - or any wrap, for that matter - is its versatility. Flatouts make great lunchbox roll-ups, but give them a try for toaster oven pizzas, quesadillas, or grilled Panini-style sandwiches.