Panera opens in Highlands

"Every day, at every location, trained bakers craft and bake each loaf from scratch, using the best ingredients to ensure the highest quality breads."

http://www.panerabread.com/about/company/

So they either do, or they don't, which means they're telling the truth, or they're not.

Glad I could help settle this.

Just a little different twist on Panera's bread.

I deferred this refrigerated dough question to my live in bread maker. First of all, she makes 95%+ of the breads consumed in our home and I'll trust her opinion/comments given her amateur expert status. NJ has a number of recipes that call for a cold or slow fermentation...basically the dough is made up the prior day and allowed to rise in the fridge. OK, she doesn't truck it in, but if Panera uses cold fermentation the process is essentially what NJ does for some of her breads only on a larger scale. Does this shipping during fermentation result in a less fresh product? I don't think so, but reasonable people can/should disagree. If Panera freezes the bread/dough, then that is a whole nuther story.

It doesn't matter to me, as I only eat there for the occasional hungover breakfast, and I wouldn't care if I ate there daily, but i think some people have an issure with their advertising. They lead people to believe they have bakers in house, making the dough and baking it, while they are not.

Hubers for years, a very prominent local, independent establishment, has spoken about their "homemade" pies. They bought them frozen from Sysco every year!

Cunningham's brags about their "homemade" chicken & tuna salad. They come from Sysco tubs!

Lots of local, independent places lie like hell about their products also. Get off your high horses.

I have the eggs to walk in and ask for a kitchen tour... stay tuned!

Guess I should have chosed Panera instead of Dennys when I was driving to Canada

Driving back from Canada a few days ago and stopping in a Panera off the highway was a welcome treat within the off-highway wasteland of food choices. However, opting to dip into Panera in the Highlands with all the wonderful food choices surrounding it---I hardly think so! But hey, to each his/her own. Panera is not a desirable occupant of that space, but at least tolerable.

Mark, you must have misread the article as it describes Panera's bread as being delivered refrigerated, not frozen.

So, I was curious as to what exactly panera does with their bread from mixing to finished product, and I found this article interesting. Apparently they par bake the bread then flash freeze and ship it out. The store then thaws and "completes" the baking process.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/menu-innovat ... ling-dough

aha! Yes it was the Corner bakery that flash froze their bread I believe.

ok, not that it has not been said all along, but it has been absolutely confirmed from a job applicant (did not take the job) that indeed Panera breads are frozen, and then proofed and baked at the stores.
oh and, muffins come in five gallon buckets.

Just an fyi, I still like their "everything", and asiago bagel. Now if they would only carry smoked salmon!

Guess I should have chosed Panera instead of Dennys when I was driving to Canada

Driving back from Canada a few days ago and stopping in a Panera off the highway was a welcome treat within the off-highway wasteland of food choices. However, opting to dip into Panera in the Highlands with all the wonderful food choices surrounding it---I hardly think so! But hey, to each his/her own. Panera is not a desirable occupant of that space, but at least tolerable.

As long as I satisfy my poutine craving from Chez Ashton I'm a happy American tourist!

ok, not that it has not been said all along, but it has been absolutely confirmed from a job applicant (did not take the job) that indeed Panera breads are frozen, and then proofed and baked at the stores.

I'm not sure a job applicant is the final authority on frozen vs. cold fermentation. If they are frozen, that flies in the face of almost everything I've been able to find on the internet. Heather, just to be sure there is no misunderstanding, I'm not questioning your veracity, but rather that of your source.

BP (who needs to spend some time with his mental health professional to determine exactly why he gives a sh!t about Panera. I'm sick I tell ya.)

ok, not that it has not been said all along, but it has been absolutely confirmed from a job applicant (did not take the job) that indeed Panera breads are frozen, and then proofed and baked at the stores.

I'm not sure a job applicant is the final authority on frozen vs. cold fermentation. If they are frozen, that flies in the face of almost everything I've been able to find on the internet. Heather, just to be sure there is no misunderstanding, I'm not questioning your veracity, but rather that of your source.

BP (who needs to spend some time with his mental health professional to determine exactly why he gives a sh!t about Panera. I'm sick I tell ya.)

Mark, you must have misread the article as it describes Panera's bread as being delivered refrigerated, not frozen.

So, I was curious as to what exactly panera does with their bread from mixing to finished product, and I found this article interesting. Apparently they par bake the bread then flash freeze and ship it out. The store then thaws and "completes" the baking process.
http://www.qsrmagazine.com/menu-innovat ... ling-dough

Quoting from the article mentioned above:

Nineteen strategically located bread-making facilities serve Panera’s 1,400 company-owned and franchised restaurants in 40 states and Canada. Ingredients are mixed to form dough, which is fermented, molded into shapes, and refrigerated to slow fermentation. Temperature-controlled trucks ship the dough to restaurants for proofing and baking.

Based on this and other information it seems like Panera does not prebake or freeze their products!

As I posted earlier, their own "about us" on their website says they make everything from scratch at each location.

[Robin Garr]

As I posted earlier, their own "about us" on their website says they make everything from scratch at each location.

And as I said in the first place, that is simply not true. Whether they freeze, parbake or freakin irradiate the things, they're not making from scratch at the individual shops.

Chris LM is right: there are plenty of local places that lie about this kind of stuff. On the other hand, small-time crooks are much more charming than evil corporations.

[Robin Garr]

Chris LM is right: there are plenty of local places that lie about this kind of stuff. On the other hand, small-time crooks are much more charming than evil corporations.

I would argue, conversely, that it is entirely appropriate to "out" local places that lie, too. Truth in marketing is a good thing.

When a friend who is a job applicant, and has been offered a job, and given a description of their daily tasksand has been in the kitchen, and is told they will proof and bake from a frozen product, tells me that is the way it done, then I believe them.

I am sick and tired of having to defend what I say here, some people just loooooove to argue.

Go into the damn shop and ask the manager to their face how their product is prepared BILL.

GEEZ