Our Identity Preserved Hearth Bread is 100% whole grain and made from a blend of WB9229 (hard red) and Patwin (hard white) whole grain flours. These wheats are grown by Fritz Durst in Capay, CA.
The bread is parbaked, which means that it is partially baked then rapidly frozen so you can bake it at home and enjoy it fresh from the oven. Please note, the bread will arrive thawed — you should refrigerate, freeze, or bake it immediately.
Storage & Baking instructions:
STORAGE: Your bread was shipped frozen and may arrive thawed. You may refreeze the loaf and bake when you are ready. It is safe to eat having been refrozen, but may lose a bit of structure. The preferred method is to bake as soon as it arrives, let it cool, slice it to your liking, place it back in the freezer-safe plastic bag it was shipped in, put it in the freezer, and toast the sliced portions as needed. If you do not want to freeze it, keep it on your cutting board sliced side down, covered with a tea towel or in a paper bag.
BAKING: For a crisp crust, pat-down the bread with water before baking.
Bake from Thawed: Pre-heat your oven to 385°F. Place the bread directly on the rack and bake for 18 minutes. The bread is done when the crust is firm and the loaf is well browned.
Bake from Frozen: Pre-heat your over to 450°F. Place the bread directly on the rack and bake for 25 minutes. Your bread is done when the center of the loaf is warm. Test by inserting a knife or other instrument from the underside of the loaf.
Let the loaf cool on an open-air rack for at least 30-45 minutes before slicing.