Ann Arbor Artisan Gift Boxes

What to expect when you’re expecting bread

We ship our breads using two-day service. Each of our breads comes wrapped in a paper bread bag ready to eat for a few days, or to be wrapped in plastic and frozen for longer storage. 

Do not be alarmed if the bread seems hard or dry… our crust is the best (and only!) preservative in our bread! It’s almost magical how well it returns to that “fresh-baked” status with a little time in the oven. Crispy, thick crust; soft, chewy crumb inside.

How to store your bread

Store your loaf in its paper bag on the counter – out of reach of hungry husbands, wily wives, clever kids – for a few days. Don’t put it in the fridge, it’ll wreak havoc on the texture. If your loaf is sliced it’s best to wrap it in a plastic bag so it doesn’t dry out.

If you don’t plan on eating your bread right away, double bag the loaf–or part of it–in plastic and freeze. When you’re ready to enjoy it, remove the plastic bags and follow the heating steps below.

How to serve your bread

All of our breads are completely baked all the way so reheating is not necessary.  You can eat the bread right out of the bag (ripping pieces or cutting slices – no judgment here). If it’s frozen, you can leave the bread to thaw fully on the counter and then eat it. We only suggest that the bread will give you the “just out of the oven” experience… if you reheat it in the oven..

Starting with frozen bread? Let it defrost on the counter for 30 minutes, then follow these same directions.

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Take the bread out of the bag
3. Throw the whole, half, or part of the loaf on the oven rack naked
4. Leave it til it’s hot the whole way through — about 15-20 minutes
5. Take time to smell the roses, or better, the amazing aroma coming out of your oven
6. Eat!

All of our pastries and coffee cakes are baked without preservatives, so you’ll want to eat them soon. Each baked good will have an “eat or freeze by” sticker that is about two weeks from when the package started its lucky journey from us to you.  

If enjoying soon, keep them at room temperature.

If you’ll be enjoying the treats soon, they can be kept at room temperature in the packaging they arrived in or in a plastic bag. Avoid the refrigerator, it can ruin the texture.

If you want to save some treats for later, keep them in the freezer.

For longer term storage, all of our baked goods freeze well for up to three months. You can store them in the freezer in their original packaging or, if they’ve been opened, double wrapped in plastic bags. 

After the freezer, it is best to allow frozen pastries and coffee cakes to defrost slowly at room temperature in the packaging. That’s all you need to do–though with some pastries like scones, a little warm up in an oven will make them extra delicious.