Sourdough Heaven breads are 80% partially baked (“par-baked”) and frozen when locally delivered (Indianapolis area) for final baking at your home. Frozen par-baked breads offer the advantages of extended shelf life, convenience, and freshness. When frozen, they conserve their quality for up to 12 months. At home, you can enjoy the convenience of freshly baked bread with a simple final baking step.

Yes, we ship within the continental US. The shipping fee is based on the number of loaves shipped via UPS Ground. The bread is fresh (unfrozen) with special packaging for out-of-state ground shipping. Once the bread is delivered, it should be placed in a freezer. Shipments are made on Monday to ensure arrival by Friday.

Your Sourdough Heaven bread will be packaged in a plastic 2 mil freezer bag inside a paper bakery bag. The bakery bag has baking instructions on the label. In addition, I provide a brochure that gives proper handling, baking, and cutting instructions.

Whether in Indianapolis or out-of-state, once you receive your bread, place it in your freezer immediately until you're ready to bake and enjoy it. The bread has a limited shelf-life so it should be kept frozen until ready to bake. Read the label and brochure instructions carefully before baking.

Fast oven thawing, from freezer to oven, is the ideal way to bake the bread in an electric oven:

(1) Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
(2) Take the bread out of the freezer, remove the packaging materials.
(3) Place the frozen loaf in the center of the middle rack of the oven.
(4) Do not use a baking sheet.
(5) Set a timer for 40 minutes. This should be enough time to thaw and warm from crust to center.
(6) Remove bread from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature (2 hrs.) before cutting.

Gas ovens are not nearly as efficient as electric ovens when baking bread. They heat up very quickly but may not always maintain a stable temperature. They can also have cold and hot spots, making it difficult to reach an even bake. When using a gas oven to bake the bread, I recommend removing it from the freezer and thawing it overnight at room temperature. Also, consider using the convection setting, with forced air circulation, to ensure even temperatures throughout the baking process. Here are the baking steps:

(1) Remove bread from freezer. Remove all packaging materials.
(2) Place bread on the counter. Protect with parchment paper or tea towels, top and bottom.
(3) Thaw overnight (8+ hours) at room temperature.
(4) Do not thaw bread in the refrigerator.
(5) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F, using the convection heat setting.
(6) Place loaf in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Do not use a baking sheet.
(7) Set a timer for 25 minutes.
(8) Remove bread from oven and allow it to cool to room temperature (2 hrs.) before cutting.

No, my breads are “enriched” with sourdough starter, honey, and other added ingredients (cheese, fruits, and nuts, etc.). They are also large and dense (whole grain) loaves with a high moisture content. Refrigerator conditions can vary between model and manufacturer. The temperature settings and amount of food in a refrigerator can also negatively influence proper thawing conditions.

No, the directions call for baking one loaf at a time. Only one loaf should be placed in the oven when doing the final baking. Multiple loaves (or adding any other type of food) will reduce the oven temperature, prevent adequate baking time, and result in undercooked conditions.

Yes, the bread should be cooled down to room temperature, a minimum of 2 hours cooling time is necessary. Whole grain breads are still cooking while they are warm, and enough cooling time is necessary to allow the crumb to stabilize. Also, my breads are large, with a high moisture content. The bread needs time for the steam moisture to migrate from the center to the crust. The center needs to cool to allow the crumb to dry off.

Please read the brochure for the proper cutting instructions. The wrong cutting method will damage the crust, tear, or crush the interior crumb. Hold the bread securely, with one hand, in a perpendicular position to the cutting board. Use a sharp serrated edged bread knife. Cut a small notch first to secure the blade and begin cutting, using a sawing motion without pressing down on the bread. Let the knife do the cutting.

Absolutely Yes! Re-baking partially baked frozen bread with high dietary fiber and soluble "resistant" starch content improves bread structure, textural quality, and flavor, allowing it to be frozen and thawed multiple times without losing its freshness. Here are some simple directions:

(1) Once the bread has been baked and cut, place the uneaten pieces in the freezer bag and return to the freezer.
(2) Be sure to place the remaining pieces unevenly in the bag to prevent them from sticking together during freezing. You can also use wax paper to keep them separated.
(3) When you are ready to enjoy the bread again, remove the frozen pieces from the bag and thaw them in a microwave. Thawing time depends on the microwave wattage (high wattage - 30 seconds, low wattage - 60 seconds).
(4) Once thawed, they can be buttered and toasted in a toaster oven.

This is probably due to inaccurate oven (electrical or gas) temperatures. Even though your oven temperature reading shows it is preheated to 350° F, studies have shown that oven temperatures can vary by as much as 30-90° F, in either direction. The best way to check this is to use an oven thermometer like a Taylor Large 2.5 Inch Dial Kitchen Cooking Oven Thermometer which can be ordered through Amazon for around $7. A 2015 CNET blog addresses this problem: “Find out if your oven is actually preheating to the right temperatures”: https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/how-to-test-your-oven-for-temperature-preheating-accuracy/