Our Breads

At the Red Hen Baking Company, the ancient craft of making starters and levains guides us each day.

All of our breads are long-fermented and use starters that are prepared hours in advance, and made from flour derived from certified organic grains. Each loaf is then formed by hand and baked in a 500 degree hearth oven.

This process results in an interesting, intentional irregularity to the interior hole structure, as well as the dark, crisp crust for which our breads are known - essential to the flavor and style of our loaves.

A Note on Keeping Our Breads We bake and deliver seven days a week, insuring that every loaf you buy was baked only hours earlier. In an effort to preserve the crust, we package all of our breads only in paper bags. Because the long fermentation process that we use encourages beneficial acids which act as a natural preservative, many of our our breads will keep for three to four days days if left in the bag you bought them in.  When you slice into a loaf, keeping it cut side down on the cutting board will prevent it from drying out.  For detailed information on the keeping qualities of each of our breads, refer to our bread varieties page. Our breads also freeze well. After thawing, placing your loaf in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes will revive some of the crispiness of the crust.