Like any modern girl, I try to keep the consumption of bread and other forms of gluten to a minimum, but from time to time everyone craves a flaky, buttery croissant or chewy slice of sourdough for avocado toast. When I silence my inner Gwyneth and indulge these cravings, wellness is still a goal. My line in the sand is that the breads be high quality and artisanal, without preservatives, fillers, seed oils, and refined sugars one finds in most grocery store offerings. I give bonus points for sourdough-based products instead of commercial yeasts which wreak havoc on the gut microbiome, and by extension everything else, like digestion, skin and mood. That usually means running to a pricey patisserie or farmer’s market bakery stand where full loaves start at $8, up to $15 for some of the trendier, organic purveyors. In an ideal world, a girl could indulge in fresh baked bread, or even cinnamon rolls and fresh pasta, minus the schlepping, expense, and effort. Like many monthly beauty product memberships, Wildgrain, the first bake-from-frozen artisanal bakery, makes this possible with just a $69 Breadbox subscription.
Similar to boxes from fave skincare, hair care, and makeup curators, Wildgrain serves up a variety of its artisanal, locally-produced, small-batch loaves, pastries and fresh hand-cut pastas with the convenience and reliability of a regular monthly shipment. After I placed my order, I was alerted about the delivery window and instructions on how to store the perishables for maximum freshness. When the massive recycled box of goodies arrived with ice packs, I immediately stored them in the freezer, except for one croissant – I just couldn’t wait to try it.
After placing the croissant on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 16 minutes in a 350 degree oven, and letting it cool, I had the perfect flaky-on the outside, buttery-layers-on-the-inside breakfast to accompany a morning latte in under 30 minutes.
In addition to the croissants, I stocked my freezer with a half-dozen chocolate chip cookies, 3 sourdough loves, and 2 fresh pastas (linguine and fettuccine, 4 servings each.) The sourdough loaves cover the culinary gambit from everyone’s favorite, a plain sourdough for toast and croutons, as well as a three-seed loaf, and a cranberry nut multigrain loaf perfect for chicken or tuna salad sandwiches. A quick look at the ingredients of the breads, and one sees the simplicity of what’s expected in a loaf of bread: flour, water, salt, and natural yeast, i.e. Wildgrain’s signature homemade sourdough starter.
All of these loaves are first slow-fermented which makes the bread lighter and tastier than commercial alternatives. The fermentation process responsible for the sourdough taste and texture, also breaks down most of the gluten, while supplying lactic acid and prebiotics for optimal digestion and a healthier gut microbiome.
With the wellness standard passed if not exceeded, the ease of having a fresh warm loaf on the table in 25 minutes is every city girl’s dream. It’s as easy as turning on the oven (first remember to remove the shoes and handbags stored there) and popping the frozen loaf – no thawing required – on the bare rack and proceeding with other meal preparations. While the oven is still hot, it’s the perfect time to bake a chocolate chip cookie or cinnamon roll for dessert – on a baking sheet of course.
Wildgrain lets a girl have her croissant and eat it too. Several promos are on offer until April 30. The Basic Bread Box is $69 for the first month. The $99 Bread, Pastry and Pasta Box includes four free croissants per month … for life.
