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 until you're ready to bake and enjoy it. Read the label and brochure instructions carefully before baking.

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

(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.

Yes, although baking the frozen bread will result in a thicker and crispier crust, if you wish to thaw your frozen bread first before baking, you need to do so overnight at room temperature:

(1) Remove bread from freezer. Remove all packaging materials.
(2) Place bread on the counter. Protect with parchment paper or paper towels, top and bottom.
(3) Thaw overnight (8+ hours) at room temperature.
(4) Do not thaw bread in the refrigerator.

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.

(1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
(2) Place loaf in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Do not use a baking sheet.
(3) Set a timer for 25 minutes.
(4) Remove bread from oven and allow it to cool to room temperature (2 hrs.) before cutting.

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 and result in undercooked conditions, preventing adequate baking time.

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.

Yes, gas ovens are not nearly as accurate as electric ovens when baking bread. These ovens vary by brand. They heat up very fast 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 my bread, consider the convection setting with forced air circulation to ensure even temperatures throughout the baking process.

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/