Buy par-baked sourdough — take and bake at home

Par-baked sourdough loaves are partially baked at a professional bakery, then frozen or packaged for you to finish in your home oven. You get artisan-quality bread with a hot, crackling crust and just 10-15 minutes of oven time. The best compromise between quality and convenience.

Top Options

• La Brea Bakery Take & Bake — Available at many grocery stores. Bake 12-15 minutes at 400F. Widely praised for crust quality.
• Izzio Artisan Bakery (San Francisco Style) — Ships frozen, 4.6/5 stars. Highly praised for authentic taste and texture.
• Wildgrain — Frozen subscription service shipping nationally. Bake from frozen in about 25 minutes. Sourdough loaves and rolls.
• Essential Baking Company — Pacific Northwest. Organic options available.

How to Bake

1. Preheat oven to 375-425F (check package directions)
2. Place directly on oven rack or a baking sheet
3. Bake 10-25 minutes until golden and crusty
4. Cool 5-10 minutes before slicing

Tips

• Par-baked gives significantly better results than fully baked store-bought — the crust is hot and crackly, the interior steamy
• Read labels carefully: real sourdough lists "sourdough culture" or "levain," not just "yeast" with flavoring
• Store extra par-baked loaves in the freezer and bake from frozen when needed
• Good for benchmarking — taste what quality sourdough should be before attempting your own