Frequently Asked Questions
Real Food. Real People.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What's the difference between whole grain and whole wheat?
A. Whole wheat refers to the wheat kernel that has not been mixed with any other grain. Any whole wheat product is a whole-grain product. Whole-grain can refer to any grain,including wheat, spelt, rye, flax, barley, etc.
Q. What's the best time to come to get bread?
A. All of our Bread it ready by 8 A.M. It takes at least 5-6 hours to make a loaf of bread from scratch.
Q. What time should I come in if I want my bread sliced?
A. If you want a loaf that was made that morning to be sliced, it is best to come around 10:00 A.M. The bread must be cooled completely inside in order for us to be able to slice your loaf without the soft center collapsing.
Q. How long will my Great Harvest bread stay fresh?
A. We guarantee the freshness of most of our breads for 7-10 days from the date of purchase. Some of our specialty breads have a slightly shorter shelf life, and we will be happy to advise you if you are not certain how long to keep it.
Q. Are there and preservatives in your bread?
A. Our breads contain no artificial ingredients or preservatives, but because our ingredients, (especially our whole wheat flour!) are so fresh, our bread stays fresh for a long time!
Q. Should I put my Great Harvest bread in the fridge?
A. NO! This is the worst place to store our bread. Our breads do not contain the chemicals added to most commercial breads that enable them to be stored in the refrigerator, so if you put it in the fridge it will go stale faster. Just keep the bread tighly wrapped in the bag, away from air, and leav it on the counter at room temperature.
Q. Can I freeze my Great Harvest bread?
A. Absolutely! Tell us that you plan to freeze it and we will provide you with extra bags to better insulate your bread in the freezer. All of our breads can be stored in the freezer for 5 weeks without a loss in quality!
Q. What is the best way to store my Great Harvest bread?
A. The absolute best way to store our bread is to keep it in the poly bag we give you -- keep the twistie on tight! -- and keep it at room temperature. In other words, just keep it on your kitchen counter, away from air. It will stay fresh that way for 7-10 days!
Q. Do your breads contain milk/eggs/nuts?
A. Most of our breads do not contain any of these ingredients. However, we do brush many of them with a decorative egg wash. We are happy to accomodate our customers with egg allergies by providing loaves free of any egg wash, all you need to do is give us a call a day in advance!
Some of our specialty and sweet breads do contain butter and/or milk or buttermilk. If you are lactose intolerant please call us or ask any of our friendly staff whether the bread you want contains any dairy!
We do use walnuts in many of our breads and sweets. Again, if you are allergic, any of our team will be happy to guide you to those products which are nut-free.
Q. Do you use any oil in your baking?
A. Almost all of our breads contain no added fats or oils and absolutely no trans fats! When we are making specialty breads that require oil, like focaccia, we tend to use extra virgin olive oil or, in some cases, butter or canola oil.
Q. How can I be sure I get the bread I want?
A. The best way is to place an order by either calling us, coming into the store, or sending us a fax containing the names of the products you want, how many of each, and when you would like to pick your order up. Please also include a phone number so we can reach you if need be!
Q. I don't know the name of the product I want to buy! What do I do?
A. Give us a call! Our team will be able to help you figure it out!
Q. What is the difference between a toaster loaf and a round loaf?
A. Nothing but the shape! Rounds and toasters are exactly the same size, only the rounds are circular and the toasters are rectangular so the slices will fit in your toaster!
Q. Why can't you slice certain breads?
A. There are two reasons we may not be able to slice our bread. Unfortunately, bread needs time after baking to cool and for the shape to stabilize. During this time we cannot slice it, since the pressure applied by our slicing machine would cause the bread to smash up and fall apart.
It is also possible that the bread you have chosen contains ingredients that do not slice well. Breads we absolutely do not slice include but are not limited to breads with cheese (such as Cheddar Garlic and Parmesan Herb), our Swirl Breads (such as Dutch Apple Swirl and Cinnamon Swirl), and also our tea cakes (such as Carrot Raisin Walnut and Banana Nut).
Great Harvest Bread of Charlotte
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