Why is DLM bread refrigerated or frozen right away?

Because it has no preservatives. Unlike most store-bought bread, which is formulated to stay shelf-stable for weeks, DLM Artisan Bread is made with just flour, water, salt, and a live sourdough starter. Refrigerating or freezing it as soon as it arrives is the best way to keep it fresh and slow down natural mold growth.

How long has DLM been using the same sourdough starter?

Our sourdough starters — what bakers call the "mother" — are over 30 years old. They've been fed and maintained continuously since the 1980's, giving our sourdough its distinct flavor and texture.

How fresh is the bread when it arrives?

We bake every loaf fresh daily in our hearth ovens in Dayton, Ohio, and ship orders to arrive within 2 days. Because there are no preservatives, your loaf is close to oven-fresh when it reaches you — refrigerate or freeze it right away to keep it that

What flour do you use, and why does it matter?

We use a combination of unbromated King Arthur flour and flour milled from wheat grown on fields dedicated specifically to DLM. Unbromated flour and naturally fermented dough are part of why our bread doesn't have the extended shelf life of most grocery store bread — there's no bromate or dough conditioners doing that work for us.

Why does my loaf mold faster than store-bought bread?

Grocery store bread commonly contains preservatives like calcium propionate or sodium benzoate that are designed to prevent mold for weeks at room temperature. DLM Artisan Bread has none of those ingredients, so it molds faster — typically within a few days if left unrefrigerated. We recommend freezing any portion you won't eat within a day or two of arrival.

Can I freeze DLM Artisan Bread?

Yes — freezing is the best way to preserve it beyond a day or two. Slice before freezing so you can pull out only what you need, then thaw at room temperature or toast directly from frozen.

DLM Artisan Sourdough Bread — Hearth-Baked Fresh, Shipped to Your Door

Every loaf of DLM Artisan Bread starts the same way it has for over 30 years: with a live sourdough starter — our "mother" — that's been fed and maintained daily since the 1980's. We bake fresh every single day in our hearth ovens at Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, Ohio, using a combination of King Arthur flour and unbromated flour milled from wheat grown on fields dedicated specifically to DLM. There's nothing else in the dough — no preservatives, no dough conditioners, no shelf-life additives.

That's also why our bread behaves differently than what you're used to from a grocery store shelf. Because there's nothing artificial holding it together, your loaf should be refrigerated or frozen as soon as it arrives, and it will mold faster than a typical store loaf — usually within a few days at room temperature. We ship every order to arrive within 2 days of leaving Dayton so it gets to you as close to oven-fresh as possible. It takes more care to ship bread this way, but it's the same loaf you'd pick up warm from our bakery case.