To me, our Artisan Bread, which launched here at DLM in 1994, is the foundation of the DLM Bakery as it is 100% authentic and absolutely delicious. When you bite into a perfectly golden, chewy crust that houses an airy interior, you know that it's something special baked from scratch using old-world methods, natural fermentation, and time-honored techniques. 

What many people don't realize is that there's more to baking bread than just following a recipe. It's having the instincts, the touch, and the knowledge to know just what to do with the dough, and how the most subtle variations, like humidity or temperature of a single ingredient, can make a difference in the end result unless you know just what to do. And our bakers are second to none, with a collective 150+ years of experience.

We bake fresh Artisan Bread every day, which means that this is an around-the-clock process with each step taking place at just the right time. In the early hours of each day when the lines are blurred between night and morning, our bakers start their day. In these quiet hours, the mixers hum as ingredients are combined for each loaf with quick calculations taking place to scale each ingredient. 

As the day continues, the dough hits the bench to be shaped by hand by Jeff Lofino and Kevin Blackford, who know exactly how to optimize flavor and texture during this process. They continue to tend to the bread as the day goes on as it needs to be oven-ready by the time the night shift comes in. 

Throughout the night to early morning, the loaves are lightly scored before entering our massive German hearth oven. Tracey Cochran makes sure everything is baked in time for the DLM truck that comes every morning and delivers the freshly baked bread to each store. Then, the process begins again. 

Although there are many time-honored processes here in the DLM Bakehouse, there is still time for innovation too. Thanks to Greg Tyzzer, DLM Bakehouse Manager, and Rahn Keucher, DLM Bakehouse Assistant Manager, I'm humbled to watch our Artisan Bread rise to new heights under their leadership. Whether it be enhancing signature recipes, releasing seasonal additions, or harnessing the many benefits of baking with local grains from area farmers, these guys are on it. 

FRENCH CONNECTION

Sauntering through a quintessential bakery-lined street in Paris, you'll see Pain Au Levain is a staple. It's the inspiration behind our Miche, a unique loaf with a dark, hearty crust and unmistakably French flavor. After several DLM associates traveled there in 2013, we knew we simply must master baking this flavorful yet complex bread. Wheat and whole rye flour are folded into our perfected sourdough base. It’s then baked in our German hearth oven for magnifique results! 

EXPERTISE UNLEASHED

When highly skilled baker Rahn Keucher joined our Artisan Bread team in 2020, he had already baked nearly one million loaves of Ciabatta. So when he brought in a loaf of his famed Ciabatta to share with DLM co-workers, the decision was unanimous for Rahn to work his magic on our Ciabatta recipe. The result is a perfectly light and airy bread—the way a good Ciabatta should be—with a thin yet crisp and flavorful crust.

OUR MOTHER DOUGH, EST 1993

Natural, slow fermentation gives our bestselling Sourdough Bread a lingering flavor with a slight sourdough tang, but it all starts with our sourdough starter, our Mother Dough, which is the backbone to so many breads here. Scott Fox, VP of Bakery, created our starter in 1993. Who knew that what started as raisins and sugar in a mason jar (combined with Scott's patience and expertise) would yield a beautifully complex, living Mother Dough that's continued for 30+ years? This came with him to DLM, and has "lived" in the DLM Bakehouse ever since, requiring daily attention from our team. "Sourdough captures live yeast in the air and takes on its surroundings—therefore, you can't have a San Francisco sourdough in Dayton. This is Dayton sourdough," says Scott.

MAXIMIZING FLAVOR

Baking bread may call for simple ingredients—flour, water, yeast—but that's even more reason why maximizing flavor and technique is so important, which can only be accomplished with skilled bakers who know the complex chemistry behind each action, nuance of ingredients, and ability to harness natural fermentation and old-world methods. For example, when we start our French Boule and Baguette, we begin with a poolish, which has pre-ferment characteristics that add depth in flavor. 

WE BAKE ARTISAN BREAD EVERY DAY

Artisan Bread is in motion around the clock in the DLM Bakehouse, as timing (and patience) is key. Each day, we make signature favorites, such as our Salt Rye, which uses locally grown rye from Jon Branstrator's farm, combined with our prized sourdough starter. "It's one of the first things we make each morning so that it can have a longer fermentation period for flavor development," says Greg Tyzzer, DLM Bakehouse Manager.