The Wedge Organic Bakehouse

By Susan Stewart, Organic Certification Coordinator

Have you ever walked into the Wedge first thing in the morning and been taken aback by an aroma of freshly baked bread and pastry?

I challenge you to walk through aisle 7 without stopping. If and when you do stop, it's hard not to stare at all those delicious pastries. Can you choose between the luscious fruit turnovers and galettes, or between the custard or cream cheese danish? Maybe you want a caramel roll with pecans or a flaky croissant? You may want to hang out there for a while—it's okay, we all do. Take your time. While you are deciding on a pastry, check out the Certified Organic breads made in the Wedge's very own Certified Organic Bakehouse.

Our Bakehouse has been Certified Organic since 2002. It was among the original departments at the Wedge to be certified. The Bakehouse has gone through many changes since then, but what remains constant is their attention to organic integrity and the quality of the organic breads. All our organic bread recipes have been reviewed and approved by the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA), our certifier. An inspector goes through the Bakehouse yearly to verify that we are handling and storing all ingredients in accordance with the National Organic Program (NOP) rules. We use only approved cleaning products, our labels are accurate and every year our records are audited to confirm we have certificates for all the organic ingredients. Our audit trail goes from the packaged bread all the way back to the farms that produced the organic ingredients for each loaf.

That's pretty amazing, right? What's more amazing is the taste and range of our organic selection. We bake organic artisan and sandwich loaves (look for the green labels on our packaged breads —that indicates a Certified Organic product), organic white and whole wheat breads, our famous organic sourdough breads, organic whole wheat dinner rolls and even organic hot dog and hamburger buns. If you haven't tried the organic pizza crust, might I suggest pairing it with organic arugula and mushrooms? I'll even let you in on a family secret: my mother made oven toast by broiling hamburger or hot dog buns which came out crisp and tender at the same time.

These are not your squishy, doughy, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth breads—these are hearty breads that hold up to robust sandwich fixings. I love a great sandwich filled with sloppy fixings like tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mayo and mustard. The organic breads are great for French toast and the whole wheat buns are great Sloppy Joe holders.

Fresh-baked, Certified Organic bread every day: a great way to support your health.