The Bread Subscription Service We Love Is Giving $30 Off Your First Box (Also: Free Sourdough!)
There are dozens (hundreds?) of membership-based clubs to join these days. You can sign up to have meat delivered on the regular through ButcherBox. You can get monthly shipments of craft beers from the cleverly named Craft Beer Club. You can subscribe to a fresh fish box from Sizzlefish. The list goes on. I’ve tried lots of these food delivery clubs and I have plenty of thoughts and favorites, but you clicked on this story because you want to talk about bread. Which brings me to Wildgrain.
During Wildgrain’s Black Friday sale, score $30 off your first box (plus a free extra Sourdough Loaf in every box!) with code BF2021 now through Nov. 30.
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Wildgrain is the first bake-from-frozen club for sourdough breads, artisanal pastries, and fresh pasta. The way it works is simple: You sign up for the subscription service and then, once a month, you get a box filled with frozen carbs. (Note: You can skip or pause or increase shipment frequency whenever you want; it’s $89 per box with free shipping. You can also choose to get a box without the pasta.) When the treats arrive, you stash them in the freezer. When you want to eat said treats, you just take them right out of the freezer and cook/bake — no thawing necessary!
I first came across Wildgrain on Instagram (that algorithm sure knows what ads to serve me!) and had to give it a try. I love bread and pasta almost much as I love dogs and cheese, which is saying a lot.
My first box came a few days later and everything survived the trip (the box is packed with insulation and dry ice). You can’t build your own box or request specific ingredients — rather, you get an assortment and keep your fingers crossed that you’re lucky enough to get the croissants. Inside my box, I found three different loaves of sourdough (plain, seven grain, and walnut), two hand-cut pastas (pappardelle and fettuccine), ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookie dough, and eight brioche rolls (which are added for free to every order).
BONUS OFFER: Use the promo code THEKITCHN to make sure you get those free brioche rolls and also $10 off your first box.
I couldn’t wait to make my first loaf. I started with the basic sourdough, figuring it would be a good indicator of success. I have two words for you: good gosh. The breads are all par-baked and flash frozen. Again, they go right from the freezer to the oven and nothing takes more than 25 minutes to bake (although you do have to let the loaves sit on the counter for an additional 20 minutes to continue baking).
I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I can tell you that I was blown away. The crust had crisped up nicely and the inside was fluffy and pillowy and chewy. Still warm, this bread tasted like something you’d get in a bread basket at a restaurant (the best part of going out to eat, if you ask me!). I was eating homemade bread without having done any of the real work! My husband and I didn’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting, so I wrapped up the leftovers and I’m happy to report that they sliced and toasted up nicely a few days later.
The free brioche rolls proved to be equally amazing. They are very tall (and fluffy and eggy and buttery), which means they slice in half nicely. During the summer, I used these a lot as buns for sliders when we were grilling. I’ve also used them as sandwich buns for egg salad and tuna salad.
The pasta also does not disappoint. The noodles have all cooked up perfectly al dente, they taste wildly fresh, and have a nice toothsome bite that can oddly be missing in some fresh pasta. As for the pastries, I don’t want to get myself into any trouble here, but twice now, I’ve been able to pass them off as homemade! (Thanks, biscuits and cookies!)
If you’re wondering, I’ve found that it’s entirely possible to make use of a full box in a month, and I’m cooking just for two people most of the time. The one thing that I have in spades is the free brioche buns, now that grill season has wrapped up. But maybe I’ll rip a bunch up for a French toast casserole this weekend!
I haven’t gotten a box with the croissants yet (and I do really wish that it was possible to request specific things), but I will say that the surprise of discovering what’s in each box is almost as fun as eating the contents.
Do you get any subscription boxes sent to your home? Do you have any favorites? Tell us in the comments below!
This post originally appeared on Kitchn. See it here: I Signed Up for a Bread Subscription Service and I Have No Regrets