Q: How long does it take to bake Kasseler Rye breads?
A: Our process is designed to preserve the nutrients of the whole grains. From the
start of the sourdough, until the bread has been sterilized takes 48 hours.
Q: Why is the bread packaged the way it is?
A: Our breads are double wrapped in cello and pasteurized in a special heat-steam
process to maintain freshness for weeks without chemicals or preservatives.
Q: How do I open the packaging?
A: Lay your unopened bread on a counter. With a knife, open the package by sliding
the knife under the top slice, cutting open three sides, creating a flap. Remove your
slice and close the flap.
Q: What is the best way to store the bread?
A: Unopened, the breads are best stores in clean, dry conditions at room temperature. The breads have been pasteurized to maintain their freshness as per the best before code date. The breads can also be frozen. Once opened, the breads are preservative free, so they should be eaten as per any freshly baked bread, within 3-5 days. We recommend that you do not store the bread in the refrigerator, as 4 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit) is the temperature at which all breads dry out the quickest.
Q: How is it possible to have such a long shelf life without preservatives?
A: All breads are typically affected by two factors – mold and moisture. As soon as breads come out of the oven, mold spores found naturally in the environment (even sterile hospital rooms as many as 40,000 mold spores per cubic meter of air) settle on the bread. Over days, the mold grows on the untreated breads. Many bakeries use chemical like calcium propionate to prevent breads from molding. We feel these extra chemicals are unnecessary. After our breads are sliced, they are double wrapped in cello and pasteurized in a special heat-steam process to maintain freshness for weeks without chemicals or preservatives. Our double wrapped packaging also help keep the natural moisture found in the whole grains in the breads longer. This slows down the process of the moisture leaving the breads and making them stale.
Q: How long can I keep my bread once I open it?
A: Once the package has been opened, treat the bread as any other
freshly baked preservative free bread. It should be enjoyed
within 3-5 days. The bread can be stored at room temperature,
or you can freeze it.
Q: Sometimes the slices of my Cocktail Pumpernickel stick. What can I do?
A: Our Pumpernickel 250g and our Cocktail Pumpernickel come from the same recipe, however they are produced in different formats – one for open-faced sandwiches and one for hors d’oeuvres platters. As part of the 48 hour process, the Pumpernickels are steam baked in a special oven for 17 hours. The natural sugars found in the whole rye kernels caramelize, making the rich dark colour. The slices do occasionally tend to stick to one another as a result. For the Pumpernickel 250g we put by hand parchment paper between the slices to make separating them easier. For the Cocktail Pumpernickel, this process is not feasible.Nonetheless, it is easy to separate the slices, if they do tend to stick. Take the back side of a table knife, and gently slide it between the slices. They come apart easily, without cutting the slices.