Proven bread

PCC’s Merchandiser team takes a lot of pride in working with small producers to help them grow at a sustainable rate. On any given day, there are dozens of brands tucked away on our shelves that have such small production lines that they’re just in a few of our 10 stores. We’re delighted to introduce Proven Bread to six locations.

Owner and head baker Alexis Carson opened Proven Bread in the Warehouse District of Woodinville just about a year ago, at the end of February 2015; previously she worked with beloved Seattle establishments Café Besalu and Le Rêve Bakery and Café. Her café offers sandwiches and a few sweets along with whole loaves, while our shoppers in Redmond, Issaquah, Kirkland, Edmonds, Columbia City and Greenlake Village can find up to 13 varieties of her stellar breads.

The traditional baguette is the bestseller; sliced and spread with good butter, it’s got a terrific blend of shatteringly thin crust and delicately chewy center. Proven also makes three varieties of sandwich loaves — choose from traditional white, oat (try it with grilled cheese) or hearty whole wheat. There are a few specialty choices, too, like a sturdy rye, a sourdough loaf with olives and a ciabatta-like square loaf baked with fragrant rosemary. For purely delicious indulgence in great bread, you won’t go wrong with the flavorful Rustic Sourdough.

The hope is that as the production abilities at Proven grow, and our customers continue snapping up the loaves, we’ll be able to add these delicious breads to more than the six locations that currently offer them.

What to do with a day-old baguette

If half your lovely baguette has been sitting for too many days, use the food processor to whirl it up into breadcrumbs (they freeze indefinitely). If, however, you’ve got some slices left over after last night’s bread and cheese, turning it into French toast is the best possible use. These five recipes have different flavors and toppings, from pumpkin to pears to grapefruit.