Northwest Fresh

5 Things You Might Not Know About Our Bakery

by 24 Comments

We sat down with our Bakery Sales Manager, Steve Hanft, to get the lowdown on all things baked and uncover a few lesser known facts about our Haggen bakeries. Steve says the real heroes of our scratch-made delicacies are the Haggen bakers who start their day at 3 a.m. every day to ensure the freshest items in our bakery case are ready for breakfast by 6 a.m. So first, a huge shout out to each and every one of them!

1. If someone walked into a Haggen bakery, what’s the one thing they have to try?

I have to say our donuts because—first—they’re our top seller which speaks to their undeniable superiority, and—second—they’re not just an ordinary grocery store donut. These babies are made from scratch right in our store. They’re hand fried by our donut connoisseurs and freshly decorated every day of the week.

2. Why is scratch-made important to you?

It makes a huge different in flavor and texture. Over 500 of our bakery items are made from scratch including some of the favorite breads we’re known for—Cinnamon Swirl bread, French bread, our sourdough loaf and La Panette baguettes. You can really tell the difference. So much so that many local restaurants throughout Washington call on our bakery to supply them with bread for their recipes! Our soft subs are the most popular.

3. Local is important to Haggen in general, how do you bring that aspect into the bakery?

We partner with many local bakeries to bring our customers options when it comes to baked goods. We source from local companies like Chuckanut Cheesecake, Jack’s Paleo, Flax 4 Life, Essential Baking, Alaska Silk cream pies, La Panzenella and Willamette Pies. Each of these companies meet our high level of quality and we’re proud to support local, small businesses.

4. What’s the weirdest request you’ve ever had called into the bakery?

Actually, we don’t think any request is weird! We welcome custom orders and want to satisfy any need that we can. Some people request their favorite donuts on Sunday morning and we make sure to have a batch set aside just the way they like them. Love scones but wish we’d hold the glaze? Need to make sure we have three dozen butterflake rolls available for your dinner party? Just ask.

Not to mention, our custom cake decorators are always hard at work crafting one-of-a-kind works of art. On average, they’re entrusted to design over 20,000 cakes for your special celebrations each year.

5. Last thing. What’s your favorite part about Haggen bakeries?

Even more than other foods, bakery items really bring people together. I like that. We make sure as little as possible of our products go to waste so all of our day-old items go to local food banks and churches so they can be enjoyed by those that need them most. I also love giving kids a free cookie when they visit our bakery. It’s a tradition we’ve had since the beginning and one of my favorites.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hi Dolan,

      Thanks for your interest in our scone recipe! We work very hard perfecting our bakery recipes and unfortunately that information is proprietary. We’d be happy to share a list of ingredients with you if you are curious about allergy information. You can also find the ingredient list on the bottom of each box of scones. We hope you continue to enjoy our delicious scratch-baked scones. Thanks for commenting!

      Reply

    • Hi Evangelyn, We do offer challah bread (we have it delivered from a company that bakes nothing but breads). It can be available every day at our stores, but some stores decided to only have it available on the weekends. You can always call your store’s bakery and ask for challah bread to be available for the day you want it.

      Reply

  4. We miss the maple old fashioned that used to be in the case at Woodinville Haggens. I know I can probably order them but I just like to grab 2 or 3 impromptu. But I do love Haggens!

    Reply

  5. I’m surprised the best selling item is not your gluten free chocolate chip cookies! I know several people without gluten intolerance that say they are the best cookies they have ever eaten! I moved away, but always pick some up when I am near a Haggen!

    Reply

  7. Wondering are you a scratch bakery again?
    Might think about making a stop, but not for bake-
    off products! I’d come for the real, scratch products you use to make!

    Reply

    • Hi Sherry, Many of our bakery items are scratch-baked. We would love to make everything scratch, but with as many items as we sell it is nearly impossible to make all of it. But yes, a huge portion of our items are baked from scratch right in our bakery. We’d love to have you swing by and give us a try.

      Reply

  8. Recently in our Haggens in Marysville I have been very disappointed with the pumpkin mini loaves. Pumpkin loaves & the muffins. They are under cooked. They look sunken in the middle. I have never had a problem until the last couple of weeks. Please fix!! I miss my pumpkin stuff!

    Reply

    • We’re very sorry to hear this! Pumpkin loaves are among our best selling loaf cake all year long. The underbaking was likely just an off day and we’d be happy to get you a fresh baked one. Just call the store and tell them Steve sent you. 😉

      Reply

  9. Steve, I agree that your donuts are the best in town and are the star attraction of your bakery. I am from back east, Pennsylvania, and they have some even better donuts that you might consider adding to your inventory. I have three specific suggestions: 1. Lemon Cloud – raised donut with lemon filling drenched in powdered sugar. 2. Lemon Bismarck – just like a traditional Bismarck but lemon filled topped with white icing and 3. (my favorite) Peanut Butter Cream donuts – just like a traditional Bismarck but with a great peanut butter cream filling.
    Joe Malloy
    360-738-9175

    Reply

  11. The banana foster mousse dessert from the refrigerated pastry section at the bakery is to die for!! Do you make that from scratch in your bakery?

    Reply

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