Looks like Panera Bread is going to be offering wireless internet access in addition to tasty bread, The Ann Arbor store doesn’t have it yet, but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time… I hope it doesn’t hurt Great Harvest too much.
I live much closer to the local Panera Bread than I do to Great Harvest, but my Fiancee and I still make the long trek out to GH on a regular basis. Usually it’s once every two weeks or so… I’m a huge fan of their cheese breads. The Golden Cheddar has little cheese-lined air pockets in it where little lumps of cheddar have melted when it was baked. Sometimes the outside has rivulets of baked cheese where pockets have breached the surface and trickled down the outside. These will often form little alluvial cheese plains at the bottom of the loaf. They’re golden brown and bubbly from the heat of the stove, and the edges are sharp and crisp enough that you run the risk of cutting yourself if you’re not careful.
Yes, I suppose you could say it’s “sharp cheddar” but then I’d have to injure you.
Their other great cheese bread is Asiago Pesto. It’s more of a moist bread, less suited for sandwiches, but incredible on its own. There’s a layer of pesto rolled into the dough, so it forms a sort of green swirl when you slice it. The whole loaf is sprinkled with Asiago cheese before they bake it, giving it a nicely flavored crust.
You know, I really shouldn’t have started writing this two hours before lunch. I’m already hungry just thinking about these…