Our Favorite Bread Subscription Service Is Offering Free Croissants for Life (Yes, Really!)

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of membership-based food clubs. You can sign up to have meat delivered regularly through ButcherBox, or get monthly shipments of craft beers from the cleverly named Craft Beer Club, or even get fresh fish from Sizzlefish. I’ve tried lots of these clubs and have plenty of favorites, but we both know you’re here because you want to talk about bread. Which brings me to my new favorite membership service: Wildgrain.

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 as much as I love dogs and cheese, which is saying a lot. Wildgrain is the first bake-from-frozen club for sourdough bread, fresh pasta, baked breakfast goods, and artisanal pastries. It’s a monthly subscription service and costs $99 per box with free shipping, but you can skip, pause, or increase the shipment frequency whenever you want. Once you get your box, you just stash the goodies in the freezer until you’re ready to cook or bake — no thawing necessary.

There are four types of boxes: the Bread, Pasta, & Pastries Box, the Pastries & Desserts Box, the Bread & Rolls box, and the Vegan Bread & Rolls box. Each box comes pre-selected with member favorites but don’t worry, you can build your own box if those picks don’t match your needs. And with the Bread, Pasta, & Pastries Box and the Pastries & Desserts Box, you get four free croissants with each order, and I’ve never met a person who doesn’t like croissants, let alone free croissants.

I started using the service in October 2021. My first box came within a few days of signing up. Nestled within layers of insulation and dry ice were three different loaves of sourdough (plain, seven grain, and walnut), two hand-cut pastas (pappardelle and fettuccine), and chocolate chip cookie dough. I also got eight brioche rolls, which, at the time, were free with every order. Currently, Wildgrain is offering free four croissants with each order — a delicious change that I’m taking advantage of.

I couldn’t wait to bake my first loaf, so I started with the basic sourdough, figuring it would be a good indicator of success. I have two words for you: good gosh. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was absolutely blown away. The crust crisped up nicely, and the inside was fluffy and pillowy and chewy. Still warm, this bread tasted like what 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. The breads are all par-baked and flash frozen, so they go right from the freezer to the oven and take 25 minutes to bake. Even if you factor in an additional 20 minutes for cooling, it’s way faster than making bread from scratch. My husband and I couldn’t eat the whole loaf in one sitting, so I saved the rest and was pleasantly surprised when they sliced and toasted up nicely a few days later.

The brioche rolls proved to be equally amazing. They were very tall (and fluffy and eggy and buttery), so they sliced in half nicely. Since each box came with eight rolls, I had to get a little creative here to avoid having too many sitting in my freezer. I’ve used them as buns for sliders when grilling in the summer, as sandwich buns for egg salad and tuna salad, and even in French toast casserole.

The pasta also did not disappoint. The noodles cooked up perfectly al dente, they tasted wildly fresh, and had a nice toothsome bite that can 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, Wildgrain!)

As I said above, Wildgrain boxes start at $99, and if you’re wondering, yes, it’s absolutely possible to make use of a full box in a month, and I’m cooking just for two people most of the time. Getting to enjoy the magic that is almost homemade breads, pastries, and pastas is something I won’t be giving up anytime soon and something I’m sure you’ll find worth the subscription. Besides, who doesn’t love carbs, especially when some of them come in the form of free croissants?

Do you have any favorite subscription boxes? Tell us in the comments below!