I Signed Up for Wildgrain’s Gluten-Free Bread Subscription Service and Have Zero Regrets

When I was young, 4 p.m. was always my own idea of a magic hour. You see, that was when the fresh, hot baguettes were rolled out at our local Alberstons. Despite her best judgment, my mom would always entrust me with our weekly loaf, which was all swaddled and safe (for now!) in its crinkly paper bag. 

A five-minute car ride would remind her why I was not a good candidate for this job, as half the baguette would be straight-up gone. Twenty years later, however, I realized those same loaves did not loave me back (I’m sorry) — gluten had become my biggest frenemy. Adding insult to injury, this meant I was relegated to overpriced, sawdusty, tongue-drying gluten-free breads that I would not serve to anyone with working taste buds.

But then! A white knight on a horse — Wildgrain’s gluten-free subscription box — galloped over that desert of dry loaves to save me, with slow-fermented breads, brioche rolls, fresh pasta, and cookies in tow. My hero. 

Wildgrain is for anyone who values the most delicious part of the food pyramid: carbs. This subscription-based service will basically fill out your bread box and your weekly meal plan; it offers artisan-made breads, fresh pasta, pastries, cookies, and (at the time of writing) slow-fermented pizzas and hot dog buns. Along with the carbohydrates, you’ll find bricks of slow-churned French butter and marinara sauce.

Think of Wildgrain like ButcherBox, but for carbs. And thankfully for those of us with gluten intolerances or celiac disease, it offers a gluten-free box with a bread basket’s worth of options (like brioche rolls and fresh linguine). No matter which box you choose (there’s a plant-based option, too), Wildgrain’s offerings primarily focus on sourdough breads and responsibly sourced ingredients, while also being made by some of the best small bakeries in the United States. 

You can opt for four all the way up to 12 items per box, starting at $89, with each shipping once per month. All items arrive frozen and need between 25 to 32 minutes to bake. To sweeten the deal, both the 6- and 12-item boxes come with a free item: gluten-free cookies (chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, or ginger molasses).

Once you choose your box contents, you’ll be able to add on more breads, pastas, and desserts at a discount. To sweeten an already sweet deal, each monthly box requires no commitment (you’ll receive an email four days prior in case you want to cancel). It’ll come your way with free shipping, and every order helps Wildgrain donate two meals to a local food bank of your choosing. 

For my order, I tried as many items as possible to see what could save me from my current gluten-free reality. I went with a six-piece box (which starts at $109, and shook out to $3.41 per serving for my selections). I also added butter, because obviously, along with a few more bread items. In total, I received 11 items for $153 with free shipping.

• Gluten-Free Cheese Tortellini (12 ounces)
• Gluten-Free Fresh Shells (12 ounces)
• Gluten-Free Country Loaf 
• Gluten-Free Slow-Fermented Brioche Rolls (4-pack)
• Gluten-Free Slow-Fermented Seeded Loaf
• Gluten-Free Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies (6-pack) 
• Gluten-Free Giant Ginger Molasses Cookies (6-pack) for FREE 
• Add-On: Strawberry Cheesecake (2-pack) for $14
• Add-On: Gluten-Free Slow-Fermented Everything Bagels (4-pack) for $10
• Add-On: Gluten Free Rosemary Focaccia for $12
• Add-On: Slow-Churned French Butter for $8 (marked down from $10)

I say this with a mouthful of bread, but listen closely and you might be able to hear me yell, “YES.” As for the quality, these loaves more than held their weight against their gluten-filled counterparts. 

The slow-fermented seeded loaf had a delightful tang like a homemade hunk of sourdough. The fresh shell pasta morphed into a super-quick one-pot sausage and pepper pasta dish. I made my mom some buttered toast on my favorite of the bunch (the delightfully crusty Country Loaf, which tasted eerily similar to the baguette from my childhood), and she did not believe it was gluten-free. I even brought a dozen of the cookies to my (unsuspecting, yet discerning) co-ed baseball team, and nary a crumb was left behind.

Speaking of the cookies, they are what I call Barnes & Noble-sized (or Panera-sized … or Starbucks-sized), which is another way to say gigantic and a high compliment. They are similar in size to a toddler’s sweet face. The chocolate chip cookies were especially buttery, chewy, and had a tender crumb that alone merits ordering a box.

As for value, Wildgrain is a bit on the pricier side if you’re comparing it to a grocery store bag of bread. (Why would you do that? That’s silly.) I think it’s more realistic to liken its offerings (and pricing) to what you’d get from a standalone bakery that’s crafting artisanal-style bread and pastries. The taste certainly matches the price, and I would have easily found loaves like these at my local farmers market or bakery for the same price (or a bit more).

I buy groceries just for me, so I could absolutely see myself loading up my freezer with Wildgrain breads and pastas every two or three months to make sure I’m never too far away (25 minutes!) from bread that may or may not make it until the next day (probably less). 

Have you ordered from Wildgrain? Tell us about it in the comments below.