Does Subway Make Its Own Bread In 2024? The Untold Truth

Submarine sandwiches on freshly baked bread – it‘s the staple meal of Subway restaurants everywhere. With over 40,000 Subway locations spanning 100+ countries, many fans wonder how the chain manages to produce enough bread daily to satisfy demand. Does each store bake bread from scratch? Or does Subway take shortcuts like using frozen dough or buying from suppliers?

After extensive research into Subway‘s operations, here‘s the real story behind the sandwich chain‘s bread production that may surprise you.

A Look Back: When Subway Baked Its Own Bread In-Store

Subway first opened in 1965 as Pete’s Super Submarines in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Back then, each restaurant hand-crafted freshly baked bread every morning to serve subs on for lunch and dinner. Employees would mix dough, form loaves, proof, bake, and slice each day.

This time-intensive process limited Subway to only 16 restaurants during its first decade. But the hands-on approach allowed them to perfect chewy, fluffy bread that set Subway apart from competitors. Customers raved about the smell of bread baking in-store all day long.

The Scalability Issue: Why Subway Had To Rethink Baking

As Subway expanded nationally through franchising in the 1970s and 80s, it became impossible to recreate from-scratch baking in every single location.

Imagine the logistical headache – mixing dough at 6 AM, monitoring proofing and baking, tossing expired bread every night – multiplied across hundreds of stores. It just wasn‘t sustainable.

By 1988 when Subway reached over 1,000 units, they made the strategic decision to find ways to produce bread efficiently at a national scale.

Outsourcing To Commercial Bakeries: The Oven-Sharing Model

Rather than sacrifice quality by switching fully to frozen bread, Subway adopted an oven-sharing model. They contracted large wholesale bakeries to par-bake loaves so each restaurant could finish bread daily.

Subway‘s current suppliers include:

• Aryzta – A Swiss company baking up to 2 million Subway loaves per week
• Southwest Baking Company – Produces bread for over 8,000 Subway units
• Lineage Logistics – Manages Subway‘s supply chain and freezing network

These vendors create Subway‘s dough and bake bread halfway. Then loaves are quickly frozen and distributed to Subway locations where they get thawed, proofed, topped, and baked throughout the day.

This allows Subway to achieve excellent scale while retaining flexibility for in-store finishing. Customers still get oven-fresh bread, while Subway benefits from the expertise and capacity of dedicated bakery partners. It‘s a win-win.

Behind The Scenes: How Subway Bread Is Made Now

Here‘s an inside look at how Subway stores make bread daily using par-baked frozen loaves:

Overnight: Frozen bread shipped from vendors is placed into a refrigerator to thaw slowly for 8-12 hours. This carefully controls proofing.

Morning: Loaves are removed from the refrigerator and left at room temp to proof again and recover oven-spring. This develops texture.

Mid-Day: Employees shape loaves into pans, notch with scoring patterns, and add toppings like herbs or cheese based on variety.

Afternoon: Subway bakes loaves 4-6 at a time in special ovens to ensure consistent quality. Baking continues all afternoon to keep up with demand.

Evening: Any remaining baked bread is discarded at night to guarantee freshness. The cycle restarts overnight with new frozen loaves.

So while Subway doesn‘t bake entirely from scratch on-site anymore, they‘ve engineered a system to provide freshly oven-finished bread each day.

The Bread Lineup: What Types Does Subway Offer?

Subway offers customers a choice of 12 diverse bread recipes including Italian, 9-Grain, Honey Oat, and Flatbreads. Here‘s a comparison of some key nutrition facts:

Additionally, some locations sell limited-time flavors like Pretzel Bread, Rosemary Parmesan, Jalapeño Cheese, and Rye. All breads come in 6-inch or 12-inch footlong sizes.

This huge selection helps each guest find a perfect bread to match their preferences for taste, nutrition, and budget – from hearty nine grain to soft flatbreads.

The Verdict: Does Subway Actually Make Its Own Bread?

So does Subway bake all its own bread on-site daily? The answer is no – but with some big caveats.

Subway relies on large commercial bakeries to produce dough, par-bake, and freeze loaves for consistency, efficiency, and scale. But each restaurant does finish preparation like proofing, seasoning, and baking throughout the day to provide fresh oven-warm loaves.

It‘s smart business allowing Subway to offer greater variety and improve recipes quickly. But they retain enough in-store craftsmanship to customize bread and satisfy customers.

The next time you bite into a Subway sandwich, you‘ll know the incredible logistics and care behind baking its bread. But the great taste and aroma will transport you right back to 1965 when bread was made completely in-house. Some things never change!