Novel Breads Co. is a new concept company. It's part artisan bread micro-bakery, part bread store, part independent bookstore and part gourmet food store.
Inside the cozy space, you will discover delicious treats in every nook and cranny. While visiting the store, take a little time to enjoy the unique decor of artwork, handmade 'book' shelves and personal mementos thoughtfully curated by the owner.
Always striving to create something new, the owner and literary baker finds bread ideas in some of the most unlikely places, including inside the pages of books she has read.
~CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO NOVEL BREADS' STORY (Interview through Chatham University’s oral history project, 2018)
~Click on the article by Kristy Locklin of Pittsburgh Magazine (November 16, 2022) https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/novel-breads-co-specializes-in-literature-and-loaves/
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ABOUT THE BREAD
Novel Breads Co. strives to provide bread lovers of Western Pennsylvania with the highest quality and most flavorful breads by using naturally cultivated sourdough starter, by applying the long-fermentation process that nurtures and unveils layers and layers of flavor and by mixing everything by hand.
Novel Breads Co. also ensures the quality of the breads by using locally milled flour and other ingredients produced on our regional farms as well as crafting some ingredients in-house.
ABOUT THE BOOKS
Novel Breads Co. brings together two of life's pleasures by creating breads inspired directly from books.
As a voracious reader, Novel Breads owner, Heather Sprague, finds names, passages and quotes from the books she reads and then later bequeaths them to the breads.
By combining the literary with the culinary, Novel Breads Co. aims to generate an experience for customers that is unlike any other.
DEFINING LOCAL
Defining what it means to shop locally isn't as simple as it would seem as each person perceives "local" in very different ways. At Novel Breads Co., however, I choose to define "local" as purchasing ingredients made and/or distributed within a 100-mile radius of where Novel Breads' creations are baked.
While this concept is not new or novel, it continues to be relevant. By shopping locally, we are stimulating local economies, fostering relationships with farmers and small business owners, and putting money back into our communities. When you shop at Novel Breads Co., you too, are contributing to this thriving web.
MOTHER'S DAY BREAD PREORDERING IS NOW OPEN.
ACCEPTING PREORDERS UNTIL MAY 8 FOR PICKUP ON SATURDAY, MAY 13 AT ANY OF THE 3 LOCATIONS (Novel Breads' store in Mars, 10-2; Beaver Farmers Market, 10-Noon or the Renfrew address, after 4pm).
Bread Preordering:
When preordering bread from Novel Breads Co., place orders 2-3 MORNINGS prior to desired pickup date AT THE LATEST. Please specify date and location in ordering notes at checkout.
NOVEL BREADS' STORE:
(Baumgartel Professional Building)
504 Pittsburgh St.
Mars, PA 16046
(Entrance on side of building, in breezeway; follow the signs)
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, 10am-2pm
*Pre-order online or find additional breads in the store.
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OTHER LOCATIONS:
Renfrew Location: Pickup Only
146 Moose Rd.
Renfrew, PA 16053
Pickup Days: Anyday except Sunday
Pickup Times: 4-7pm
YOU CAN ALSO FIND NOVEL BREADS AT:
~Appalachian Outpost-Butler~
168 New Castle Rd.
Butler, PA 16001
Wednesdays-Saturdays (bi-monthly)
*Delivered in the afternoon on Wednesday and available during business hours, 10-6.
~BEAVER FARMERS MARKET~
Beaver County Courthouse Parking Lot, the corner of 4th and Market Streets.
Saturdays, 10am-1pm (or until bread is sold out).
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WHY NOVEL BREADS REQUIRES AT LEAST A FEW MORNINGS ADVANCE NOTICE FOR ORDERS....
This question is best answered by a quote from the novel, Stones for Bread:
"I don't make [any] single-build recipes, where the dough is mixed, proofed, and baked in a matter of hours...[which]...does nothing to tease out the flavors of the flour, the natural yeast, the bacteria. Most of my formulas require at least two days, the dough cold fermented overnight or some kind of pre-ferment---prepared and added to the other ingredients".
PLACING AN ORDER
Go to the top of page and either hit MENU (on left) or SHOP (on right). Scroll through bread selections and choose bread size and quantity.
Next, go to checkout. Before hitting CHECKOUT button, include date and time when you want bread in the space allotted. Also include any other special notes for the order. Proceed through checkout, entering contact and payment information. If you have a question, you can either email or text Novel Breads Co. It is also recommended that you include your phone number in case Novel Breads Co. needs to reach you about your order or if you would like a speedier response to your own questions.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, Heather Sprague, at:
novelbreads@gmail.com
or
724-996-3179
Also, please visit Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
MAILING ADDRESS:
Novel Breads Co.
146 Moose Rd.
Renfrew, PA 16053
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CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS:
Best Artisan Bread I've ever eaten/discovered and I have eaten all kinds of bread all over the world. Glad I do not have to go to Switzerland or Oregon to find it anymore.
~Frank B.
Dear Heather,
On Sunday, I stopped by The Enchanted Olive for a bottle of olive oil, and left with that and some of your bread - Milk Buds and the Ricotta Sourdough.
Sunday evening I had a Milk Buds roll with a nice glass of rose wine. It was wonderful! Tonight I had the sourdough with a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup - equally wonderful.
As I told you on Sunday, I love good bread, and your bread is simply terrific! I’m passing your business information on to my friends who live in the Butler area and encouraging them to give your bread a try. If they do, they won’t regret it!
Good luck with your business. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.
~Linda M.