Where was COBS Bread originated from?

COBS Bread—one of the mysteries is in the name! Aaron Gillespie, our President, shares that it means “Celebration of Breads,” or “Canada’s Own Bread Store.” Both work for us! Nevertheless, COBS Bread is part of Bakers Delight, an Australian bakery franchise established in 1980 by Roger and Lesley Gillespie, Aaron’s parents. Since expanding from a multi-generational family business, we have grown to over 800 bakeries around the world.

In 2003, we opened our first COBS Bread bakery in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Today, we have over 160 bakeries in Canada and the USA. However, we believe that there is always more room for people to enjoy fresh bread – our goal is to open 350 bakeries in 5 years!

“I just love my local COBS Bread bakery. I am there several times in a week and have never been disappointed with the delicious bread. The staff are always so cheerful and welcoming,” says Jim on Instagram.

Fastest Growing Bakery Concept In Canada

• 2003 – Opened our 1st bakery in North Vancouver, British Columbia
• 2009 – Opened our 50th bakery in Penticton, British Columbia
• 2015 – Expanded to the United States and opened our 1st bakery in Stamford, Connecticut
• 2019 – Opened our 100th bakery in Chestermere, Alberta
• 2022 – Opened our 150th bakery in Oshawa, Ontario
• 2023 – 160 bakeries across Canada. 2 bakeries in the USA.

What do COBS Bread franchisees have in common?

We have over 130 passionate franchisees in our network, with over 30 franchisees owning multiple bakeries. They come from all walks of life, but they all have the same passion for the brand and giving back to the community. Since 2003, our bakeries have donated nearly $2 million dollars to charities across Canada through a variety of charitable initiatives.

“We are passionate about the products that we make. We are passionate about giving back to the community. It makes me very proud to be a COBS Bread bakery owner,” says Kate, franchisee of Morningside Crossing.

What do our bakeries do with leftover products?

At COBS Bread, we bake fresh in-house every day. To make use of our leftover products at the end of the day, our franchisees partner and donate leftover products to local charities through our End of Day Giving program. This includes food banks, school breakfast programs, youth charities and more. To date, our bakeries have donated over $560 million worth of products to over 500 charity recipients in Canada.

“For over 10 years, COBS Bread has been a generous donour to the Compassion Society of Halton. We pick up leftover products every week – their delicious bread and treats are so well received and appreciated by over 90 families that we serve every day. Thank you, COBS Bread. We are so grateful for this generous act of community support over the years,” says representative from the Compassion Society of Halton.

“Join us in our commitment to keeping food out of the landfill and getting it into the hands of Canadians who need it the most,”  says Aaron Gillespie, COBS Bread President.

Scott’s End of Day Giving Story

Through our End of Day Giving program, Scott, our franchisee of Fort Saskatchewan, partners with a variety of community groups to donate leftover bread and baked treats to those in need. This includes Boys and Girls Club of Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County Food Bank, and Fort Saskatchewan High School. “I love both aspects of owning a COBS Bread bakery – baking delicious products and donating leftover products to communities in need,” says Scott.

Scott has been donating leftover products to Fort Saskatchewan High School’s breakfast program to support lower income families. “The pastries are distributed through our Breakfast Program each Wednesday morning. Students look forward to the Wednesday morning to receive one of COBS Bread’s nutritious items,” says representative from Fort Saskatchewan High School.

Kevin’s End of Day Giving Story

Through our End of Day Giving program, Kevin, the franchisee of Lakeshore, partners with Kerr Street Mission to donate leftover bread and baked treats to communities in need. Located in Oakville, Kerr Street Mission is a local charity that is committed to helping people in difficulty and distress with one-on-one support and engagement. The charitable organization has been very prominent in the community and offers many valuable resources to support those in need. This includes, such as children’s programs, youth development opportunities, family care support and more.

Instead of partnering with a variety of organizations, Kevin decided to partner with only one group because he believes that there is a greater impact of doing so. This is because efforts are more concentrated, and the bakery is able to make a bigger difference in the community. “It is important to be a real part of the community that we operate in and help where we can,” says Kevin.

20 Years of Baking by the Numbers

30% female-owned franchises

2,810 COBS Bread employees across Canada & U.S. (corporate and bakery)

Over 11.2 million loaves of bread sold in 2022

Most popular bread loaves sold in Canada

1. White
2. Higher Fibre
3. Sourdough
4. Country Grain
5. Sunflower Flax Sourdough

Most popular baked treats

Cinnamon Bun (BC and AB)

Lemon Blueberry Scone (SK, MB, ON and NS)

Products exclusively use 100% Canadian-made flour

Sourced from P&H Milling in Lethbridge, Alberta

It’s been an exciting 20 years, and we look forward to what’s to come. Let’s toast to the next 20!

The post Celebrating COBS Bread’s 20th Anniversary appeared first on COBS Bread.

First off, we have a classic: turn it into croutons! Croutons automatically make any salad better and they’re so easy to make. Simply dice any of your remaining slices of bread and bake them in the oven until they are crispy.

Go big with a panzanella salad, elevate your go-to salad, or try making a delicious Caesar salad!

We often forget the most versatile and long lasting way to keep our bread – turning it into breadcrumbs! You can use breadcrumbs to create delicious schnitzels, or use them to bind together a hearty meatball dinner, or making hamburgers and more.

The drier the bread, the finer texture you will get, so we recommend drying the bread out in the oven (you can also turn your croutons into breadcrumbs too!). Once you have dried out the bread, use the pulse function of a food processor or blender and chop until you are happy with the size of your breadcrumbs.

Wanting to make something a little sweeter with your bread? Bread puddings are the answer! Bread pudding is best when made using older bread so it holds it shape better. You take slices of your bread and make a pudding mixture and then bake it in the oven to create a delicious dessert or sweet breakfast.

Check out these two recipes here: Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding or a classic Bread & Butter Pudding.

We all know that sides are ACTUALLY the best part of the meal, so another classic is to turn your leftover bread into stuffing! We recently created a brand-new stuffing recipe using our Sourdough Loaf and it is a new favourite. We often buy a loaf just to make this stuffing and have no doubt you will too. For a classic turkey stuffing recipe, you can try this one out, or for another sourdough stuffing recipe, this one uses bacon to create a delicious flavour!

And lastly, we still use our older bread for a simple toast with jam and butter!

Whichever loaf is your families fave, pick up everything you need today from your local COBS Bread Bakery. 

The post What to do with your leftover bread appeared first on COBS Bread.

From our classic loaves to our artisanal sourdoughs, our bread is baked fresh every day. Like our authentic sourdough process – no vinegars and no shortcuts. Every Sourdough Loaf takes 16-20 hours to make and the dough rests for a few hours at different stages. We don’t speed up the resting process with machines, like some others because this affects the flavour. The end result is bread full of flavour and made with love.

We want to ensure that our customers get the most out of the bread you love whether you’re using it for freshly made sandwiches, morning toast or crunchy croutons in your salads.

Can you freeze bread from COBS?

One of the most common questions we get asked in our bakeries is can you freeze our bread? The answer is yes! You can keep our bread frozen for up to three months. 

Does bread freeze well? 

Many breads can freeze perfectly fine, without any loss to their quality or flavour. The key to keeping the bread’s flavour is down to how you freeze it. The most important thing is to make sure you keep the loaf protected from any air in the freezer. 

Wondering how to make sure your frozen bread lasts? We’ve compiled a few of our top tips that will help your loaf last below.

Our top 5 tips for freezing bread to get the most out of your loaf

1. While you can freeze your bread on any day before it dries out, our advice is to freeze your bread on the day of purchase. This ensures that you get the most quality out of your bread and the freshness stays intact as long as possible.
2. Remove as much air as you can from the bag before placing it in the freezer. No need to store in an extra container, keep the bread in the plastic bread bag given from the bakery.
3. Slicing your bread before you freeze it ensures that you will be able to remove as many slices as you need instead of thawing the entire loaf. No need to slice at home, our bakery offers pre-slicing in two sizes before you leave the bakery.
4. No need to thaw your bread if you plan on eating it toasted. Simply add an extra dial or two to your regular toaster settings. If you plan on thawing your loaf before enjoying it, simply remove from the freezer the night before and leave at room temperature.
5. Wondering how long you can freeze bread? We recommend consuming your frozen bread within 3 months for optimal freshness. However, bread will stay fresh for up to 6 months if stored correctly. We recommend adding an extra layer in the freezer such as aluminum foil or freezer wrap if you plan on keeping the loaf frozen longer than 3 months.

Fact: All of our bread is sold on the day it is was baked.

Another fresh fact: Our breads contain no added preservatives and our Healthy breads contain no added sugar or dairy! Talk about FRESH!

Why is it good to freeze bread? 

Although we always recommend to consume your bread within 3 days of purchasing it for optimal freshness, freezing bread is a great way to keep it fresh for a longer time. Freezing bread is a particularly good idea if you don’t eat bread daily, or don’t go through a full loaf by the time it loses its freshness. 

How to unfreeze bread

If your bread is going in a toaster, no need to think about defrosting bread! Just turn the dial up a notch or two for optimal tastiness.

If you’re making a delicious sandwich, follow these steps in how to perfectly defrost your bread:

1. Remove your slices from the freezer
2. Leave them on a counter for 2 hours before you plan to use it
3. Make into the most tasty sandwich ever using all your fave ingredients

Pressed for time? You can microwave on high uncovered for 15 to 20 seconds to defrost your bread. Order online or visit your local COBS Bread Bakery to pick up one of our fresh and delicious loaves.

The post How To: Freeze Bread like a Pro appeared first on COBS Bread.

How do you prefer to start each day?

Coffee and a fresh cup of fruit juice are always a good way to start my day.

What’s your favourite part of the day?

Any time when I am working with doughs and creating new products.

What are your favorite techniques you use daily as a baker?

My favourite is shaping baguettes and scoring the doughs before it goes to bake in the oven.

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of being a baker?

To experience and see the transformation from raw ingredients to this beautiful thing called bread and the heavenly smell of freshly baked goods is the most fulfilling part of being a baker.

What is your favourite COBS Bread Loaf?

Cape Seed Loaf is my favourite.

What COBS Bread treat perks you up?

Cinnamon Buns are a go to treat for me when I need a second wind!

What baked good item do you wish you invented?

Cinnamon Buns, Cookies & Sourdough.

There are two ways to master the art of sourdough.
You can spend years crafting, refining and baking countless loaves of bread to gain the experience and expertise required to deliver excellence.

Or, you can simply visit your local COBS bakery.

The post Get to Know… A COBS Bread Baker appeared first on COBS Bread.

Beginners hollandaise

This is for those who have never made or tried hollandaise sauce before. This is your foolproof option, and let me tell you, it is still delicious! Here’s what you need to make the sauce:

• 50g Butter
• 100g Water
• 1 pack Hollandaise Sauce Powder

To make the sauce all you have to do is add your butter to a small to medium-sized pot. Once the butter has melted you can add the water and bring it to a simmer. Then slowly add the hollandaise powder while whisking the sauce until it is a creamy consistency. Take off the heat and it’s done!

Intermediate

If you like to cook, but are nervous to try the full recipe (we’ve all heard the rumours of how temperamental it can be!), this is a great way to ease into the technique of making a hollandaise sauce and getting prepared to perfect it!

• 100g Butter
• 1 Egg Yolk
• ½ tsp Lemon Juice
• A few drops of Tabasco Sauce

To make this version of the sauce you will want to melt your butter (in the microwave is fine) and set this aside so it cools. You want the butter to be warm but not hot. In a bowl, whisk your egg yolk and lemon juice until it is frothy. Once the butter has cooled down a bit, add half of the melted butter to your egg yolk while continuing to whisk. Keep whisking until it has thickened up a bit. Then add the rest of your butter and continue to whisk until the sauce has reached a honey-like consistency. Add a few drops of tabasco sauce, whisking it in thoroughly. Now you can say you made a hollandaise sauce from scratch! Maybe you’ll be ready to give the advanced version a try next time….

Advanced

This one is for the passionate cooks, seasoned eggs benny makers, or risk takers. Just joking! But this is the toughest version of the three. While there isn’t that much difference in ingredients from the intermediate recipe, this is a lot more hands on as you only add the butter in small increments. You’ll need:

• 100g Butter
• 1 Egg Yolk
• ½ tsp Lemon Juice
• A few drops of Tabasco Sauce
• A few drops of Worcestershire Sauce

Follow the same steps as above, and stop before you add any butter! This is where this version differs. You are only going to want to add the butter in a little bit at a time, whisking the mix constantly. Continue to add the butter and whisk until there is no more butter left and the sauce has reached a thick, honey-like consistency. Then you can add a few drops of tabasco and Worcestershire sauce, mix thoroughly until combined and voila!

Hot tip

The key to really nailing this sauce is to have your butter temperature right. If your butter is too hot it increases the chance of the sauce splitting.

In case of emergency

Things happen, sauces split and it leaves us feeling less than accomplished… SO! If you find that your sauce splits, don’t stress because it can be recovered! We recommend melting a bit more butter and adding this, keep whisking until you see the sauce come back together.

We hope this guide helps you and gives you the extra confidence boost to make some hollandaise sauce! Now you’re ready to try out our delicious smoked salmon eggs benedict recipe.

The post How to make the perfect Hollandaise Sauce appeared first on COBS Bread.

We were on a pizza mission: let’s make the best hand-crafted pizza that our customers can take on-the-go to eat in between meetings, as a quick mid-day cheesy pick-me-up, or just for taking it easy. And we did just that: introducing our new mini pizzas that come in 4 delicious flavours on our fermented Turkish dough , and all in personal sizes.

What is it about our dough that makes them so delicious? We made the switch to our fermented Turkish dough. If you’re a fan favourite of our Turkish bread that comes in a few flavours and sizes, then you’re in a for a saucy treat! We now use the same Turkish dough on our new mini pizzas.

We start the dough the day before by making the poolish (that’s the secret sauce to an outstanding fermented dough) which is just three ingredients: flour, water and yeast. Then, we follow five steps to get you a tasty mini pizza that’s fresh from the oven and on the shelf ready for you to devour.

1. We let the poolish ferment for up to 20 hours
2. When the fermentation process is complete, we take our poolish and prepare our dough using flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil
3. After that, we stretch each mini pizza by hand
4. Then, top it with the ingredients in our 4 delicious flavours
5. Finally, we bake them off in a 500°F oven for 16 minutes

We don’t just stop there! We also bake these throughout the day so you know that you’re getting a fresh mini pizza that was made by hand in every one of our bakeries.

The real difference is the crust that’s made using simple ingredients with a not-so-simple fermentation process. With our Turkish dough, you get a golden crust that is crispy, light, and bubbly with an airy centre. Then, you can taste the difference that the fermented dough makes since it’s actually memorable. We’ve all been there: you pick up a pizza and request specific toppings since they are the star of the show. You don’t really care about the crust because the toppings are all you taste anyway. Not anymore! We were set out to make you remember the crust and we’ve done just that with our new mini pizzas. So now, when you’re taking a bite, you don’t just notice the salty prosciutto, or the tangy pineapple – you notice the crust too. Whether you’re a pineapple lover or pineapple hater – you are going to love our new mini pizzas.

Try them today in 4 dough-licious flavours!

Chorizo & Prosciutto Mini Pizza
Hawaiian Mini Pizza
Cheese & Veggie Mini Pizza
Spinach, Mushroom & Garlic Mini Pizza

The post Mini Pizza Dough Difference appeared first on COBS Bread.

Our passion for baking shines through in our bakeries every day and this includes the creation of new products. We have a dedicated Product Innovation Specialist who develops new recipes and in-bakery meal inspirations. He works very closely with a network of Test Bakeries to try new ideas that either come through formal development, or quite often from experimentation at the bakeries.

There wasn’t an Eggnog Scone, so they made one.

Mel, the production manager at COBS Bread Harris Green had the inspiration for the Eggnog Scone. Ideas are always popping into their heads while they mix, knead, roll, and ice the handmade products. Eggnog is such a festive flavour, and it was missing from the COBS holiday treat line up. The Gingerbread Scone has become a tradition, so why not build up the collection of Holiday scones with eggnog?

They pretty much nailed it on the first try.

It took a couple adjustments to the eggnog to water ratio to find the right balance, but really, they pretty much nailed it on the first try. Then they added some spice to our cream cheese icing, and it became an irresistible treat.

Customers can’t stay away.

The scones were a huge hit right away. They are so good, people that thought they weren’t Eggnog fans have been wow’d by them! It must be because they are so soft, and the eggnog flavour is light, but there is still a delicious amount of holiday spice.

If staff want to create a recipe, go for it!

We are bakers, and bakers are creators. Josh, the owner of COBS Bread Harris Green gives his team of bakers creative freedom. If they want to make something, he says go for it! Right now they are working to perfect:

• Apple Cheddar Sourdough
• Jalapeno Cornbread Scones
• Crushed Candy Cane Scones to complete the trinity of holiday flavours

Eggnog Scones on trial throughout this holiday season. You can find them at these select bakeries:

British Columbia

Harris Green – Victoria

Oak Bay – Victoria

Terminal Park – Nanaimo

Driftwood Mall – Courtenay

Gladwin Crossing – Abbottsford

Kensington Square – Burnaby

Lougheed Town Centre – Burnaby

Ocean Park – South Surrey/White Rock

Oxford Market – Port Coquitlam

Trenant Park – Ladner

Tsawwassen Common – Tsawwassen

Walnut Gate – Langley

Summit – Vernon

Alberta

Kingsland – Calgary

Windermere – Edmonton

The Brewery District – Edmonton

Century Crossing – Edmonton

Harvest Pointe – Edmonton

Riverbend Square – Edmonton

Sherwood Centre – Sherwood Park

Fort Saskatchewan

Leduc Common – Leduc

Ontario

The Beach – Toronto

The Boardwalk – Waterloo

Fairway Plaza – Kitchener

Headon Forest – Burlington

Humbertown – Toronto

Ridley Square – St. Catharines

The post The Creation of Eggnog Scones appeared first on COBS Bread.

Baking is our passion! And it’s something we are excited to ignite and support in students. Over the next 10 years, COBS Bread is donating $100,000 to Centennial College to support its fledgling bakers and help them “rise” in their careers as they pursue their culinary passions.

The COBS Bread Baking Lab

At Centennial College, the donation has been recognized with a room dedication plaque and signage that designates the college’s Baking Lab located on the ground level of the college’s Residence and Culinary Arts Centre in the name of COBS Bread.

At the October 17^th unveiling last week, Karen Frost-Spokes, Regional Director of COBS Bread said, “The main reason this partnership has come together is our passion for the art and craft of baking.”

Helping Students Rise

Students in the Baking and Pastry Art Management Program at Centennial College also have an opportunity to complete their work placement at a COBS Bread bakery, which has the possibility of turning into full-time employment. In addition, part of COBS Bread’s donation goes towards an annual scholarship, which goes to a student excelling in their program.

We are so proud to work with Centennial College in supporting and developing students who are passionate bakers that want to be the best in their field.

Photo, from left: Joe Baker, Dean of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts; COBS Bread Regional Director Karen Frost-Spokes; Chef Matthew Duffy, and Centennial College President Craig Stephenson.

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