Canyon Bakehouse New Stay-Fresh Products Versus Frozen Products: What’s the Difference?

We’ve been fans of Canyon Bakehouse baked goods since long before they were abundant in stores, abounding with variety, and engaged as one of our sponsors.

But now that this gluten-free trailblazer has a whopping 20-ish products, some of which come in a classic bread or bagel bag and are usually found in the frozen foods section and some of which are other, newer “stay-fresh” options that seem extremely similar but are found in the bread aisle, we found ourselves wondering: How do we know the difference between options and choose the products best for us? So we decided to find out and share what we learned with you. 

The Canyon Bakehouse Product List
The good news is there’s no bad choice with Canyon. While they are one of our regular sponsors, we only partner with brands we personally love and eat and always recommend Canyon Bakehouse because they consistently produce exceptional gluten-free products. Everything they make—whether bread, bagels, burger buns, English muffins, or even brownies—is reliably excellent, with classic texture, great flavor, and the kind of structure more associated with items that contain gluten.

But it’s still helpful to understand the different choices so you can make educated buying decisions. We’re here to break it down for you. 

Let’s start by surveying the landscape. What exactly does Canyon Bakehouse make? As of the May 2020 writing of this article, they offer the following:

Stay Fresh Items:

Sandwich Breads

  • Ancient Grain
  • Country White
  • Hawaiian Sweet Bread
  • Honey Oat

Specialty Baked Goods

  • Burger Buns (brand new!)
  • Honey Whole Grain English Muffins
  • Deli White Bagels

Frozen Items:

Sandwich Breads

  • 7-Grain 
  • Mountain White
  • Deli Rye Style
  • Cinnamon Raisin
  • Heritage Style Whole Grain
  • Heritage Style Honey White

Specialty Baked Goods

  • Hamburger Buns
  • Plain Bagels
  • Everything Bagel
  • Blueberry Bagels
  • Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
  • Original English Muffins
  • Brownie Bites

It’s a lot to choose from. So why pick one over another? The answer is twofold: 

Key Differences Between Canyon Bakehouse Stay-Fresh Products and Other Canyon Bakehouse Products
Maybe you don’t know this—we certainly didn’t before we asked—but many of the Stay-Fresh products are made of nearly identical ingredients as their similar products found in the frozen foods aisle. The reason their names differ is due to labeling laws that address the slight ingredient variations. So, for example, the stay-fresh Ancient Grain is nearly the same as the frozen 7-Grain. Ditto Country White and Mountain White, and the stay-fresh and frozen versions of Canyon Bakehouse English muffins, bagels, and the new burger buns. 

What else are key differences? 

Where you’ll find Stay-Fresh and frozen products in the grocery store. 
Stay-Fresh and frozen options are shelved in different parts of the grocery store, which means you find great bread selections wherever you’re used to looking for GF bread products. 

• Stay-Fresh products are sold in the bread aisle or the gluten-free section at room temperature. This means you can find gluten-free bread where everyone expects to find bread! 

• Meanwhile, classic Canyon Bakehouse offerings are stocked in the grocers’ designated GF frozen food section. These are for shoppers who prefer to buy frozen bread. They’re also easier to locate if you’re used to shopping for GF provisions in the frozen-foods aisle. 

How you store them. 
Both Stay-Fresh and frozen Canyon Bakehouse breads keep well if you follow their storage instructions. But the differences in where each is stored give you the freedom to decide whether you want to eat the product right away, store it at room temperature, or freeze it for future or ongoing use. 

• Stay-Fresh bread is packaged for longer shelf-life without refrigeration. (The inner sealed packaging allows the bread to stay fresh for up to 90 days from production, so you can store at home or bring along for a road trip whenever you need it.) Once opened, it keeps on the counter for five days. (It doesn’t freeze as well as classic frozen versions do.)

• Frozen products allow a similar shelf-life—up to three months in the freezer—so you can buy, thaw and eat them, or keep them frozen at home until you need them. If you thaw them and keep them on the counter instead, they remain fresh for seven days. 

Why Does Stay-Fresh Have a Longer Unrefrigerated Shelf Life?
This question intrigued us most, especially because when we compared the ingredients list between Stay-Fresh and classic products, nothing significant stood out. When we asked the folks at Canyon, they told us that to offer baked goods that last longer on the shelf; they combined new high-tech, air-tight packaging with slight variations in their recipes. They continue to use wholesome, natural ingredients, and do not use preservatives or artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners.

Where to Find Canyon Bakehouse Products
In our experience, Canyon Bakehouse has some of the widest national distribution out of all the gluten-free bread brands. That means you should be able to find them at a store near you. But with more and more online shopping taking place, it’s good to know they have expanded their online presence, too. You can now find their products at these online locations: Gluten Free PalaceAmazonWalmart.comFresh DirectShipt, and Instacart.

Got more questions? Leave a comment.

Written in partnership with Canyon Bakehouse

22 Comments on “Canyon Bakehouse New Stay-Fresh Products Versus Frozen Products: What’s the Difference?”

  1. Avatar for Connie M Gratias

    Thanks – I had been wondering about this! I agree with you about Canyon Bakehouse being my go-to bread/baked goods product now. After over 25 years of gluten free living the Canyon Bakehouse breads make GF so much easier – easy to find in my local small community with Wonderful taste and texture. I also appreciate your blog and GFF magazine. Although not a current magazine subscriber, I was a charter subscriber. Thank you!!

  2. Avatar for Barbara Ryan

    Thank-you for all the great information. This will help me a lot when shopping for these products!!

  3. Avatar for Gail Bruno

    Can we put the frozen ones in the fridge not freezer and will they stay refrigerated longer?

  4. Avatar for Erika

    You can absolutely refrigerate them. I do it all the time, and they do keep pretty well that way!

  5. Avatar for Patricia Edwards

    I am concerned about the tiny white dots embedded on the slices. Are they an ingredient or sign of earlier mold? I really need to know. I eat at least a loaf every two wks of the multi or 7 grain . I did not notice the white dots until about three wks ago in every loaf I buy, frozen or on shelf! Please respond.

  6. Avatar for Erika

    Hello! Not to worry. Those are whole grains. I have them in mine too. If you’re still concerned, send a photo of it to [email protected] and we will connect with Canyon. But I’m confident it’s whole grains!

  7. Avatar for Erika

    Hello! Not to worry. Those are whole grains. I have them in mine too. If you’re still concerned, send a photo of it to [email protected] and we will connect with Canyon. But I’m confident it’s whole grains!

  8. Avatar for Pam

    I have an unopened loaf of the Ancient Grains, that is 2 weeks past the date. It looks perfect, no changes visible. I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who’s eaten it this far past the date? I don’t want to waste it. Feedback please, thank you.

  9. Avatar for Erika

    It’s not necessary to freeze the bread unless you plan to use it over a long period of time; I keep mine in the fridge; if you eat it within a week, you should be good!

  10. Avatar for Mary

    Can you freeze the new packaged bread? I usually buy the frozen, but I’ve been having a hard time finding the mountain white. I grabbed a package of the new country white, but I’m afraid I won’t eat it all in a week. Can I freeze it once opened?

  11. Avatar for Erika

    If you buy stay-fresh bread, you should enjoy it within about 5 days. It’s not recommended that you freeze it (it’ll shrink), but nothing terrible will happen if you do freeze it!

  12. Avatar for K.G.

    How long will their bread last in the fridge? I saw you mention you refrigerate yours, and I do the same. But I’m wondering when to throw it out. I bought the on-shelf kind. Thanks!

  13. Avatar for Erika

    In the fridge, mine usually lasts longer than I expect, like a week or two. I also often keep it in the freezer and take out pieces as needed.

  14. Avatar for Donna Bedics

    How long can I keep the loaf of bread in the refrigerator ? I am unable to eat the loaf of bread in a week.

    Also, can I freeze it?

  15. Avatar for Erika

    You can absolutely freeze either one, but I don’t freeze the stay-fresh one because the slices shrink. I regularly freeze the other bread and reach for slices one at a time.

  16. Avatar for Silvia Alonso

    I order the white Canyon bread from Publix but had no idea it was from the freezer I thought it was from regular shelf bread.

  17. Avatar for David

    Just opened my stay fresh bagels and the vacuum process has left them totally flat, is there a way to ‘re-inflate’ them?

  18. Avatar for Erika

    Hello! Great question! Please give a call to Canyon Bakehouse—1.833.226.9662. We’re curious to learn what they say.

  19. Avatar for Jacqueline Johnson

    I just purchased Canyon Bakehouse bread for the first time and need instructions on how to properly open the stay fresh packaging. I don’t see a way to open it and also be able to reseal it so that it stays fresh. Do I just cut open the package, but that defeats the purpose. Please help. Thanks.

  20. Avatar for Erika

    Hello. Once you open the package, you will want to consume the bread within 5 days; I would keep the bread in its wrappers on the counter or the fridge during that time.

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