Frequently Asked Questions
Do your products freeze well?
- Bread: Yes, you can freeze our breads successfully. Some choose to cut their loaves in half, and take out half at a time. Others prefer to pre-slice their bread, and take out slices as needed. If thawing the entire loaf, let thaw at room temperature, and then crisp the loaf at 400F for 5 – 10 min to restore the crust (well worth the effort!) For a single slice of bread, simply pop in the toaster.
- Pastries: Most of our croissants and sweets freeze quite successfully. It makes a big difference if you can restore the crust by crisping them in the oven at 400F for 5 min or so. Muffins and cookies generally do not need to be re-crisped.
Thawed pies can be reheated in the oven at 350F for 10-20 min until warm, well worth the extra effort to serve warm pie! - Products that do NOT freeze well include our custard cream pies, and any product topped with whip cream or meringue.
Are your products safe for those with allergies?
Our bakery environment contains tree nuts, wheat, sesame, dairy, soy and egg products. Although we do our absolute best at cleaning between batches to avoid cross contamination, we cannot guarantee that a product has not come into contact with allergens. Therefore, our baked goods are not appropriate for those with life-threatening allergies.
Note that we do not work with peanut or peanut products – though we cannot guarantee that the tree nuts we work with have not come in contact with peanuts at their processing facilities.
Reach out if you have specific questions. Happy to help!
What is the best way to store bread?
Generally larger loaves, and especially sourdough loaves keep better than smaller yeasted loaves.
And a dough that is fermented slowly over 24 hours will further improve the keeping quality of the finished loaf, yeasted or sourdough.
Our larger breads will keep well for 3-5 days stored at room temperature. Ideally, an unglazed ceramic or wooden bread box is best to allow the bread to breathe. Alternatively, you can successfully keep bread stored in a paper bag and then loosely wrap in plastic on your counter.
We would advise against storing bread in your fridge, as it will stale it faster.
You can also freeze our bread successfully wrapped in plastic for up to 3 months. Cut bread will develop freezer burn faster than whole loaves, but you can still freeze sliced bread for a short period of time.
Do you cater?
We do not specialize in catering, but occasionally can accommodate requests depending on the date, volume and requested items. Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis. There’s no harm in asking, so give us a shout! Note however that we do not offer delivery. Orders need to be picked up in store.
We do offer mini croissants and mini pains au chocolat that are perfect for special for events such as baby showers, bridal showers, brunches etc. We require a minimum of 48 hours notice for such orders. Please email us at orders@blackwalnutbakery.ca for inquiries.
Do you make hot dog or hamburger buns?
Yes! We do make hamburger throughout the summer months. Usually from May to September. There are similar in dough to our egg breads, enriched with butter, eggs and sunflower oil. Topped with sesame seeds. Sold in packs of six.
Hot dog buns currently on hold.
Do you slice bread?
No, apologies at the moment we do not have an automated bread slicer. We would like to get one in the future though.
Do you have parking available?
Yes, we do have a parking lot large enough to accommodate approximately 10 vehicles. We ask that you please not park on the grass. If overflow parking is needed, you are welcome to park on the street without charge.
If you choose to park across the street at the Esso gas station parking lot, please be forewarned that they only allow a 15 min limit and will tow vehicles after that time.
Parking is for customers only. Overnight and carpool parking is not permitted on our property, and all vehicles parked long-term without permission will be towed at owner’s risk and expense.
What are your hours of operation?
Normal hours of operation:
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Thursday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday: 9:00 – 3:00 * starting Sept 6th 2026 *
Holiday Closures:
Canada Day: CLOSED
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: CLOSED
New Years Day: CLOSED
Do you offer WIFI?
No, not at this time.
Are you still giving out sourdough culture?
YES we are! Note is by donation only now effective March 2025. No minimum donation required. 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the Orleans Cumberland Resource Centre. From Wednesday – Saturday, you can stop in from 8am – 5pm.
Bring your own container. We will give you approx 1/4 cup worth for a donation to the Orleans Cumberland Resource Centre (ie. food bank). No order required.
How do I feed it? Approx 50g flour & 50g water. Preferably unbleached flour, any kind will do. Store in fridge when not in use, and feed once a week. When you plan to use it, bring to room temperature 2 days prior and feed it to wake it up!
Need help? Check out www.happyheartedkitchen.com/sourdough/sourdough-resources for awesome tips and videos!
Do you have seating?
At the moment, we do not have indoor seating, we only have picnic tables outside.
Do you have gluten free options?
We bake a few items that are gluten sensitive. Meaning they are baked without gluten, but still in a gluten environment, therefore we don’t consider them safe for those with severe allergies. We bake:
- Orange date squares: made with uncertified gluten free oats and oat flour
- Pecan brownies: made with cocoa and cornstarch
- Power bars: made with oats, dried fruits, nuts, dark chocolate
Do you make cakes or cupcakes?
No we do not make cakes or cupcakes, but we recommend: Flour Arrangements by Sara (Dunrobin), and Valentina Sweets (Nepean).
Still Have Questions?
We’re happy to answer them! Please complete the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.