Panera Bread is launching a new bakery menu Wednesday, featuring a collection of pastries, cookies and cake.
The “bakery transformation,” as the fast-casual calls it, includes two buttery, flaky pastries—an Almond Pastry with sweet almond filling, drizzles of icing and sliced almonds, and a Cherry Pastry with tart cherry filling and white icing on top. Also in the lineup is Cranberry Orange Cake, menued by the slice and baked with whole cranberries, orange flavor and sour cream, sprinkled with coarse sugar.
While the pastries and cake can double for breakfast or a snack, the remaining three menu additions veer toward dessert. Making their debut are Coconut Macaroons and Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, both dipped in chocolate. And returning as a seasonal favorite is the Pumpkin Cookie, a buttery shortbread style with decorative icing.
All six bakery items are priced at $3.89 each.
The company is pairing the bakery items with one of its summertime introductions. Panera earlier this summer introduced a Spicy Fiesta Chicken Sandwich with a sweet-heat flavor profile. It layers grilled chicken, white cheddar, peppers, cilantro, roasted corn and a creamy salsa verde spread on ciabatta.
Guests who purchase a Spicy Fiesta Chicken Sandwich for $11.59 along with a beverage can get 50% off one of the new bakery items.
The new bakery lineup is the latest in a series of innovations that Panera began in April, when the bakery-café chain announced a major menu transformation. The overhaul eliminated certain menu categories, like flatbread pizzas, to focus primarily on sandwiches, salads, soups and mac & cheese.
Now it seems that Panera is playing up its bakery roots, giving pastries, cookies and cake a little well-deserved love.
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