BREAKING BREAD

TWENTY YEARS AGO, THE AVERAGE DALLAS GROCERY SHOPPER paid little attention to food labels, especially when it came to a commodity like bread. So when Preston Hollow resident Meaders Ozarow quit her job in high-end furniture sales to launch Empire Baking Company, it was an uphill struggle — at first.

“There was no challenge when people tasted it,” Ozarow says.

The typical industrialized loaf contains a dizzying number of chemical ingredients. Empire’s recipes have four: King Arthur flour, filtered water, starter (or a small amount of yeast) and salt.

The difference in flavor is significant, and it’s why wholesale makes up 80 percent of the business. Empire bread is used in recipes and adorns the tables of some of the best restaurants in town. At the factory, located on University just east of Central, bakers — many of whom have worked for Empire 10-15 years — spend all day baking 30 recipes delivered in the wee hours of the following morning.

The retail shop on Lovers Lane is a popular place to grab breakfast muffins, midday sandwiches or an entire loaf to slice and keep at home for meals throughout the week.

Empire changed the way people thought about bread, but even as food trends have come and gone (from the low-carb craze to glutenfree diets), nothing has changed about Empire.

“We’re making bread the same way we did 20 years ago,” Ozarow says.

What to look for

Cranberry cinnamon walnut: For a party appetizer, slice and pair this holiday loaf with a complementary cheese such as brie. Ozarow says she likes to make a turkey sandwich with it; it’s a good bread to have around for Thanksgiving leftovers.

Cranberry paisano: Special during Thanksgiving, bakers add cranberries to the dough of one of Empire’s standard offerings, paisano, an Italian white bread. Sure, you could simply spread cranberry sauce on top of the regular paisano, but this method ups the flavor intensity.

Toasted sesame: Ozarow just rolled out this loaf last month, and the Empire employees (aka taste-testers) gobbled it up and have been raving about it ever since. With a crispy crust, soft center and bold sesame taste, it’s a perfect table bread to serve all on its own.

Pumpernickel: Empire’s version of this traditional sweet rye bread can take finger sandwiches to a new level (try using Eatzi’s rotisserie chicken salad). Or, use it in a dressing recipe for a twist on the Thanksgiving staple.

Empire pies: If you think the breads impress, try the piecrusts, available with holiday fillings just once a year: Texas pecan, pumpkin and apple-cranberry pie. The fresh apples are cored, peeled and sliced by hand.