Does Panera Have Any Gluten Free Bread Available?

Panera, officially known as Panera Bread, doesn't exactly scream gluten-free zone, but those with gluten sensitivities shouldn't feel completely alienated by the casual café chain. Panera does offer some gluten-free options, but where gluten-sensitive customers might miss out is on the chain's popular bread and baked goods.

Unfortunately, Panera doesn't offer any gluten-free bread items. This is true of both the café's in-restaurant menu and the many products it sells in grocery stores. Despite Panera's vast menu (which goes beyond fast food) of soups, salads, sandwiches, and many others, customers aren't sure why the brand hasn't come out with at least one gluten-free bread offering.

While unconfirmed by the company, Panera workers on Reddit have ventured that the main reason the chain can't offer gluten-free bread is because of the cross-contamination risk. Panera is one of the few chains that bakes its own bread, though it receives the dough from a regional facility which is then baked on-site to serve fresh to customers. All the bread products come from the same facilities and are baked in the same ovens, so it would be difficult to guarantee that any bread would be absolutely gluten-free without a major renovation.

This isn't to say that Panera hasn't made some efforts to accommodate gluten sensitivities. On its catering menu, the chain notes that its offerings are "gluten-conscious" meaning that it can't guarantee products not made with gluten won't come into contact with other products that do. Those with a severe gluten intolerance may want to avoid Panera, but those who aren't as sensitive to gluten do have some options.

Although bread is out of the question, Panera isn't totally off limits to those with a gluten intolerance. Taking a look at all that Panera has to offer, there are a few soups, salads, and small breakfast items that would still work when gluten consumption is restricted.

On the grocery side, Panera has more than 40 products it labels as gluten-free, including its Chicken Tortilla Soup and Buffalo Ranch Dip. Meanwhile, in its cafés, gluten-sensitive customers can look forward to options like the Green Goddess Cobb Salad with chicken or the Hearty Fireside Chili.

While Panera is forthcoming about its gluten-free limitations, it's hard to imagine that a café-bakery style chain with such a massive operation for fresh breadmaking can't figure out how to make at least one loaf sans gluten. After all, there are a number of fast food chains with plenty of gluten-free options. Panera may want to take a page out of Five Guys book or even Taco Bell.