Panera Is Rolling Out an Entire Menu of Flatbread Pizzas for Fall

You might wanna skip your go-to bread bowl order.

Courtesy of Panera
Courtesy of Panera

I will never not feel strongly about a bread bowl order from Panera. You simply can't go wrong with a carb filled with more carbs, but I've gotta advocate for you to skip the old classic in favor of something new. Panera just unveiled an entire menu of hearth-baked artisan flatbread pizzas. 

Rolling out nationwide beginning Wednesday, customers can get their tastebuds on three different iterations: Margherita Flatbread, topped with tomato sauce, red grape tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and then topped with more mozzarella, fontina, and fresh basil; Chipotle Chicken & Barbecue Flatbread with a garlic cream sauce, red grape tomatoes, smoked pulled chicken breast, applewood smoked pork bacon, fontina, and mozzarella cheese topped with cilantro and a drizzle of chipotle aioli; and classic Cheese Flatbread with market tomato sauce and a blend of fontina and mozzarella. 

Courtesy of Panera

"At Panera, baking is at the core of who we are and what we’re known for—we knew that we had all the elements to bring our delicious, hearty flatbreads to life," chief food & innovation officer Claes Petersson said in a statement. "With the launch of Flatbread Pizza, we are looking to redefine the expectation of pizza and carve out a niche for Panera in the pizza category."

Courtesy of Panera

The flatbreads, which are available for $7.99 a pop, begin with a foundation of dough made from extra finely ground flour that's then cooked and crisped up on a pizza stone. 

"Our guests choose Panera because they want to eat delicious food, that they can feel great about eating. Flatbread Pizzas—done the Panera way—are the perfect offering for this moment and beyond," chief brand & concept officer Eduardo Luz said in the press release. "Our guests have been asking for this for years. We think Panera’s bread heritage and outstanding ingredients meet both the desire for high quality, crafted pizza as well as a growing customer off-premise behavior."

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Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist.