Hawaiian vs. German Artisan Bread: What's the Difference? (We Bake Both)

If you've stopped by our bakery in Kihei, you've probably noticed something a little unusual: two completely different bread traditions, sitting side by side in the same case. Short answer, straight from co-owner Steve Lange: "We bake both." Here's what actually makes our Hawaiian Artisan Bread and German Artisan Bread lines different — and why we've never wanted to choose just one.

Our Hawaiian Artisan Bread line: a 10-year foundation

Our Hawaiian Artisan Bread line has been part of Maui Bread Company for 10 years — since the bakery was founded. These aren't new additions or trend-chasing items; we inherited these recipes directly from the original founders, who developed most of what's still in our case today: our pastries, sweet breads, cookies, scones, and biscotti. This is the Hawaiian side of Maui Bread Company's identity, built on flavor traditions that predate the bakery's German chapter by years.

Our German Artisan Bread line: purely German recipes

Our German Artisan Bread line is exactly what it sounds like — recipes that are purely German, made with flour that's organic, unbleached, and unenriched. One detail that surprises a lot of customers: almost all of these recipes are made without sugar, butter, or milk. That's not a modern health trend we added on top — it's simply how traditional German bread has always been made. It's also why so many of our German breads naturally end up on our Vegan menu, without us having to change a thing.

Our German breads are built on wheat, rye, and spelt, and every recipe traces back to one of four sourdough starters, all originating in Germany.

Two traditions, developed side by side

We're not trying to blend these two lines into one thing, and we're not choosing a favorite. We're continually working to develop both the Hawaiian and German Artisan lines further, on their own terms, always aiming to make each one as good as it can be. That's the whole idea behind Maui Bread Company: two real traditions, baked fresh every day, in the same small bakery in Kihei.

A few quick questions people ask us:

Are your German breads vegan?

Many of them are — not by design, but because traditional German bread recipes typically skip sugar, butter, and milk to begin with.

How long has the Hawaiian Artisan line been around?

10 years, since Maui Bread Company was founded — these recipes come directly from the bakery's original founders.

Where do your sourdough starters come from?

All four of our sourdough starters originate in Germany, and every German Artisan Bread recipe is built on one of them.

Taste both for yourself

Come see (and taste) the difference in person — our full German Artisan Bread and Hawaiian Artisan Bread selections are baked fresh Thursday through Tuesday, 7am to 1pm, in Kihei.

Written with Steve Lange, co-owner of Maui Bread Company. Steve brings 20+ years of experience in plant and equipment machinery, including the coffee, milling, and bakery industries. Read more about our story.