LEWISVILLE, TX — Burgeoning business led to opportunities for nationwide shipping and wholesale accounts for Starship Bagel in Lewisville, TX. But founder Oren Salomon’s commitment to artisan methods meant a challenge for the bakery to meet growing demand without sacrificing the quality Starship was known for. At the 2025 International Baking Industry Exposition, he discovered a whole new curriculum in preserving bagels: the power of par-baking.
After tinkering with the technique, Starship now has a par-baking process that can take place at the flagship location while keeping up with product demand across all three storefronts and the wholesale business. What was once a “dirty word” to the bagel connoisseur became the key to unlocking consistent quality and increased production capacity.
Behind the technique
The par-bake technique involves the same steps of the original process: Mix the ingredients from scratch, place the dough into the AM MFG Bagel Forming Machine, ferment the formed bagels for two days, proof them until they’re ready to go into the kettle and then place them in a malted boil.
Simple enough, since Starship only uses one type of dough for this process. The par-bakes all start with plain bagels, and, in the interest of simplicity, they’re baked in the same order as before: They start on the burlap-wrapped wooden boards, and then they get launched into the Picard Rotating Deck Oven with the bottoms up — a crucial part of both the par-bake and regular bagel bake process — before being flipped onto the hearth to finish baking.
Right after the flip to the hearth is where the par-bake comes into play. The bakers pull the bagels out a touch early, then cool them fully before freezing. After that, they are ready for transport.
However, hydration is the final and most important part of the process … and the key to Starship’s classic crispy exterior and chewy interior. After the bagels have been shipped off to their next location, the team behind the benches pulls them from the freezer and dips them in water to rehydrate the frozen dough. At that point, the bagels can be seeded based on store demand and then baked in a convection oven at each location.
Safe to say, Starship was forever changed.
This technique was such a triumph that it led to a complete overhaul of the business model, with the team going all-in on par-baking. While the bakery still operates on a hub-and-spoke model from the flagship, by the end of the year, each location will receive a stock delivery of frozen par-baked bagels to be baked fresh at all hours of the day. The new process solves Starship’s production crunch by allowing the three separate bagel shops to serve hot, fresh bagels baked throughout the week.
“I wouldn’t have pursued this if it were just a logistical or operational improvement,” Oren said. “I’m pursuing it because it’s a better-quality product.”
Par-baking also offers the bakery a new level of versatility, one that gives the bottom line a boost. Since the bagels are all initially baked plain, they become a blank canvas for creation. Before the bakery adopted the par-baking technique, orders for wholesale included fully baked plain, sesame and everything.
Now, Starship Bagel will offer the end-user — whether it be a consumer, cafe or restaurant — the ability to add unconventional toppings and flavors to make it a one-of-a-kind creation.
“Being able to customize bagels at that level and bake them at home to share with family or friends creates really meaningful moments,” Oren said. “And from an inventory standpoint, having one SKU is really powerful because it makes it a lot easier to maintain supply.”
Next stop for the bagel shop
So, what’s next for a bakery that virtually has nowhere to go but up? Going mobile.
Dubbed the “Starship World Tour,” Starship Bagel will hit the road, bringing a taste of Texas-created, New York-inspired bagels to consumers via a decked-out tour bus of sorts. What was once a dream is now achievable thanks to the bagel shop’s par-baking method and national achievements.
By prioritizing attributes that may be glossed over in modern bagel production, Starship has achieved what it set out to: Let bagels be food for everyone, while keeping an intense focus on quality without deviation. Starship Bagel, true to its name, is soaring.
“Anytime we become aware of a way to make our bagels better, we pursue it immediately,” Oren said. “It’s what started the business, and it’s what we’re doing with the par-bake right now. I’m really proud of all we’ve accomplished in the past five years, but I honestly feel like we’re just getting started.”
This story has been adapted from the January | Q1 2026 Craft to Crumb mini-mag. Read the full story in the digital issue here.
