India, May 2 -- Panera Bread is closing all nine of its remaining fresh dough facilities (FDFS) across the United States under its new CEO, Paul Carbone.

The closures, expected to unfold over the next two years, follow years of speculation and a gradual transition away from the brand's original dough production model.

Panera baked its bread using dough prepared off-site at regional FDFs. These dough balls were delivered to cafes, where staff proofed and baked fresh loaves each morning. While this gave Panera its signature fresh-baked aroma, the model sometimes led to cafes running out of bread by the afternoon.

Now, the company is fully adopting an "on-demand" model. Instead of preparing dough in-house, Panera will rely on third-party ...