Ladies and Gentlemen, I would love to introduce you to the bakery with the best, without a doubt the BEST bread in Brazil.
It is the Padaria 14 de Julho.
It is in Bixiga or Little Italy, São Paulo; an area where you will see some beautiful smiles and get some pats on the back and invitations to sit down for coffee and a chat by some very kind, real and hospitable locals.
The owner is Frank. A lovely man with a very big and generous heart and a bigger smile. His entire team echoes with his love. He took me on a tour of the entire establishment and had me try five types of bread and I don't mean just tore off small pieces or samples - these were rolls. The freakin' ciabatta, the focaccia, the onion loaf, .......! Needed no butter and no dipping oil.
These loaves of fresh and hot bread were popping out of the oven - OMG! The olive oil, the herbs and the milk came together to make these plump and small pieces of art( please see the photo by the oven) have the perfect crust and flavor & texture. The oven - the original oven is 126 years old. Yes, 1897! That is when the Padaria 14 de Julho opened for business.
Old school, original recipes, great family tradition, love and warmth. You say São Paulo in Brazil as in 4770 miles south and east of New York and 5770 south and west of Palermo, Sicily? I say Heck Yeah! . But it's only 6 miles from our hotel( the Grand Hyatt São Paulo) and about 15 miles from the international airport.
It's magical, it's real it's Padaria 14 de Julho. Get down here guys and gals. Enjoy! read more