ESSERE BOUNO COMO IL PANE - PANIFICO MAGNIFICO - AN ITALIAN SAYING ABOUT BREAD & PEOPLE

Panifico 

Welcome to our ONLINE STORE  and blog. 

As a barware, lighting and home accessories design company, at Thomas Fuchs Creative we specialize in handmade goods. Every week we give you a behind the scenes look at the people, places and things that inspire us.

Il Conte Giustiniani, Wife of Baker Anna Stefanelli, Thomas 

People can say a lot about Italians but nothing beats their bread & pasta which is made out of dough. In Salento (read my previous blog) we are basking in the slow living of the Puglian summer. and like yeast is left to rise the time passes feeling the joyus relaxation of the lifestyle of this small town in Italy. 

Anna Stefanelli holding up much coveted Olive Bread

Our host Il Conte Giustiniani has taken us to one of the many secrets of the town bread made in the back of the bakers home. Franco and Anna Stefanelli have been baking up a storm for over 50 years out of their home office. One would never know it existed unless you were looking for the sign as the front of the house is exactly that.... the front of the home. 

Fresh Bread

There are 21 types of well known Italian bread but more interestingly there are local and regional breads that few people know about. Pane Pugliese - Pane di Altamura is from the heel of the boot which is Puglia. Made of hard grain (durum wheat) with a light yellow color and salted.

Old School Wood Burning Oven & Nut Oven

You can also buy the bread in many other parts of Italy. It is white bread, but because it is made with hard grain it is healthier than normal white bread, it has a lot of flavor and is elastic. Originally it comes from Altamura, a town in Puglia near Bari and the DOP variant has yet to come from there. 

Thomas inspecting fresh out of the oven

Due to the wars waging in Europe one would think gas prices prevent this daily staple from being made. Luckily no one can stop an Italian from making the bread they need all the ovens are old school and powered by wood burning ovens. 

Californian Almonds

Ironically the almonds the use are from California due to the fact that Italians live a slower life and eat seasonally and don't speed up growth and harvesting by ways of modern technology. Every weekend in the Piazza ( Town Square) directly in front of Palazzo Giustiniani many vendors selling roasted nuts set up their stalls and one of the vendors is Dario Giannini who we also met on this day we popped in to the shop. 

Oven to Table

Look for all small vendors in your area because for the most part they will be using real ingredients and the bread will taste like bread not like cardboard! in Miami we have Mamma Leone Bakery  fortunately for Miami we are a real italian baker.

Enjoy your Weekend.

Michou