December 8, 2009, posted by Sairica | food and drinks

Bread & Butter Barcelona (the real thing!)

Bread is a controversial topic in Barcelona these days. In fact, considering bread is a staple in most European countries, the controversy is not particularly city-specific: the mass production of bread and the disappearance of the local baker now evokes the same level of dismay as intensive farming or overfishing. However, in a country where just ten years ago 315 different types of bread could be identified and in a region where the local speciality involves pa (amb tomàquet) as the fundamental ingredient, the dearth of good bread has become a particularly embarrassing issue for many Barcelonans.

Fortunately, thanks to a handful of traditional forn de pa that haven’t succumbed to the lure of cheap & bland and a growing number of entrepreneurs willing to put their money where their passion is, it is still possible to find the genuine scent of freshly baked bread in Barcelona… Amen, we hear you say!


Top Five Bakeries in Barcelona

Barcelona-Reykjavik
With one outlet in the Raval and a second in Gracia, Barcelona-Reykjavik belongs to the new class of bakers. All of their ingredients are organic and they eschew the usual yeast for their own starter made from spelt flour, pea flour and the yeast of flowers. Their impressive range of products includes rye bread, spelt cakes and, for something truly unique, a seaweed loaf.

C/Doctor Dou, 12
C/ Asturies, 20
www.barcelonareykjavik.com

Forn Fortino
With the secret knowledge of how to bake good bread passed down through four generations of the same family, Forn Fortino has the traditional credentials. All their bread is baked throughout the night in the same wood oven and they consider themselves masters of the classic Spanish white loaf and baguette (though they do not ignore the current trend for wholemeal, spelt flour, organic etc etc).

Travessera de Gracia, 145
www.fornfortino.com


Forn Mistral
Founded in 1879 with a fifth generation family member currently in charge of bread-baking, Forn Mistral tops the authentic list. Although they have recently branched out to include an organic selection, Forn Mistral is famed for its traditional Catalan breads including coques de pa (unleavened bread with either sweet or savoury toppings) and ensaïmades (light pastries dusted with sugar – good with coffee and extremely moreish!)

Ronda Sant Antoni, 96
Torres i Amat, 7
www.fornmistral.com


Baluard
When the owner of Baluard writes about bread, she becomes poetic: ‘There is no scent as subtle as bread emerging from the oven; an aroma that fills bakeries with a serene nocturnal fragrance.’ A third generation baker, Anna Bellsolá wants her customers to be as passionate about bread as she is and, aside from the quality of her products, she also offers them a behind-the-scenes view of the process through a huge plate-glass window, undoubtable evidence of their freshness and authenticity.

C/ Baluard 38-40
www.baluardbarceloneta.com


Turris
Despite being open for little more than a year, Turris was voted best bakery in Barcelona by Time Out recently. Xavier Barriga, the prodigal son of a family of bakers, returned to Barcelona after serving his apprenticeship in Italy, France, Portugal and Denmark. He opened his bakery in the Eixample with exactly that intention: to be the best by blending traditional methods with modern technologies using only top-quality ingredients. Expect to queue for your daily bread!

C/ Aribau 158
www.turris.es