The best bread bakeries in Florence selected by Gambero Rosso

The reuse of bread in Tuscany is serious business, considering dishes such as panzanella, pappa al pomodoro, ribollita, acquacotta, fettunta, and various other soups, all employing stale bread paired with seasonal vegetables and good Tuscan olive oil, flavourful and aromatic. At (almost) any Tuscan baker, you will find the "pane sciocco," without salt, ideal for complementing the bold flavours of the local cuisine. In 2016, this Tuscan bread also received the recognition of PDO (Protected Designation of Origin): the official recipe involves soft wheat flour type 0, containing wheat germ, water, natural yeast, and of course, is completely salt-free. It's not the only bread you'll find in the best bakeries in Florence highlighted by our latest guide Pane e Panettieri d’Italia (Bread and Bakeries of Italy).

The Best Bread Bakeries in Florence

L'Antica Bottega del Pane

In the lively neighbourhood of Le Cure, a well-established organisational machine manages the bakery, taken over about thirty years ago, a bar, and nearby, a grocery store. The bakery produces various types of bread using sourdough and flours obtained from indigenous grains. Among the specialties is the Tuscan PDO bread, prepared with soft wheat flour type 0; the crust is crumbly in hazelnut colour, with irregularly porous crumb in white-ivory colour. The "schiacciata," seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and salt, is highly demanded both in the plain version and with cherry tomatoes, porcini mushrooms, and other delightful variations. Even desserts are prepared in a wide variety of different shapes and flavours. The café, managed by Simone and his team of knowledgeable and friendly young individuals, is highly frequented for its wide selection of sweet and savoury products, including imaginative sandwiches, and a range of special wines and beers.

via Faentina, 76 – 055 483941 - www.anticabottegadelpane.it

Bread&Break

For sixty years, the Pini family has been devoted to the art of baking, and over time, the bakery, in the traditional sense, has evolved while remaining faithful to certain sacred principles such as craftsmanship, attention to the selection of raw materials, and attention to detail. The bakery offers the classic unsalted Tuscan bread, the Ferrarese, olive oil rolls, loaves, all resulting from a mix of cereals and wholemeal flours. The pizza is excellent, originating from careful selection of flours, special doughs, and high-quality ingredients: it can be chosen by the slice, in a tray, or round. The focaccias are filled, rustic, wholemeal, or multigrain; then there's the classic olive oil "schiacciata." The pastry selection follows the seasons: from the grape "schiacciata" to the Florentine cake, "cenci," "castagnaccio," and "ricciarelli." The Prato cantucci are always available, along with other must-haves like "bongo," mignons, and biscuit treats. In the morning, the coffee bar is accompanied by excellent leavened pastries and savoury treats.

via Fra' Giovanni Angelico, 15R – 055 677980 - www.breadandbreak.it

Ditta Artigianale

The latest addition to the award-winning Ditta Artigianale - a group of five locations on both sides of the Arno, created by Francesco Sanapo and Patrick Hoffer - is not only a bar and popular meeting place but also houses a pastry and bakery laboratory inspired by international schools, skillfully dressed in Italian and Florentine fabric. Under the guidance of Francesca Grillotti, the laboratory produces various types of top-quality bread, all made with sourdough and special flours, benefiting from long fermentation periods. Modern pastry offerings include leavened sweets, from croissants to pain au chocolat, and interpretations of buns, banana bread, chocolate babka, carrot cake, and red velvet. Throughout the day, it's possible to stop by for lunch with international cuisine dishes, while the evening is ideal for an aperitivo based on cocktails.

piazza Ferrucci, 1R – 055 7714875 - www.dittaartigianale.com

Forno Garbo Progetto Bontà

Although the coffee shop and dining business are gaining increasingly more prominence, evidenced by the extraordinary array of offerings from breakfast to aperitivo, it's from the bakery that everything began and upon its products that everything is founded: biscuits, brioches, croissants, pastries, snacks, and naturally, the bread, symbolising the Project Bontà, the brand that encapsulates the entire range and initiatives. Flours from special grains or ancient cereals, stone grinding, and sourdough are the common characteristics of all types of bread, both everyday ones and the specials, presented in rotation. Among the former are the "panacci," Verna wheat bread, and the classic Tuscan loaf, the rosetta or "michetta"; among the latter are spelt bread, whole grain with dried fruits, "pain paillasse" (a small loaf with a mix of flours and seeds), walnut bread, bread with organic rye flour. Definitely worth trying are the "scole," simple semi-sweet rolls with anise and raisins.

via Dino del Garbo, 2r – 055 4378740 - www.fornogarbo.it

Leonardo

It all begins in the early 1960s when Leonardo Santi, in his bakery, starts creating biscuits and other delights by offering traditional recipes, using only genuine raw materials, and following his small intuitions to make the products he sells in his shop unique. Thus, the chocolate or fig cantucci are born; the "Brutti ma Buoni" in many variations, cakes, Easter doves, and Christmas panettones. His son Marco, in the heart of the Sant’Ambrogio district, continues the experimentation, giving rise to new specialties, including a special "torta mantovana" or the "Pan Felice." And of course, there's the bread, whose light dough with many air pockets results from choosing a high-protein flour and carefully measured rising times. Mixing and preparations take place in the open workshop, which also produces an irresistible olive oil "schiacciata" and many types of brioches, also served stuffed. Another retail point is the Leonardo Boutique, located at 14 Via Porta Rossa.

via dei Macci, 65r – 055 0132711 - leonardofirenze.it

Pank La Bulangeria

From the workshop in Sesto Fiorentino to the centre of Florence: this is the journey undertaken every day by all types of bread created by David: the classic Tuscan bread without salt; the traditional baguette and the curry-flavoured one; the sandwich with black cabbage; the turmeric bauletto; the bread of San Lorenzo, created in honour of the patron saint of bakers; the "pan à la Reyne," born in honour of Caterina de’ Medici. David produces bread that stands out for the meticulous attention given to the origin of the flours used, with a particular focus on the location where the grains grow, the milling process, exclusively done with stone grinding. Additionally, he uses only sourdough obtained from the fermentation of Vinsanto from the Felsina farm in the Sienese Chianti region. To complete the assortment, there are éclairs, quiches, butter croissants, sour cherry and almond cake, variously enriched mini focaccias, and filled "schiacciate."

piazza del Mercato Centrale - via dell'Ariento – 055 2399798 - www.mercatocentrale.it/firenze/artigiani/david-bedu/

Forno Pintucci

For thirty years, the Pintucci brand has marked a rich production of bakery products, also available in two other retail locations, one in Santo Spirito, the other at Due Strade. Various categories of flours are used to create a wide variety of bakery items, including loaves, ciabatta, and flatbreads. Among these, there are some with a unique taste: the Black Venus rice flatbread with gorgonzola, late radicchio, honey, and toasted almonds, and in autumn, the pumpkin flatbread with coppa, gorgonzola, and its toasted seeds. There are also handmade breadsticks and products made from Kamut and cornflour. On the sweet side, there's the naturally leavened chocolate bread and chocolate and macadamia nut cookies, both delicious. During the autumn season, one can find chestnut and chocolate bread and the ever-present "castagnaccio," at Easter there are even savoury doves, at Christmas the panettones, and in late spring, the sweet cherry focaccia.

piazzale di Porta Romana, 7r – 055 222121

S. Forno

The furnishings fill the eyes, as does the large quantity of delicious products overflowing in a pleasant disorder from the shelves, tables, and stools they're placed on. For almost ten years now, the old shop that used to make and sell bread between Santo Spirito and the Carmine has been replaced by a venue (conceived by the creators of the restaurant Il Santo Bevitore and the wine bar Il Santino) where you can have breakfast, a snack, a light meal, and where you can also buy bread. Because here, bread is good, ranging from different shapes and sizes, with white and wholemeal flour, with and without salt, to special bread, like the one made with Verna wheat, rye and turmeric, or the multigrain variety. You can also find "pan de' santi" with raisins, walnuts, and black pepper. And then there are muffins, croissants, rice puddings, mini focaccias, small pizzas, bagels, quiches, croque monsieur, cakes, brownies, and cookies.

via Santa Monaca, 3r – 055 2398580 - ilsantobevitore.com