Bread as big as a hubcap in Italy

One of the most unique breads in all of Italy is Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo. These comically large loaves can weigh 12 kilos (26.5 pounds) or more!

Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo

When you go into a bakery and order a loaf of bread, you don’t expect to have to wheel it out on a dolly. But, the loaves in the Puglian town of Monte Sant’Angelo are massive with some weighing in at over 25 pounds!

The sourdough Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo is baked in ovens outfitted with refractory stone chambers, making them incredibly durable, which is important since the ovens are only turned off on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The stone in the oven retains heat, allowing for even cooking temperatures during the very long baking times.

The crust of the Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo is brown and crispy while inside, the bread has a nice, compact crumb. Some bakers add potato to the dough to make the bread even softer.

After baking, the bread is set vertically to allow moisture to escape. It’s almost like they’re curing the bread. This allows the giant loaves to last a long time, which is good since it would take a family a week or more to finish one off.

Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo is often displayed on hooks in bakeries. Or, giant loaves are displayed outside the bakery on the street; a sort of Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo advertisement.

If you don’t want a loaf that will take up the entire back seat of your car, bakers often make smaller loaves these days, ranging in size from one kilo to four kilos, still a substantial amount of bread.

If you want some bread in Monte Sant’Angelo, I like Panetteria Ricucci and Il Forno Moretti 1960 Monte Sant’Angelo.

With all that bread, there’s bound to be some leftover. Puglia has a type of Pancotto soup where vegetables are cooked in a broth and stale Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo and herbs are added.

Another dish takes vegetables like eggplant and zucchini, hollows them out and stuffs them with a mixture of diced vegetables and/or meat with breadcrumbs made from Pane di Monte Sant’Angelo.

Getting to Monte Sant’Angelo

There is no airport in tiny Monte Sant’Angelo. No train station, either. And, it’s on top of a mountain, so getting there isn’t easy. There’s very limited bus service, so the best way is to drive.

Bari is the closest airport, about 2 hours away. There are no direct flights from Bari to North America, but you can connect through Rome or Milan.

Another option is to drive from Rome (4.5 hours) or Naples (about 3 hours).

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including one to Monte Sant’Angelo and the region of Puglia. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.