Bakers in Reus are busy preparing the distinctive Sant Jordi bread, a special loaf designed to resemble the Catalan flag, ahead of Sant Jordi's Day. This unique bread has become an essential part of the annual celebration in Catalonia.
The Sant Jordi bread originated in the late 1980s, an initiative by the Barcelona Bakers' Guild to create a unique product for the festival. Baker Eduard Crespo, then a teacher at the guild's school, developed the recipe with the aim of it becoming a shared symbol across the baking sector, according to the Diari de Tarragona.
In Reus, Cal Sistaré is one of the bakeries producing this special bread. It has been available since the previous Saturday and will only be made for approximately two weeks around Sant Jordi's Day, explained Xavier Pàmies, one of the two bakers. His brother, Tomàs Pàmies, is the specialist responsible for its preparation.
Tomàs Pàmies noted that despite his experience, mastering the bread's preparation can be challenging because it is only made for a short period each year. "It takes a bit of getting the trick right the first time you make it again," he told the Diari de Tarragona.
Crafting the Distinctive Layers
The creation of Sant Jordi bread begins with three distinct doughs. One is a cheese dough, made following the original recipe with Emmental cheese. The second is a sobrassada dough, using Catalan sobrassada from Organyà, which provides the characteristic red colour thanks to paprika. The final dough, made with locally sourced walnuts, will encase the entire structure.
The individual composition of each dough means they ferment at different rates, presenting a significant challenge: ensuring all three reach their optimal point simultaneously.
Once the doughs are ready, the assembly process begins. The cheese dough forms the base, followed by the sobrassada dough. These are carefully shaped into elongated strips and layered one on top of the other, creating the five 'yellow' and four 'red' stripes that mimic the Catalan flag, known as the Senyera.
From Assembly to Baking
After the flag pattern is formed, the walnut dough comes into play. It is stretched and wrapped around the entire structure, acting as a protective outer layer. When baked, this layer develops a greyish or brownish colour, further enhancing the visual distinction of the flag's stripes.
Tomàs Pàmies then cuts the long 'arm' of dough into individual rounds, which will become the finished loaves. These rounds require a final day of fermentation before they are baked, completing the intricate process of creating the Sant Jordi bread for the annual celebration.
