Panaderia de Pan!

We have a long-standing giggle when it comes to bakeries here - many are called a Panaderia de Pan (a bread bakery of bread). It seems a little redundant and unnecessary, and therefore slightly humorous.

Today was our first day off since the huge thunderstorm a week and a half ago (after some administrative catching up immediately following breakfast). We spent the afternoon in town with Sonia and Luana, and our first stop, before we picked Luana up from school, was a bakery owned by Sonia's sister, another Laura, and her husband. (I believe their house is the structure slightly behind and to the right of the bakery storefront.)

Inside was a small shop with the overwhelming smell of freshly baking bread. Sonia said the best bakeries have brick wood-fueled ovens, that are more common here in small towns than in cities in Montevideo. Out of these ovens come pastries, pizzas, and beautiful loaves of bread.

Just as I was about to ask, Sonia ushered us through the storefront to the back building that houses the ovens and prep space. The entire operation is operated solely by her brother in law. There is an industrial mixer and a roller in the back of this building, and the large wooden prep surface in the forefront of the photo. That and the huge brick oven (kept at 200 C, which is just shy of 400 degrees F) is all it takes to make awesome bread.

So awesome, in fact, that when Sonia discovered that the loaves were all warm, she grabbed one, tore it open, and passed it around. Her sister was amused by our excitement, and loved that we started taking pictures of each other eating "pan suave." Because of the humidity, bread dries out relatively fast here, so tearing into fresh, soft, hot bread is a treat. :)

Oh, and please admire the American look - khaki bermuda shorts and tennis shoes. This is what happens when you concentrate more on packing for field work, and less on packing for days in town. I'm sure we'll look even cooler when we take this wardrobe to the big city of Montevideo and try to fit in. :)