La Segunda Central Bakery ★ 4.8
La Segunda in Ybor City has baked Cuban bread daily since 1915, with 18,000-plus loaves a day and the palmetto frond baked into the top loaf for steam.
Worth the queue: Long Cuban bread with palmetto frond
History
Cuban bread arrived in Tampa with Cuban cigar workers in the 1880s and 1890s. La Segunda Central Bakery in Ybor City has baked it daily since 1915 using the same long-form recipe: high-hydration dough, a quick rise and a hot, steamy oven. The palmetto frond baked on top is a Florida-Cuba innovation: the frond was cheap, abundant, and the trapped steam gave the bread its signature crackly crust. La Segunda bakes 18,000+ loaves a day and supplies most Cuban-sandwich shops in Tampa.
Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 350ml warm water
- 10g instant yeast
- 20g granulated sugar
- 10g salt
- 30g lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 palmetto frond (or a length of damp cooking twine as substitute)
Method
- Mix water, yeast and sugar in a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes until foamy.
- Add flour, salt and lard. Mix until rough dough forms. Knead 10 minutes by hand or 6 minutes in a stand mixer with the dough hook until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and rise 1 hour in a warm spot until doubled in volume.
- Divide dough in half. Shape each into a long baton roughly 50cm long, tapering at both ends. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Cover and rest 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 230C with a pan of water at the bottom for steam.
- Press a palmetto frond (or damp twine) lengthways along the top of each loaf, pressing slightly into the dough. Score lightly between the frond and dough on both sides.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on a rack 30 minutes before slicing. Best eaten the day it is baked.
Tip from the editors. If you cannot find a palmetto frond, a length of damp cooking twine pressed along the top gives a similar steam-venting effect. Keep the oven steamy in the first 10 minutes for the signature crust.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat cuban bread (pan cubano)
Cuban bread (Pan Cubano) in Tampa
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery ★ 4.5
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery on North Florida Avenue bakes Cuban bread, breakfast Cuban toast and deviled crabs daily, with the family running it since 1955.
Worth the queue: Daily-baked Cuban bread
Alessi Bakery ★ 4.6
Alessi Bakery on West Cypress has run an Italian and Cuban bakery in Tampa since 1912, with famous hand-carved Cuban sandwiches, deviled crabs and cannolis.
Worth the queue: Hand-carved Cuban sandwich
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery ★ 4.5
Mauricio Faedo's Bakery on North Florida Avenue bakes Cuban bread, breakfast Cuban toast and deviled crabs daily, with the family running it since 1955.
Worth the queue: Daily-baked Cuban bread
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