Shepherd's bread: a little soft dome with flour on top

Hidden behind green umbrellas and tall bushes, Giuliano’s Delicatessen and Bakery in the city of Gardena is packed from corner to corner with Italian goods. By the right-hand side of the entrance is the bakery, illuminated by window light. There’s so much bread that not all of it fits on the shelves; sacks of fresh baguettes, sour dough and other breads hang from the walls.

The bread I decided to purchase was a relatively small loaf of shepherd’s bread, which from a distance at the bakery, a resemble beige bicycle helmet with a light layer of snow.

However, unlike the hard headgear, shepherd’s bread is incredibly soft. The outer shell, while bumpy and rough at parts, is surprisingly supple. The spongy white bread almost dissolves in your mouth. 

Crumbs are the least of your worry when savoring this simple loaf. Flour, on the other hand, brushes off quickly from the bread to your clothes, so have a plate or napkin handy.

Shepherd's bread pictured at the top left at Giuliano's Delicatessen

The baking process is extremely simple, says baker “Eddie from Giuliano’s.” All it takes is regular yeast, flower, water, and a little bit of salt baked slowly for fluffiness. It’s during the middle of baking that flour is thrown onto the rising loafs.

Shepherd’s bread is simple, yet savory. In fact, it might be too simple when it comes to making sandwiches. It’s simply too squashy to hold anything together. Much of the bread's charm is also lost after toasting it the oven.