A good artisan bakery focuses on maintaining a traditional bread-making craft, paying close attention to the process, ingredients, and care that go into making each loaf. As the oldest of all artisan bakeries in Tampa, La Segunda Central Bakery is steeped in tradition. We continue to share our passion for authentic Cuban bread with customers across the country by upholding the hand-made bread baking process that began in 1915.

There are many variables of authentic Cuban bread baking that we must monitor as an artisan bakery, from the level of humidity in the air to the daily moods of the bakers. Regardless, we are committed to ensuring that our product is consistently delicious by following our specific bread making process:

• First, we combine flour that is specially blended for our artisan bakery with sugar, shortening, and other ingredients.

• The dough mixture is then hand-rolled into long strips.

• After the dough is cut into 36- or 18-inch pieces, each piece goes through a proofing, or “resting,” process in a rotating machine to ensure uniformity and consistency.

• Once proofing is complete, a palmetto leaf is placed by hand atop the shaped loaves. Baking the loaves with the leaf forms the signature split top.

• After a period of fan drying, the loaves are baked directly on the hearths of our artisan bakery bread ovens, which impart a distinct flavor to the chewy interior and help to create the crispy exterior of each loaf.

We are committed to ensuring that each and every loaf that leaves our artisan bakery has a consistent shape, flavor, and texture, qualities that have made us one of the most respected and well-known Cuban bakeries in Tampa, FL.

To learn more about our authentic Cuban bread and other specialties, contact La Segunda Central Bakery in Florida.