A prize for the traditional oven of L’Obrador dels 15
The Sant Jordi festival is a special occasion in Catalonia, in which love, culture and gastronomy are celebrated. In addition to books and roses, St. George’s bread is an essential element of this party. This year, in the seventh edition of the contest for the best Sant Jordi bread, the traditional oven of L’Obrador dels 15, located in Barcelona, in Horta-Guinardó, has been proclaimed as the winner (https://www.softcatala.org /summary-of-texts-in-catala/). This bakery, which has been in operation for five generations, has won recognition for its excellence in the quality and craftsmanship of its bread.
A competition with a high level of quality and craftsmanship
The Sant Jordi 2024 best bread competition has stood out for its high quality and craftsmanship. In this edition, 42 professional bakers and pastry chefs, as well as 23 students from baking schools in Catalonia, have participated in this event organized by the Ernest Verdaguer Social Work of the Panàtics platform, with the support of the Barcelona Bakers’ Guild. The other two finalists of this competition were Pau Carranza from Pastisseria Larrosa, from Flix, and Juli Álvarez from La Llibreria bakery, from Barcelona.
A competition with two juries and several aspects that can be evaluated
The contest for the best Sant Jordi bread 2024 has had two juries: one for professionals and another for schools. The aspects to be evaluated for this competition were the external appearance, the shape, the drawing of the bars that represent the flag, the taste, the quality of the ingredients and the texture of the bread. The professional jury has been formed by renowned bakers and pastry chefs, such as Arturo Blanco, Toni Vera, Josep Maria Rodríguez, Emili Feliu, Mercè Sampietro and Pere Fàbrega, with Georgina Crespo as president of the jury.
An award for the higher school of hospitality
In addition to the award for the best Sant Jordi bread, recognition has also been given to the higher school of hospitality, ESHOB. The winner of this award was Carol Cruz, who stood out for her skill in making bread according to Eduard Crespo’s original recipe, created in 1989 for the Barcelona Bakers Guild.
A party full of camaraderie and solidarity
The Sant Jordi 2024 best bread competition has been an occasion to bring together bakers, pastry chefs, participants and sponsors from all over Catalonia. In addition to the competition, the participants were presented with the traditional red rose and had the opportunity to taste St George’s bread. This event has been marked by an atmosphere of camaraderie and exchange of experiences between professionals in the sector. In addition, as part of its social responsibility, more than 230 Sant Jordi loaves have been delivered to the Campagna Hospital of the Church of Santa Anna in Barcelona.
