What's That Smell?

Last week, Nanny, the Madore-ables and I got the chance to take a tour of Fantini Bread Bakery in Haverhill, Mass. From the time we parked our car in the parking lot to the time we left the bakery, we smelled nothing but freshly baking bread. Yum!


We learned quite a bit that day. Fantini has been around since 1902 and they operate/bake from 4:00 a.m until 11:00 p.m. That's a whole lot of bread!


We arrived a little bit early so we received quite a show before the actual tour actually began. Both the girls received a fresh piece of baked bread to munch on. Then, two 18-wheeler trucks carrying 50,000 pounds of flour each arrived. Fantini receives 100,000 pounds of flour 2 times a week. Can you imagine?




Here are a few pictures of our amazing tour!

We learned that this is the start of the bread making process.

Then the dough is portioned out. (Here, they were making sub rolls)

This machine can crank out 5,000 rolls in 1 hour!

Then the dough is proofed at 80 degrees for some time so the dough can rise, then it's baked.
(This particular oven below is the oldest oven that Fantini has. I believe our tour guide said it's about 60 years old!)

A peek inside the long oven

(I seriously wish you could smell how good this smelled)

While sub rolls are being made, in another part of the factory, bulkie rolls are being made.

(Blocks of butter and flour are made)

Again, the dough is portioned out and laid out on a conveyor belt. Then the signature "star" shape is pushed inside.

This is the actual machine that makes those "star" shapes on each bulkie roll.

Then they are baked of course just like every other roll and loaf of bread.

Whenever bread is finished baking, it goes on a very long conveyor belt ride allll over the factory. This cools the bread down naturally.

Eventually, the conveyor belt meets here in a circular conveyor belt where there is a cooling unit to speed up the cooling process...

...before the bread is bagged up to go to hundreds of stores in the Merrimack Valley area.

Fantini let us all go home with a bag of those freshly baked bulkie rolls.

It's funny. Sarah HATED wearing the hair net while we were visiting Fantini, but was all smiles to wear it at home!

Thank you to the FCC in Haverhill, Massachusetts for arranging such a fun field trip!