Pantera

Montevideo’s 1st bread club

Montevideo

Pantera is a new club in Montevideo specifically for us bread lovers. But they don’t just make bread. Owners and bakers Nacho and Adrian say they think of themselves more as a kitchen than a bakery, hence their by-line—“bread and other stuff”.

I couldn’t believe it when I first tried Pantera’s bagels. How could two 20 somethings from Uruguay, who’d never put a foot in the US let alone New York, produce something so authentic?

So let’s talk about the bread. Pantera make sourdough loaves, baguettes, Asian milk bread, brioche rolls, ciabatta, sesame and poppyseed bagels and sticky-finger focaccia (provolone cheese with thyme, and red onion and rosemary or cherry tomatoes).

They also make that Uruguayan home kitchen staple—the ‘pre-pizza’, pizza bases ready for you to pile on the toppings and whack in the oven for a few minutes. Theirs is sourdough.

“Other stuff” at the moment, although the guys say the sky’s the limit, include sriracha, chucrut, assorted jams and ghee.

How the club works

Pantera works on a novel membership model. Start by checking out their three plans on Instagram (under ‘planes’). Once you’ve chosen your plan, express your interest via WhatsApp or Instagram, pay for the month in advance and delicious goodies arrive to your door each week.

Your membership guarantees more stuff. Pantera has collaborations with artists friends completely unrelated to gastronomy and events up their sleeves. They’ll be inviting club members via direct message on WhatsApp and Instagram for more than bread.

What you should know

Free delivery all over metropolitan Montevideo (from Carrasco to Ciudad Vieja to el Prado).
Don’t use social media? Request the plans via WhatsApp or pop in to the bakehouse but don’t expect to be able to buy on the spot unless you’ve ordered 48 hours previous.
What milk bread is (I didn’t know either)

GURU RECIPE I’ve got to share with you how I can sort out supper for two for 4 days with just one focaccia. Cut the focaccia in 8 rectangles and slice open like a hamburger bun. Pop two rectangles in a hot oven. Pop the rest in the freezer. Bake till cheese has browned. Open up and put some greens (rocket or mizuna) in the middle and close up. Voilà. Dinner for two. Just have napkins. There’s some serious olive oil in those babies! [See it here. I get my organic greens in Palermo too—find out where]