Scali bread

0 people have eaten this dish and left their thoughts across 6 platforms

Synthesised from Google · Yelp · Reddit · 3 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

Scali bread is a Boston institution—a braided Italian-American loaf dressed in sesame seeds that's been baked into the region's identity since the 1940s. Born from Fitchburg's Brockelman's Brothers grocery chain, it's become so woven into local bakery culture that you can find it sliced fresh on industrial cutters at shops throughout the area, most notably at Winter Hill Bakery in Somerville, where they've kept the traditional method alive for decades.

What makes this version distinct

Scali bread is an Italian-American style of bread made predominantly in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. It is a braided loaf that is covered in sesame seeds. The earliest known documented references to scali bread suggest that it was created by the Fitchburg-based Brockelman's Brothers grocery chain on or before 1941, and is now a regional specialty. Available at many bakeries in the Boston area, a scali can be purchased intact or quickly sliced on an industrial bread slicer. One bakery that has been making the traditional form for decades is the Winter Hill Bakery in Somerville.

Signature elements