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What a Round of 16 we had in the Bread Bracket. Upsets, photo finishes, back-and-forth battles... there was something for everyone. Italian bread finally stopped the Cinderella run of cinnamon swirl, but just barely. Two #1 seeds were sent packing — brioche knocked off ciabatta by a single vote, while baguette stunned sourdough. (I can’t believe that one. A truly kick-ass bread like sourdough losing decisively to the third best French bread in the field! Outrageous.)
The regionality of our voters is becoming a factor, too. Biscuits prevailed over bagels in a slugfest, but if we were in the Northeast it seems pretty likely bagels would still be dancing. Same with Cuban bread, which is a legitimate threat to win the whole thing. Nothing against Cuban bread, but it would struggle to get far if our voters weren’t Floridian, because you can’t get it most other places.
However, none of that explains the run that naan has been on, including a thrilling one-vote win over pretzel rolls in the Sweetbread 16. The #StaanForNaan movement is real, led by one Robert “Boberto” Steeg, who has it taking down the title in his own bracket.
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Now... will his naan dreams come true and become the king of all breads? That’s up to you. Time to vote for the Fermented Four. Voting goes through Wednesda night. Winners advance, losers end up stuck in the toaster!