In the 19th century, Tuscan peasants scrounged for every morsel, and malnutrition diseases like pellagra were rife. Tuscans did the best they could out of little. When salt prices spiked, bakers simply made their bread without salt, beginning a tradition that continues today. More

Bakeries and sweet spots open and close (sometimes both in a matter of months!), and in 2010 we've seen more than our fair share. A few were bad, some were delicious—and others were downright amazing. Today, we present you our top five new dessert spots of 2010. More

[Photo: Kathy YL Chan] At Il Cantuccio, the bakery's namesake Prato-style biscotti are softer than traditional biscotti. The ingredients are simple, and there's no butter involved. Flour, sugar, eggs, almonds, and pine nuts bake up into a chewy, tender... More