Gala bread

Give us this day . . .

Nancy Kalajian

noshing & sipping

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The sun rises in Arlington, and soon thereafter so does the bread at Gala Ristorante. In fact, the restaurant's house bread expands three times over in its slow birth into a delectable one-and-a-half-pound creation. Owner Tony Rocha, who's originally from the Azores, makes the bread daily, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending in mid-afternoon. Customers at his comfortable, sunny bistro (which specializes in Mediterranean cuisine) often ask for second baskets of the slightly spongy sliced bread to dip in olive oil. The bread's shape may change from day to day -- French loaf, Vienna-style, baguette, or round -- but it's always made from the same recipe of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, yeast, water, high-gluten flour, corn flour, and a starter. The bread is available to go daily at 5 p.m. for only $2, but if there's none left, don't fret. Stay for a fabulous dinner and top off the evening with a huge portion of warm Portuguese bread pudding ($5.95), a light mixture that adds golden raisins and diced pineapples to day-old pieces of that great rustic bread.

Gala Ristorante is located at 138 Mass Ave in Arlington. Call (781) 646-1404; fax (781) 646-3242; or visit www.thegala.com. For large quantities, call first.

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