The Italian Baker Selling 'Peace Bread' To Raise Funds For War Refugees

Ukrainian chefs have been helping the war effort by cooking for refugees and displaced civilians. Meanwhile, bakers across the world have put their rolling pins and mixers to good use to help Ukrainians, too. According to Eater, a baker in Germany founded Hamantashen For Ukraine, an organization donating profits from hamantashen sales to a Polish relief effort supporting those fleeing the crisis in Ukraine. That undertaking attracted more than 100 fellow bakers.

The drive to aid Ukrainians can also be found in Italy, where Matteo Cunsolo wants to make bread, not war. The Associated Press reports that Cunsolo, armed with a stencil and edible spray, puts the word "peace" on his creations at the La Panetteria bakery. He devotes the money earned from the loaves to helping refugees displaced throughout Europe. Cunsolo also baked more than 1,000 pounds of cookies and collected donations for diapers, medicine, and other essentials for children who have fled the war. The baker embarked on his mission to make a difference thanks to one specific moment.

As reported by the Associated Press, Cunsolo decided to start baking for Ukrainians after he watched a news clip of refugees receiving bread and warm beverages at the Polish border. The northern Italy-based baker immediately asked himself how he could help, and the decision to bake "peace bread" sprung to mind. He uses natural food coloring to make a double-sided loaf in the colors of Ukraine's flag, as well as a butter-based spray to write "peace" on each creation. Consuolo and his team have been rolling out more than 40 pounds of peace bread each day, which have yielded about $2,200 for his chosen aid effort. 

This peace bread comes from a reputable source. Cunsolo is the president of a bakers' association in Milan who has made headlines for his bread, such as a special loaf he devised for Milan Fashion Week made with the same butterfly pea flower he's using for the peace bread.