Han Solo may be a hunk. But “Pan Solo” is a hunk of bread.
That’s what a bakery in the Bay Area has dubbed its 6-foot bread sculpture of the “Star Wars” character as he appeared after being frozen in carbonite in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Hannalee Pervan and her mother, Catherine Pervan, co-owners of One House Bakery in Benicia, spent weeks molding, baking and assembling the life-sized sculpture using wood and two types of dough, including a type of yeastless dough with a higher sugar content that will last longer.
The two worked at night, after the day’s business was done. The lovingly crafted details show Han Solo’s anguished face and his hands straining to reach out.
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"It started about three months ago," Hannalee said. "Mom chose the image. She's obsessed with 'Star Wars,' too. So we picked the image and then we started planning the substructure, baking that and then just layering different layers of dough on top, letting them set with a heat gun and just really focusing on the face and the hands for the detail."
Pan Solo is the bakery’s entry in the annual Downtown Benicia Main Street Scarecrow Contest. The public will get to vote on their favorites from among more than two dozen creations entered by local businesses.
The Pervans, who are big science-fiction and fantasy fans, entered another “Star Wars”-themed creation in 2020 featuring the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda.
Unfortunately, Pan Solo won’t last forever. The dough eventually will be composted, not eaten.
So as a wise Jedi might warn: Don’t use the forks, Luke.
NBC Bay Area's Ginger Conejero Saab contributed to this report.
