pan cubano

Anyone who has ever been to the South Florida-Miami area may be familiar with the classic Cuban Sandwich. These sandwiches, piled high with cold cuts and cheeses, can only be made authentically with the use of Cuban Bread. Whether you want to make a Cuban Sandwich or you just need a delicious loaf of bread to accompany your dinner, this recipe for Cuban Bread will hit the spot.

Cuban Bread Authentic Pan Cubano Recipe

Water

Yeast

Flour

Sugar

Instant Yeast

Salt

tbsp Lard

Cornmeal

To create the starter, combine the warm water and the yeast.

Set it aside for about 15 minutes and then check the bowl.

The mixture should be foamy and bubbly. If it’s not, your yeast is not fresh, so try again with fresh yeast.

If the yeast is alive, stir in the flour. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside overnight.

The next morning, the starter should be bubbly and slightly risen. Set it aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Use the remainder of the package of yeast and combine it in a clean bowl with the sugar.

Stir in the warm water and let it sit for about 15 minutes to check the yeast for freshness. When the time has passed, the yeast mixture should be bubbly and foamy.

Melt the lard and add it to the bowl, along with the salt and one cup of the flour.

Mix it well to form a sticky, wet dough.

Add the starter from last night along with another cup and a half of the flour.

Stir well. The dough should start to form a ball. You should have about a half cup of flour left for kneading.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in some of the remaining flour.

You should knead this dough for at least 20 minutes to get the texture right. If you don’t want to knead by hand, feel free to use a stand mixer with a dough hook.

When you are done kneading, the dough should be a ball that is smooth, shiny, and elastic.

Coat a large mixing bowl with cooking oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, turning it to coat.

Cover the dough ball with a clean dish towel and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for at least two hours or until it is doubled in size.

Grease a large baking sheet with a rim and sprinkle cornmeal all over it.

Punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.

Divide the dough in half.

Shape each half into a long rectangular loaf that is about a half-inch thick and twelve to eighteen inches long.

You can use a rolling pin if you like. Roll the dough from the long side to form a very skinny, rolled loaf.

Place the loaf on one of the prepared pans and repeat with the remaining piece of dough.

Cover the loaves with clean dish towels and allow them to rise for about 60 to 90 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a slit in the top of the loaves by running a sharp knife or razor blade lengthwise down the loaf of bread.

Lightly spray the loaves of bread with water.

Place the loaves in the oven and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, misting every 10 minutes with water.

Remove from the oven and allow the bread loaves to cool for about twenty minutes before slicing.

Cuban bread dries out very quickly. If you can’t eat it all within a day, freeze the bread, tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to a month.

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