Pan Blanco Cuencano Cuencas White Sandwich Rolls Recipes

SANDWICH ROLLS

Steps:

• Place yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer; whisk to mix. Add flour and salt.
• Knead with dough hook until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough ball and easily pulls away from the sides and the hook, about 5 minutes. (If still too sticky, add a bit more flour and knead a few more seconds.) Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a smooth ball. Place dough back in the mixing bowl. Drizzle the dough and sides of bowl a few drops of vegetable oil. Spread a film of oil over the surface of the dough.
• Cover the bowl and transfer to a warm, draft-free place until dough is doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a floured work surface. Form into a rectangle shape and cut into 6 equal pieces. Using your cupped hand and the work surface, roll each section of dough into a smooth round ball. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let rest 15 minutes.
• Flatten dough balls into 6- or 7-inch long ovals. Starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a cylinder, applying extra pressure to the ends to form pointy tips for a classic French roll shape. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets (do not crowd them) and cover with clean dry towels until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place a pan of water on the bottom rack.
• With a very sharp knife, score each roll about 1/4 inch deep along one side somewhere between the side and the top. Spritz loaves lightly with water from a spray bottle.
• Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes. Spritz loaves again and rotate pans for a more even bake. Bake until loaves are golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack; cool completely before cutting.

PAN BLANCO CUENCANO {CUENCA'S WHITE SANDWICH ROLLS}

Steps:

• Add the milk and anise seeds to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook for one minute. Cool the mixture to 110 degrees F and strain out the anise seeds. Add the yeast and stir. Set aside.
• Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt.
• Add the milk and yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixture and add the lard or butter. Add the flour mixture and stir with a dough whisk or large wooden spoon.
• With the dough hook, mix the dough on medium low for 10 minutes.
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto your counter and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball by cupping it in the palm of your hand and rolling it quickly over the surface of your counter. Cover the balls with oiled plastic wrap while working with the rest of the dough.
• Place the rolls on the baking sheets, and flatten the balls into 3-inch rounds. Let rise for one hour, loosely covered with oiled plastic wrap.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and set up a steam pan on the lowest rack of the oven and position the 2 other oven racks in the lower and upper third of the oven. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
• Brush the rolls with milk. Pour the boiling water into the steam pan, and slide the two pans of rolls into the oven onto the racks above the steam pan. Quickly close the oven door, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The rolls should be lightly golden. Cool the rolls on a wire rack before serving.

AUTHENTIC CUBAN ROLLS

Steps:

• MANUAL METHOD: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Gently fold the dough in upon itself and turn it upside-down after 30 minutes; this "turn" helps eliminate some of the excess carbon dioxide and redistributes the yeast's food, both imperative for optimum yeast growth.
• MIXER METHOD: Combine the ingredients as directed at left, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to the dough hook(s) and knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise, with a turn, as directed above.
• BREAD MACHINE METHOD: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Examine the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour as needed, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.
• Divide the dough into six pieces, and shape each piece into a rough log. Let the logs rest for 15 minutes, covered, then shape each piece into a smooth batard shape (a log about 8 inches long, slightly tapered at each end). Place the loaves on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
• Let the loaves rise, covered, for 1 hour. Brush or spray them with water, and slash one long lengthwise slit down the middle of each loaf. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the loaves are rising. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool it on a rack. The loaves may be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature, or several weeks in advance and frozen. Yield: 6 sandwich loaves.