Pan De Casa Recipes

PAIN DE CAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Morning, First Day: Mix all the levain ingredients together and let it ferment for 8 to 10 hours, until the starter has domed but not collapsed. There will be extra starter left over once you remove 200 grams for the dough. Use this remaining starter as a base to refresh your leaven. (To refresh, mix 20 grams of the remaining starter, 75 grams water, 50 grams whole wheat flour, and 50 grams white flour; let it ferment 2 to 4 hours at room temperature and then place it back in the refrigerator.)
• Evening, First Day: Mix the dough. In a bowl, mix the starter and 400 grams water until the starter is dissolved, though lumps here and there are fine. Add the whole wheat and rye flours and stir until combined. Then add the white flour and mix for 1 to 2 minutes, until the flour dissolves and forms a shaggy mass.
• Make an indentation on top of the dough and add the salt and 25 grams water into this well, so that the salt can begin to dissolve. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Moisten your hands, then shake off the water. Stretch and fold the dough by pulling the dough out from the edges and folding in toward the middle. You want to stretch the dough out to strengthen the gluten but ideally don't rip the dough. You can also pinch the dough between your thumb and fingers to further incorporate the salt. Stretch and fold the dough in a circular pattern, pulling the dough out, then folding the edges toward the middle 10 to 12 times. Turn the dough over, so that the seams are facedown and the smooth side is on top. This entire process should take about 2 minutes. At this point you can add the remaining water, letting it sit on top of the dough until the next round. Cover and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
• Repeat the stretching and folding for another round. Pinch the dough with your thumb and fingers to help incorporate the additional water. By this time, you should feel some tension in the gluten, but be careful not to rip the dough. Once this process is complete, turn the dough over so the smooth side is on top. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
• Having completed two rounds of stretching and folding, the dough should be elastic. You may, however, add one more round of stretching and folding to further develop the gluten, after allowing it to rest for 30 minutes.
• Remove the dough and clean and lightly oil the bowl, or move the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover and let sit for another 30 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator or in a cool basement room ideally no warmer than 55 degrees F (13 degrees C). Let the dough rise for 8 to 12 hours, though it can rise for as long as 24 hours. However, the longer this first rise lasts, the more sour the flavor will be.
• Second Day: Place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom of the oven and a baking stone on a rack in the middle. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• After letting the dough rise in the cool environment, you should see fermentation bubbles, and the dough should have at least doubled in size. If it hasn't, let it warm at room temperature for another hour.
• Dust the counter lightly with flour and gently remove the dough with a dough scraper, letting the smooth top of the dough fall onto the counter. The sticky underside will now be face up. Cut the dough in half (You can make two loaves simultaneously if they fit into the oven. Or refrigerate the remaining half the dough, then remove it and shape it into a second loaf after the first loaf is out of the oven.)
• Preshape the dough. Stretch the four sides of the dough out and let them fall into the center. They can overlap. Then turn the dough over so that these seams are facedown. Dust with flour, cover with a light cloth or towel, and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
• Dust the counter with flour very lightly, then turn the dough over again so the seams are face up and the smooth side is on the counter. Stretch and then fold the edges in toward the center, so that you have an approximately round shape, which should take 6 to 8 folds. Apply light pressure in the center so the folds seal. Turn the dough over, so the smooth side is now face up, and, cupping your hands around the dough, use the outer edges of your palms and pinkies to stretch the skin of the dough and tuck it under the bottom, moving the dough in a circular motion so that you end up with a round shape. Try not to compress the loaf tightly, though the goal is to have a taut skin. (This last action takes time to master so don't worry if it doesn't come out perfect on your first attempt-there will be many more loaves to come.)
• Let the loaf sit while you prepare a colander lined with a floured towel. Then using the dough scraper to loosen the loaf from the counter, pick up the loaf and place the smooth side face down on the floured towel in the colander. The seams will be face up. Cover with a towel and let the loaf rise for about 90 minutes, or until the loaf springs back slowly when you lightly press it with your finger. If it snaps back into shape quickly and leaves no indentation, it is not done rising, so give it another 20 minutes and try again. This is a judgment call, but it is better to err on slightly underproofing the loaf rather than letting it rise until it collapses on itself.
• Dust a peel or cutting board with semolina and flour or just flour. Turn the loaf out on the peel or board, so that the smooth side, which was on the towel, is now face up. Using a razor blade or bread knife, score the loaf with one cut, or in an X pattern, or in a square pattern, about 1/4 inch deep. Angle the blade while you slash the loaf with swift, sure cuts. Don't dawdle, fuss, or repeat the action.
• Transfer the loaf to the hot stone and close the oven. Then open the oven and pour 1/2 cup water into the baking sheet and close the oven, trapping the steam. Turn the oven down to 460 degrees F (240 degrees C) and bake for 30 minutes. Open the door briefly to release the remaining steam. Then turn down the oven to 420 degrees F (215 degrees C) and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is dark brown. Turn the oven off and prop open the door slightly with a wooden spoon, leaving the loaf in the oven for another 5 to 7 minutes. Ideally, the loaf will have a hollow knock when you remove it from the oven, signaling that moisture has adequately dissipated in the loaf. Alternatively, stick an instant-read thermometer in the bottom of the loaf. The center of the loaf should read at least 205 degrees F (96 degrees C).
• Let the loaf cool on a bread rack for at least one hour before cutting into it. Since this loaf is made with sourdough, it will last a long time. For the first two days, I simply keep it wrapped in a towel or in a paper bag, the cut side facedown. If there's anything left after that point, I keep it at room temperature in a plastic bag.

PAN DE SAL I

Steps:

• Put the warm water in a small mixing bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 15 teaspoons of sugar and the oil and mix until smooth. Add the salt, 1 cup of flour and the yeast mixture; stir well. Add the remaining 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, supple and elastic; about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume; about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a cylinder and roll out until the 'log' is 1/2 inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut each 'log' into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the pieces, flat side down, onto two lightly greased baking sheets. Gently press each roll down to flatten.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

TEXAS PAN BREAD (PAN DE CAMPO)

Steps:

• This is from a recipe my grandmother use to make in Texas.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Stir together the dry ingredients.
• Blend in the butter using a pastry cutter (you can use your fingers) until the mixture is crumbly.
• Add milk slowly until a soft, not to sticky, ball of dough is formed.
• Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead gently for about 1 minute.
• Flatten the ball of dough and roll out into about a 1/2 inch thick round.
• Place some butter (about a tablespoon) in a cast iron skillet.
• Place iron skillet in oven just to melt the butter.
• Remove the iron skillet as soon as the butter melts and swirl the butter to coat the bottom of the pan.
• Carefully place the dough into the skillet.
• Bake about 6 minutes, then flip the bread and bake another 6 minutes.
• Variations: Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of bread after flipping. Spread a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top after flipping.

MOROCCAN PAN DE CASA

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in water in a large bowl.
• Using a dough hook, stir the flour, salt, anise seeds, and sesame seeds into the yeast mixture and knead until smooth.
• Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise, covered, for an hour and a half.
• Turn the dough out and knead again. Grease two cookie sheets. Divide the dough into 3 rounds and let rise, covered, for another half hour on cookie sheets.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If you want to make this the old-fashioned way, take uneven stones and heat them in the oven on cookie sheets.
• Bake the rounds in the oven for 30 minutes or until the rounds sound hollow when tapped. If using stones, brush them with oil first, then place the rounds on top.

PAN DE CASA

Steps:

• Place 3 1/2 cups flour in an large bowl,make an well in the middle. Mix the yeast slighly into the flour and slowly add the the water until the dough comes together. Adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour if the dough is too sticky, the desired conistency shoud be tacky.
• Place the dough on a floured countertop, add a little more flour and kned for 10 minutes. Use the palm of your hand to stretch it and turn it over.
• Spread the dough out slightly and add the salt. Dust with more flour and continue to knead for several minutes. Knead into a smooth ball and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, in a bowl greased with EVOO and covered with a kitchen towel. You'll know it's ready when the dough springs back when you touch it gently with your finger. The temperature of the dough is about 80°F and has doubled in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it in half. Press it down and roll up each piece. Turn them on their sides and roll them up again - this rolls the gas out of them.
• Place each dough in their own greased bowls and cover with kitchen towel for 30 minutes, until they have again doubled in size.
• To make the final rounds, fold the dough two times, shaping them into balls. Then place the balls seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Dust with flour. Let sit 30 minutes more, covered.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Sprinkle the rounds with more flour, and press a little air out the sides. Score the tops of the rounds with a sharp knife several times. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check after 20 minutes. Tap the bottoms and listen to hear if they sound hollow; if they do, their ready. Remove them and let cool to room temperature before slicing.

SOURDOUGH GLASS BREAD (PAN DE CRISTAL)

Steps:

• Autolyse
• Mix the flour and water together in a bowl, cover, and let sit for 1-2 hours.
• Mixing, Gluten Development, and Bulk Fermentation
• Add the sourdough starter, salt, and oil to the dough. Fold the dough over itself and press and stretch the dough to work in these ingredients. Pause if the dough starts to tear.
• Give the dough a few minutes of Rubaud mixing (video above) to strengthen and fully mix it. When the dough is smooth and uniform, cover and let it rest 30 minutes.
• Do four rounds of gluten development such as coil folding, with 30-minute rests in between. During the first round of folding, I transferred my dough to a straight-walled container to track the rise. Stretching and folding or coil folding work nicely on this dough. There is a video link after this recipe if you want to see gluten development techniques on an even wetter dough.
• Let the dough rise until it has expanded by 70-80%. For a warm dough (low 80s), this was about 5 hours after mixing in the sourdough starter. At cooler temps, this may take longer.
• If you'd like to retard the dough i.e. refrigerate it overnight before shaping, do this at about 60% dough expansion, and let the dough warm up again in the morning for about an hour before shaping.
• Shaping and Final Proof
• Prep a piece of parchment paper that is about the size of your baking stone or steel (an upside-down baking sheet can be used if you don't have a stone or steel, but beware of temp limits on non-stick sheets).
• Heavily flour your work surface and then gently scrape the dough out onto it.
• Use a bench knife to shove some of the flour under the oozing dough as you stretch the dough into a rectangle that's about 1 inch think. With your hands, lift and maneuver the dough to determine that none of it is stuck to your work surface. If it is, add more flour to your bench knife and work it underneath the dough.
• Heavily flour the top of your dough and then cut it into two long narrow strips.
• Sprinkle flour on the two cut surfaces and ensure they are not sticking to your work surface.
• With a bench knife and a dough scraper (spatula might work too), scoop up both ends of a dough and transfer it to the sheet of parchment paper. The dough will scrunch up but as you lay it down, you can stretch it out again like an accordion. Repeat with the other dough.
• Flour the tops of the doughs again and cover with a tea towel.
• Let proof for about 1 hour or longer if your dough is cool. My dough was in the low 80s.
• Baking
• Set up your oven with a baking stone or steel on the second-to-lowest shelf and a cast iron pan (for steam) on the highest possible shelf, likely the second from the top.
• Preheat this oven setup for about 45 minutes at 500F.
• When the final proof is complete, brush off any excess flour on the doughs, and slide the parchment paper onto a peel or baking sheet with open sides like this one or upside-down baking sheet.
• Boil 1 cup of water and set it near your oven.
• Load the doughs onto your baking stone. Wearing oven mitts to prevent steam burns, pour the boiling water into the cast iron pan and close the oven door.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 500F.
• Lower the oven temperature to 410F and bake for 20 minutes more.
• If you want a darker crust, feel free to bake longer.
• Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door, and leave the bread inside for another 10 minutes. This helps the crust get more crunchy.