Pan de Cristal (Glass Bread)
This Catalan bread, with a shatteringly crisp crust and lighter-than-air crumb, is the perfect base for pan con tomate and works equally well for sandwiches. Adding water in stages and slowly building the gluten through stretch-and-folds helps make the high-hydration dough manageable.
Servings: 4 (5 x 6-inch) loaves
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 2/3 cups water, divided (400ml)
- 3 1/3 cups bread flour (400g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup (60ml) of the water. Set aside.
- Knead the dough. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all of the flour and 1 1/4 cups (300ml) of the water. Mix with a spatula until no dry spots of flour remain. Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
- Add the yeast. Pour in the yeast mixture and the salt. Start the mixer on low, and, to avoid splashing, gradually increase the speed to medium-high. The dough may split, but it will soon come back together. Continue kneading on medium-high speed for 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes.
- Optionally, add the remaining water. If using, pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of water. If you’re not accustomed to baking high-hydration loaves, omit this last addition of water the first time you try this recipe.
- Finish kneading the dough. Start the mixer on low, and, to avoid splashing if you’ve added more water, gradually increase the speed to high. Continue kneading on high speed until the dough is smooth and shiny, gathers around the dough hook, and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl, 10 to 20 minutes. If the dough is not ready after 10 minutes, stop the mixer for 5 minutes before continuing, to give the mixer and the dough a rest. The dough should pass the windowpane test: grab a piece of the dough and stretch it. If the dough stretches thin enough that you can see light through it, the dough is sufficiently developed.
- Rest the dough. Transfer the dough into a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot in your kitchen for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough. Wet your hands and fold the dough. Starting on the side of the bowl opposite to you, scoop your fingers under the dough, stretch it up, then fold it towards you over the top of the bowl. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat. Repeat this twice more to complete a full rotation around the bowl. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rest 30 minutes longer. Repeat this process two more times, resting the dough for 30 minutes each time.
- Finish first rise. After the third set of stretch and folds, allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours longer. The dough should have at least doubled in bulk, have a slightly domed top, and have visible bubbles.
- Divide the dough. Set two pieces of parchment paper next to your work surface. Dust your work surface heavily with flour. Gently turn the dough out onto the counter, being careful not to deflate the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough generously with flour. Wet a bench knife, or other sharp knife with water. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, separating the dough after each cut so it doesn’t stick back together. Use the bench scraper and your hand to place two pieces of dough on each sheet of parchment paper, leaving space between the loaves.
- Proof. Allow the loaves to rest, uncovered, at room temperature, for 1 1/2 hours. An hour before baking, place a baking stone on a rack positioned in the bottom third of the oven and preheat it to 475°F (245°C).
- Bake. Use an upside-down baking sheet or a pizza peel, carefully slide one of the parchment pieces with two loaves onto the preheated baking stone. Bake the loaves for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the loaves to crisp and brown the undersides. Bake for a further 5 to 10 minutes, until deeply browned. Remove the loaves from the oven and leave them to cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining 2 loaves.
- Cool and serve. Leave the loaves to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. The crust should be thin and crisp and the crumb should be soft with large air pockets.
Notes
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
- Make Ahead and Reheating: Pan de cristal is best the same day it is baked, but can be kept, wrapped loosely or in a paper bag, at room temperature for up to three days. Because of its high-hydration, the crust softens quickly. To re-crisp the crust, warm it in a 400°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. The baked loaves can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost, still wrapped, on the counter for 2 to 3 hours. Then, crisp up the crust in the oven before serving.
- Sample Baking Schedule: With a lot of steps, it can be difficult to visualize the whole process for kneading, proofing, and baking the loaves. Here’s a sample schedule for baking pan de cristal, assuming you start at 9:00 in the morning:
- 9:00am: Start mixing the dough.
- Between 9:30am and 9:45am: Finish kneading the dough. The exact timing depends on several factors, but most importantly, the gluten content of the flour you use.
- 10:15am (or 30 minutes after finishing kneading): Perform the first set of stretch and folds.
- 10:45am: Perform the second set of stretch and folds.
- 11:15am: Perform the third, and final, set of stretch and folds.
- 12:45pm: Divide the dough.
- 1:15pm: Preheat the oven.
- 2:15pm: Bake the first two loaves.
- 2:45pm: Bake the final two loaves.
Nutrition
Calories: 377.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 75.8g | Protein: 12.7g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 879.4mg | Potassium: 109.9mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 2.1IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 19.3mg | Iron: 1mg
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