Rexiper

Bread · spanish

Pan de cristal

Source: Pan de Cristal.

Hydration
100 %
Salt
2 %
Total flour
750 g

Ingredients

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AmountIngredientBaker's percentage
750gWater100 %
750gBread flour100 %
3.8gInstant yeast0.5 %
15gSalt2 %
23gOlive oilfor the dish3 %

Method

  1. Dough: in a medium bowl, mix the water, flour, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined and even. The dough starts off very slack and wet. That is OK: time and folds change it.
  2. Oil a 2 l rectangular baking dish (25 × 18 cm) with the olive oil. A 20 or 23 cm square pan also works. The dish does not need to be ovenproof, because you do not bake the bread in it.
  3. Pour the dough into the dish. Check the temperature in the centre of the dough with a digital thermometer. If it is below 22 °C, move the dish to a warmer spot, for example the oven with the light on.
  4. Cover the dish and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  5. Bowl fold: with wet hands, grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Repeat 8 to 12 times. Cover the dish and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  6. Coil fold: with wet hands, reach under the dough and stretch the middle upward until the dough releases from the dish. Roll it forward off your hands, so that it folds over (coils) on itself. Turn the dish a quarter turn and repeat. Continue until the dough does not stretch easily, usually 4 to 5 times this first time. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  7. Repeat the coil fold. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  8. The dough should now be easier to handle and feel tighter. Repeat the coil fold, with only 2 or 3 folds this time. Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
  9. Do the coil fold one last time, with only 1 or 2 folds if the dough is quite strong. Cover and let the dough rest for about 80 minutes.
  10. Divide: as gently as possible, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Keep the rectangle or square shape, and be careful not to deflate the delicate dough. Sprinkle plenty of flour on top, so that no sticky spots show. Gently divide the dough into 4 pieces with a bench knife or another sharp knife. Put 2 pieces on a sheet of baking paper, with space between them. Put the other 2 pieces on another sheet.
  11. Let the loaves rest at room temperature for 2 hours, uncovered. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 245 °C with a baking stone or steel on a lower rack. Preheat for 1 hour, so that the stone is thoroughly hot. The loaves are ready for the oven when they have a few large bubbles on the surface and feel light and airy.
  12. Bake: carefully slide 2 loaves, still on their baking paper, onto the hot stone or steel. If the full sheet does not fit, cut the paper between the loaves. Let the other 2 loaves continue to rest.
  13. Bake for 15 minutes. Then move the loaves from the stone directly onto a rack in the upper third of the oven, and bake for 13 to 15 minutes more. Leave the stone in place, so that it gets hot again for the next 2 loaves. After 27 to 30 minutes in total, take the loaves out and let them cool on a rack.
  14. Bake the other 2 loaves the same way. Let the bread cool fully before you slice it.

Notes

  • Wrap the bread loosely and keep it at room temperature for up to several days. Freeze it for longer storage.