I admit that often I don’t have the foresight to make artisanal breads for every occasion. This week I’ve had to do some revisions for a quarterly submission and get ready for a course assignment that’s due next week. So when our former neighbor invited us to dinner last night and I offered to bring bread, I turned to an old reliable recipe.
I’ve been making Cuban Bread since I was an undergrad and bought the original New York Times Cookbook, by Craig Claiborne. He attributed this recipe to James Beard. Curiously, I couldn’t find this recipe in any of Beard’s cookbooks on my shelves, not even Beard on Bread. The beauty of this recipe is that it only requires one full rising. You put the loaves in a COLD oven with a pan of boiling water in the bottom. The preheating oven and the steam provide the second rise before it gets too hot for the yeast to survive. The result is a softer crumb than an artisanal bread, but with a chewy crust, a good compromise to make all of your friends happy.
Here’s my 21st century adaptation of Beard’s/Claiborne’s recipe for a stand mixer: Put 1 package of dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), about 1 tablespoon Kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar into the mixer fitted with the dough hook. (Because I’m a lazy bum and hate hand-washing extra utensils, I don’t bother with the flat beater.) Stir in 2 cups of lukewarm water, then add in 6-7 cups of flour. I normally use bread flour and up to 1/3 of whole wheat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you add flour. Knead the dough until it’s not sticky and has a smooth and bouncy texture under your hands. Knead the dough for only a minute if you’re using a large, powerful food processor. If you’re kneading by hand, it may take 5-10 minutes to get the right texture. Let the dough rise for about an hour in a greased bowl until it’s doubled in volume. (I usually dribble olive oil into the mixer bowl and roll the ball of dough around in it. Again, I’d rather not wash an extra bowl.) Once the dough is risen, shape into two balls or logs. I prefer balls. Set the dough balls on a baking sheet dusted liberally with cornmeal. (I usually line the pan with parchment paper.) Let the breads rise for 5 minutes while you put a metal pie pan on the bottom shelf of the oven and boil some water. Slash the tops of the loaves 2-3 times with a knife. Put the loaves on a shelf in the middle of the oven, pour the boiling water into the pie pan, shut the oven door and heat it to 400°F. Bake the loaves for 40-45 minutes until the loaves sound hollow when you thump them. Cool them completely before letting your friends slice and devour them. Each loaf is sufficient for 6-8 people to eat at one sitting.
Cuban Bread is a flexible recipe. I’ve added sourdough starter to it (see this post). You could probably make a simple rye bread with it, although I’ve never tried to do so. Since rye bread doughs tend to be sticky, I wouldn’t add more than 1 1/2 cups to the dough. This is an ideal bread to make for the novice or someone without lots of time to spare, which includes most of us at one time or another.
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