Pan de Cristal / Cristal Focaccia

• porții: 4 medium 5x7" breads
• timp activ: 40 minutes
• timp total: 6 hours

Ingrediente

500g water, room temperature

500g unbleached bread flour

2.5g instant yeast

10g table salt

15g olive oil, for the pan

Instrucțiuni

1. To make the dough: In a medium bowl, mix the water, flour, yeast, and salt until thoroughly combined and homogenous. The dough starts off very slack and wet.

2. Oil a baking dish (10" x 7" or 8-9" square) with the olive oil. Don’t worry about any pan you use being oven-safe; you won’t be baking the bread in it.

3. Pour the dough into the dish. Check the dough’s temperature by inserting a digital thermometer into the center. If it's less than 72°F, move the dish to a warmer spot, e.g., your oven with the light turned on.

4. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

5. Start with a bowl fold: Use your wet hands to grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, then press it down into the middle. Repeat this eight to 12 times.

6. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

7. Then do a 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, allowing it to fold over (or “coil”) on itself. Rotate the dish 90° (a quarter turn) and repeat. Continue performing this folding action until the dough feels like it won’t stretch and elongate easily, usually four to five times initially.

8. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

9. Repeat the coil fold. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

10. At this point, the dough should be easier to handle and feel tighter. Repeat the coil fold using only two or three folds this time. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

11. Repeat the coil fold one last time, using only one or two folds if the dough is relatively strong. Cover the dish and allow the dough to rest for about 80 minutes.

12. To divide the dough: As gently as possible, turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, maintaining the rectangle or square shape — be careful not to deflate the delicate dough. Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top of the dough, leaving no exposed sticky spots. Then, working as gently as possible, use a bench knife or other sharp knife to divide it into four pieces. Gently place two pieces on a piece of parchment, leaving space between them. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough, placing them on another piece of parchment.

13. Allow the loaves to rest at room temperature for 2 hours, uncovered. While the loaves are resting, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on a lower rack. (If you don't have a stone or steel, see "tips," below.) Allow the oven to preheat for 1 hour to ensure it’s thoroughly heated. The loaves are ready for the oven when there are a few large bubbles on the surface of each loaf and they feel light and airy.

14. To bake the bread: Carefully slide the two loaves (still resting on the parchment) into the oven directly onto the preheated stone or steel. If space is tight and the full sheet of parchment won’t fit on the stone or steel, cut the parchment between the two loaves and arrange them as best you can. Allow the other two loaves to continue to rest.

15. Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then transfer them from the stone or steel onto a rack in the upper third of the oven for an additional 13-15 minutes. (Leave the stone in place. Moving them to the rack allows the baking stone or steel to become hot again in preparation for the next two loaves.)

16. After a total of 27-30 minutes of baking, remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack.

17. Repeat the process with the two remaining loaves. Cool the bread fully before slicing.

Storage information: Wrap the bread loosely and store it at room temperature for up to several days; freeze for longer storage.

To make this dough into a bubbly focaccia:

1. Drizzle 1 generous tablespoon (about 20g) of olive oil in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan and spread to distribute. Instead of dividing the dough (step 12), use a slightly wet bowl scraper to gently ease the risen dough into the pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon (15g) of olive oil over the top of the dough, then use your hands to very gently encourage it towards the corners.

2. Cover the pan and let the dough rise for 2 hours, until it’s pillowy, with some large bubbles on the surface.

3. In the last hour of the proof, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or steel on the lower rack.

4. When ready to bake, drizzle the risen dough with a little more olive oil, then use wet or oiled fingers to make one pass of dimples all over the dough.

5. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until deeply brown and crisp.

6. Immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a wire rack and let cool before slicing.

Note

https://youtu.be/6sOEHrawhX0?

Pan de Cristal, otherwise known as Glass Bread, is a traditional loaf from the Catalan region of Spain. The high-hydration dough, which begins with a consistency so liquid it’s akin to pancake batter, stiffens up and becomes beautifully smooth and silky during fermentation. When shaped and baked, the result is a loaf with a shatteringly crispy crust and a beautiful, holey interior.

In warmer months (or when your indoor temperature is 70°F to 75°F), the water used should be 80°F to 85°F. In cooler months (when your indoor temperature is around 65°F), use 100°F to 105°F water. The desired dough temp at the end of mixing is 74°F to 76°F.

This bread stales (and its crust softens) quickly due to its high ratio of crust to crumb. Re-crisp the loaf before serving by heating it in a preheated 400°F oven, uncovered, for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Sample timeline:

12:00 Mix the dough

12:20 Bowl fold

12:40 Coil fold #1

13:00 Coil fold #2

13:20 Coil fold #3

13:40 Coil fold #4

15:00 Divide

17:00 Bake

Nutriție

• Dimensiune porție: 1/2 loaf (128g)
• Calorii: 240
• Grăsime totală: 3g
• Grăsime saturată: 0g
• Grăsime trans: 0g
• Colesterol: 0mg
• Sodiu: 490mg
• Carbohidrați totali: 45g
• Fibre dietetice: 2g
• Zaharuri totale: 0g
• Proteine: 8g