Bizcochos de Agua Yucatecos

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Two heavy half-sheet pans lined with parchment
• •Serrated bread knife for slicing the cooled bizcochos
• •Kitchen scale for portioning the dough
• •Wire cooling racks
• •Airtight tin or glass jar for storage

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   In a small bowl, combine the warm water with one tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast. Stir once and let it sit for ten minutes. It should foam and smell like fresh bread. If it does not foam, the yeast is dead and the water was too hot. Start over. There is no shortcut around this step.

   Warm water means warm to your wrist, not hot. Hot water kills the yeast. Yucatán is humid and warm and the yeast will work fast once it is alive. Respect that.
2. 2

   Build the dough

   In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the remaining sugar, the fine salt, and the crushed anise seed. Make a well in the center. Add the lard, the eggs, the milk, and the bubbling yeast mixture. Bring the flour into the center with your hand until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it onto an unfloured counter and knead for ten minutes, until it pulls smooth and tacky but no longer sticks to your palm. The dough should feel alive under your hand.

3. 3

   First rise

   Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a clean cotton towel. Let it rise at warm room temperature for one and a half to two hours, until doubled. In Merida the bowl sits on the counter and the heat does the work. In a cooler kitchen, set it near, not on, a warm oven.

4. 4

   Shape the bizcochos

   Punch the dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 24 equal pieces, about 35 grams each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten gently with your palm into a thick disc about three inches across. Place them on two parchment-lined sheet pans, spaced two inches apart. Brush the tops with the reserved soft lard. La manteca es el sabor.

   Half the batch will be plain, half will be salted. Decide now and arrange them on separate pans so you do not confuse yourself later when the toppings go on.
5. 5

   Second rise and finishing

   Cover the pans loosely with the towel and let the discs rise for 45 minutes, until visibly puffed but not doubled. Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Sprinkle one pan generously with granulated sugar. Sprinkle the other pan with flaky sea salt, lightly but evenly. Two bizcochos, one dough. This is the Yucatán way.

6. 6

   First bake

   Bake both pans for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the tops are pale gold and the bottoms are deeply browned. Pull them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack, at least 30 minutes. They will look done but they are only half done. A bizcocho is twice baked. That is the whole point.

7. 7

   Second bake

   Lower the oven to 250F (120C). Once the bizcochos are completely cool, slice each one in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Lay the halves cut side up on the sheet pans. Return them to the low oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cut surfaces are dry, golden, and crisp clear through to the center. Tap one. It should sound hollow and feel light in your hand. That is when they are ready.

8. 8

   Cool and store

   Cool the bizcochos completely on a wire rack before storing. They must be bone dry or they will go soft in the tin. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve with strong coffee or hot chocolate. The bizcocho goes into the cup. That is the contract. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Use real manteca de cerdo, the rendered pork lard you find at a carniceria or in the refrigerated section of a Mexican grocery. Not shortening, not butter, not oil. The lard is the flavor and the texture. A bizcocho made with butter is a different cookie entirely.
• •Weigh the flour if you can. Volume measurements vary too much for a yeasted dough and the difference between 480 grams and 540 grams of flour is the difference between a tender bizcocho and a dense one.
• •The second bake is the recipe. If you pull them out while the center is still soft, you have made a sweet roll, not a bizcocho. Tap one against the counter. It should sound hollow and feel weightless. That is when they are done.
• •Store the salted and sweet bizcochos in separate tins. The salt migrates and the sugared ones will end up tasting strange if you let them share space.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made the night before. After the first rise, punch it down, cover the bowl tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
• •Bizcochos keep for one full week in an airtight tin at room temperature. They actually improve on day two as the texture sets.
• •For longer storage, freeze the fully cooled bizcochos in a freezer bag for up to two months. Refresh in a 250F oven for ten minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 38g)