Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale accurate to 1g
• •Large sturdy mixing bowl
• •Heavy rolling pin
• •Baking stone or inverted heavy baking sheet
• •Sharp bread lame or thin serrated knife
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the masa previa

   The evening before baking, combine 160g candeal flour, 80g water, 1g instant yeast, and 3g salt. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes, until no dry flour remains and you have a very firm ball. Put it in a covered bowl and leave it for 12 to 16 hours at a cool room temperature of 18 to 20°C. It should smell gently fermented and show a little expansion, but it won't become light or billowy.

   If your kitchen is warmer than 21°C, leave the dough out for 1 hour, refrigerate it overnight, and bring it back to room temperature for 1 hour before mixing the final dough.
2. 2

   Mix the final dough

   Tear the masa previa into walnut-sized pieces. Add the remaining 640g flour, 288g water, 4g yeast, and 13g salt. Squeeze and fold everything together, then knead firmly for 6 to 8 minutes. The dough will feel much stiffer than an ordinary bread dough. That is correct. Don't soften it with extra water. Cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes.

3. 3

   Refine the dough

   Set the dough on a sturdy, unfloured worktop. Roll it into a rectangle about 1 to 1.5cm thick, fold it in thirds like a letter, and turn it a quarter turn. Roll and fold it this way 10 times, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes. This is the bregado, the repeated refining that gives Pan de Cruz its fine, close crumb. Use your weight and a heavy rolling pin. When finished, the dough should be smooth, satin-like, and free of cracks.

   If the dough springs back so hard that you can't roll it, cover it for 5 minutes and carry on. Don't scatter flour over the worktop; extra dry flour leaves pale seams inside the loaf.
4. 4

   Shape and proof

   Draw the edges underneath to make a taut round, pinch the seam closed, and set it seam-side down on baking parchment. Press it into a flattened round about 24cm wide and 5cm high. Cover with a clean cloth and proof at 22 to 24°C for 60 to 90 minutes. It should grow by roughly one-half, not double. A shallow fingertip mark should rise back slowly and remain faintly visible.

5. 5

   Cut the cross

   While the loaf proofs, heat the oven to 240°C with a baking stone or an inverted heavy baking sheet inside for at least 45 minutes. Just before baking, use a very sharp blade to make two straight, perpendicular cuts across the top, forming the cross that names the loaf. Cut 10 to 12mm deep and stop about 2cm from the outer edge. Make each cut decisively so the dense dough opens cleanly.

6. 6

   Bake and cool

   Slide the loaf and its parchment onto the hot surface. Lower the oven to 220°C and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce it to 200°C and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. The crust should be an even, deep honey-gold and feel firm; the centre should register 96 to 98°C. Transfer the loaf to a rack and leave it for at least 2 hours before cutting. Slice it early and that carefully made crumb compresses.

Chef Tips

• •Harina candeal is a finely milled white wheat flour made for low-hydration breads. If you can't find it, use plain or all-purpose flour with 10.5 to 11.5 percent protein. Strong bread flour makes the dough more stubborn and the crumb more elastic than it should be.
• •The water is only 46 percent of the flour weight. It will look insufficient beside a modern wet dough, but don't change it. Pésalo, no lo adivines. The low water and the repeated refining are the character of the loaf.
• •A domestic stand mixer can struggle with dough this stiff. Mix and knead it by hand unless your machine is specifically rated for low-hydration bread dough, then use the rolling pin for the bregado.
• •The IGP seal belongs to loaves produced within the registered Ciudad Real area under its specification. A cook elsewhere can follow the same ingredients and method faithfully, but the geographical certification stays with its place.
• •Keep the cooled loaf cut-side down beneath a clean cloth or in a paper bag for up to 4 days. Plastic softens the firm crust. Once dry, cut it into small cubes for migas rather than throwing away a crumb.
• •For a bocadillo, cut the bread into thin slices and fill it plainly with Manchego cheese, tortilla, or jamón. This is a substantial loaf; thick slices need no encouragement to become lunch.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the stiff masa previa 12 to 16 hours before mixing the final dough. It can be refrigerated overnight after its first hour if the kitchen is warm.
• •Bake the loaf a day ahead if you want especially neat sandwich slices. The crumb settles as it rests, while the firm crust protects the interior.
• •For migas, cut leftover bread into 1cm pieces after 2 or 3 days and let them dry uncovered for several hours. Sprinkle them lightly with salted water before cooking, tal como se hace allí.
• •The fully cooled loaf can be sliced and frozen for up to 2 months. Freeze the slices in small packets so you can thaw only what the table needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 50g)