Pan de Nopal de Acámbaro

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Blender for the nopal puree
• •Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• •Bench scraper
• •Parchment-lined charola or heavy baking sheet
• •Baking stone or heavy steel

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the pata

   The night before baking, mix the active masa madre, 120 grams bread flour, 70 grams water, and 10 grams piloncillo into a firm dough. Knead it for two minutes, cover it, and leave it at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, until domed, expanded, and lightly sour-sweet. This is the pata of Acámbaro, a masa madre held from batch to batch. It is not baking powder. No me vengas con atajos.

   If the pata smells harsh, alcoholic, or collapsed, feed it again before using it. Weak leaven gives weak bread.
2. 2

   Puree the nopal

   Trim the nopales well, removing every spine and tough edge. Chop them and blend until smooth, adding the 2 tablespoons water only if the blades refuse to move. Measure 180 grams of puree for the dough. It will look thick and slippery. That natural gel keeps the crumb tender, but too much makes the bread gummy. Weigh it. The señoras at the bakery table do not guess.

3. 3

   Mix the dough

   Tear the ripe pata into pieces and put it in a large bowl or stand mixer. Add the nopal puree, eggs, 90 grams milk, sugar, and 600 grams bread flour. Mix until no dry flour remains, then rest the dough for 20 minutes. Add the salt after the rest. The dough should already show a pale green color, not neon, not gray.

4. 4

   Work in the lard

   Knead until the dough begins to stretch, 5 to 7 minutes by machine or closer to 12 by hand. Add the soft manteca de cerdo in three additions, kneading each one in before adding the next. At first the dough will smear and look ruined. Keep working. It will come back together, satin-smooth and elastic. La manteca es el sabor.

   If the dough feels stiff after the lard is absorbed, add the reserved milk one teaspoon at a time. Do not drown it. Nopal dough should be tacky, not loose.
5. 5

   Let it rise

   Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise at warm room temperature for 3 to 4 hours. Fold it once after the first hour. Because this dough has nopal, sugar, eggs, and lard, it moves slowly. It may not double like lean white bread. Look for a 70 percent increase, small bubbles at the edges, and a dough that feels alive under your fingers.

6. 6

   Shape the loaves

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured table and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape each into a tight oval loaf, tucking the seam underneath with the side of your hand. Let the tops stay a little irregular. Machine-perfect bread does not belong on an Acámbaro tray. Set the loaves on a parchment-lined charola and dust the tops lightly with flour.

7. 7

   Proof until puffy

   Cover the loaves with a clean cotton cloth and proof for 2 to 3 hours, until puffy and slow to spring back when pressed gently. If your kitchen is cold, give them more time. The clock is not the boss here. The dough is.

8. 8

   Bake the bread

   Heat the oven to 400F with a baking stone or heavy sheet pan inside for at least 40 minutes. A horno de bóveda gives Acámbaro bread its dark edge; at home, strong heat and a preheated surface get you closest. Slash each loaf once down the center, slide the charola into the oven, and bake 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 350F and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until the edges are deep golden and the center reaches about 195F.

9. 9

   Brush and cool

   Brush the hot crust lightly with melted manteca de cerdo, especially along the edges. Let the loaves cool at least one hour before cutting. Nopal crumb needs time to set. Cut too early and it will drag against the knife. Serve with cafe de olla, or with cajeta from Celaya if the merienda is serious. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy tender nopal paddles that are bright green, thin, and not wrinkled. If the cut edge is dry or the paddle feels woody, leave it. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •The pata is the backbone. If you do not keep masa madre, ask a good panadería for a spoonful or build one a week before. Baking powder makes a quick bread. It does not make Pan de Nopal de Acámbaro.
• •Use clean manteca de cerdo, preferably freshly rendered or from a butcher who moves enough pork to keep it fresh. Rancid lard ruins the whole loaf. Vegetable shortening gives a flatter crust and a colder mouthfeel.
• •Nopal slows fermentation. Judge the dough by volume, bubbles, and touch, not by the timer. A rushed loaf will be dense through the center.
• •For the closest home version, bake on a preheated stone or heavy steel. A wood-fired horno de bóveda gives darker, more uneven edges, and that is part of the Acámbaro character.

Advance Preparation

• •Build the pata 8 to 12 hours before mixing the final dough.
• •The shaped loaves can be refrigerated overnight after 45 minutes of room-temperature proofing. The next day, let them finish proofing at room temperature while the oven heats.
• •The baked loaves keep well for 2 days wrapped in a clean cloth. After that, toast thick slices on a comal and eat them with cafe de olla.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 80g)