Pan Gallego (Galician IGP Wheat Loaf)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Clear dough container of at least 2 litres
• •Flexible dough scraper
• •Proofing basket or 24cm bowl lined with linen
• •Baking stone or steel
• •Sturdy metal roasting tray for oven moisture
• •Bread lame or very sharp razor
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix and rest

   Mix the strong bread flour and Galician wheat flour in a large bowl. Add 365g of the water and work it through with your fingers until no dry flour remains. The dough will be rough, heavy, and sticky. Cover and leave it for 30 minutes so the flour can drink the water before the masa madre goes in.

2. 2

   Add the leaven

   Spread the active masa madre over the dough. Dissolve the salt in the remaining 25g water, pour it in, then pinch, fold, and squeeze the dough for about 5 minutes until the starter and salt water disappear into it. It should feel elastic but loose. Don't add more flour because it clings to your fingers; wet fingers are cheaper than a dry loaf.

   The starter is ready when it has at least doubled, smells clean and lightly acidic, and its top is still rounded. A collapsed starter gives a slow, heavy loaf.
3. 3

   Fold and ferment

   Transfer the dough to a clear, lightly dampened container and cover it. Keep it near 24-25°C. During the first 2 hours, give it one set of folds every 30 minutes, four sets in all. For each set, lift one side until it stretches, fold it across the middle, and repeat on all four sides. Then leave it undisturbed until it has risen by roughly half, looks rounded at the edges, and holds bubbles beneath its surface, usually 4 to 5 hours from the moment the starter was added. Don't wait for it to double.

   Fermentation follows temperature, not the clock. At 21°C it may need another hour or two; above 26°C it can move much faster.
4. 4

   Shape the bolo

   Use part of the measured dusting flour on the bench and ease the dough out without pressing it flat. Fold the outer edges gently toward the middle, turn it seam-side down, and use a dough scraper to draw it toward you until the surface becomes taut. Rest it for 15 minutes. Tighten it once more into a round bolo, keeping your touch light so the fermentation bubbles stay inside.

5. 5

   Proof the loaf

   Dust a linen-lined 24cm basket or bowl with the remaining flour. Set the loaf inside seam-side up and cover it. Proof at room temperature for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes. It is ready when it looks swollen and a floured fingertip pressed lightly into the dough leaves a hollow that returns slowly but does not vanish.

6. 6

   Heat the oven

   During the final 45 minutes of proofing, heat the oven to 250°C with a baking stone or steel on the middle rack and a sturdy empty metal tray on the lowest rack. The long preheat matters because the stone must carry enough heat to lift this wet dough before it spreads.

   Use a solid metal tray for the boiling water, never glass. Keep your face back and protect your hands when pouring into the hot tray.
7. 7

   Score and bake

   Turn the loaf onto baking paper set on a peel or flat tray. Cut one plain cross about 1cm deep across the top. Slide it onto the hot stone, pour the 200ml boiling water carefully into the lower metal tray, close the oven, and reduce the temperature to 240°C. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the water tray, lower the heat to 210°C, and bake for another 30 to 35 minutes. The loaf is done when the crust is deep chestnut brown, feels hard beneath your fingers, and the centre registers 96-98°C.

8. 8

   Cool it fully

   Move the bread to a wire rack and leave it untouched for at least 2 hours. The crumb is still setting while the loaf cools; cut it early and the open interior turns gummy under the knife. Once cool, the crust should be thick and crisp, with a moist cream-coloured crumb and large, uneven holes. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Chef Tips

• •For the Galician quarter, look for flour milled from Callobre or Caaveiro wheat and sometimes sold as fariña de trigo do país. These quantities put 150g local flour into 600g total flour, the proportion required by the protected formula.
• •If that flour isn't available, use 150g unbleached plain flour with the strong bread flour. Soft plain flour gives the right balance of tenderness and weakness, though it won't bring the same sweet aroma as Galician-grown wheat.
• •Keep the dough at about 24-25°C if you can. In a cold kitchen, put the covered container in the switched-off oven with the light on, but check the temperature so it doesn't climb past 26°C.
• •Bake the crust darker than may feel comfortable. A pale Pan Gallego has neither the hard shell nor the roasted wheat flavor that belongs to the loaf.
• •The IGP mark belongs to certified bread produced under its rules in Galicia. A home baker elsewhere can follow the protected proportions and method faithfully, but the finished loaf does not carry the certification.
• •Keep the cooled loaf in a linen or paper bag with its cut face against the board. Never refrigerate it. After two days, toast it or freeze thick slices and warm them directly from frozen.

Advance Preparation

• •Build the starter 8 to 10 hours before mixing: combine 20g mature starter with 60g water and 60g strong bread flour. Use 120g at its rounded, fully risen peak and keep the remaining 20g for the next bake.
• •For an overnight proof, shape the bolo, leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Score and bake it directly from cold, adding 3 to 5 minutes to the final baking time.
• •The fully cooled loaf freezes well. Cut it into thick slices, wrap them closely, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 75g)