Pataqueta Valenciana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale accurate to 0.1g
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Clean linen or cotton cloth
• •Heavy baking tray or baking stone at least 35cm wide
• •Small sturdy metal pan for oven humidity
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Serrated bread knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the preferment

   The evening before baking, stir 100g flour, 100g water at about 20°C, and 0.5g yeast in a small bowl. Cover it and leave it at cool room temperature for 10 to 12 hours. It is ready when the surface is crowded with bubbles, slightly domed, and smells gently wheaty rather than sharply sour.

   In a kitchen warmer than 24°C, leave the preferment out for two hours and refrigerate it overnight. Bring it out 30 minutes before mixing the dough.
2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Reserve 10g of the remaining water. Put the other 200g in a large bowl with the remaining 4g yeast and all the preferment. Add the remaining 400g flour and mix until no dry patches remain. Cover and rest for 20 minutes. Dissolve the 10g salt in the reserved water, work it into the dough, and squeeze and fold until evenly absorbed.

3. 3

   Knead until elastic

   Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand, or 6 to 7 minutes with a mixer on low speed. The dough should become smooth, supple, and only faintly tacky. Stretch a small piece between your fingers; it should form a thin membrane before tearing. Don't bury a sticky dough under extra flour. Give it two minutes of rest and it will usually settle.

4. 4

   Give the first rise

   Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover it, and leave it for 60 to 75 minutes at about 22°C. After 30 minutes, lift and fold each side into the middle once. Let it rise until it has gained roughly two-thirds of its original volume and feels aerated. It needn't double.

5. 5

   Divide and rest

   Turn the dough onto a barely floured surface and divide it into six pieces of 137g each. Pésalo, no lo adivines, weigh it, don't guess. Draw the edges of each piece underneath to make a smooth ball without crushing the air from it. Cover the balls and let them relax for 15 minutes.

6. 6

   Shape the crescents

   Set each ball seam-side up and press it gently into a thick oval about 15cm long and 9cm wide, keeping the middle plump. Roll the oval lightly under your palms to neaten it, then draw the ends inward to form a broad half moon. Press a shallow furrow along the inner curve with the side of your hand so the crescent remains distinct as it rises. Do not pinch the tips or flatten the belly.

7. 7

   Proof by touch

   Arrange the rolls well apart on baking paper, dust them lightly with the extra flour, and cover with a cloth. Leave them for 40 to 55 minutes. Test one near the thickest part with a floured fingertip: the hollow should return slowly and leave a faint mark. This is the point that decides the crumb, so trust the dough rather than the minute hand.

8. 8

   Bake the rolls

   While the rolls rise, heat the oven to 245°C with a heavy baking tray or stone on the middle rack and a sturdy empty metal pan below it. Slide the pataquetas onto the hot surface. Carefully pour 150ml boiling water into the lower pan and close the door at once. Bake for 8 minutes, lower the heat to 220°C, briefly open the door to release excess humidity, and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. They are ready when the shells are crisp and pale gold beneath the flour, the bases sound hollow when tapped, and the centres reach about 96°C.

9. 9

   Cool before splitting

   Move the pataquetas to a wire rack and leave them for at least 30 minutes. Cutting too early compresses the tender crumb and makes it gummy. Once cool, use a serrated knife to open each roll along its outer curve, leaving the inner curve as a hinge for the filling.

Chef Tips

• •Harina panificable is a medium-strength white flour, usually gentler than a strong American bread flour. A reliable substitute is 350g unbleached all-purpose flour mixed with 150g bread flour. Using bread flour alone gives a chewier, tighter roll.
• •The traditional bocadillo is blanc i negre: fresh white longaniza and dark Valencian morcilla de cebolla cooked through on a plancha, then tucked into the split pataqueta. In season, tender broad beans or ajos tiernos, young green garlic, belong comfortably beside them.
• •Don't add sugar, milk, butter, or olive oil to soften the dough. Those make a pleasant enriched bun, but pataqueta is lean bread. Its flavor comes from fermented flour and a properly browned crust.
• •The fingertip test matters more than a fixed proofing time. A cold room may need another 15 minutes; a warm room may need less. Properly proofed dough feels light and returns slowly after you press it.
• •Pataquetas are best on the day they're baked. Keep them in a cloth or paper bag once cool, never sealed in plastic while the crust is crisp.

Advance Preparation

• •Mix the preferment 10 to 12 hours before making the final dough. This is the only overnight work, and it takes less than five minutes.
• •The baked rolls can be made up to six hours before serving. Let them cool completely, then keep them under a clean cloth at room temperature.
• •For longer storage, freeze the cooled pataquetas on the day they're baked for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature and refresh at 200°C for 5 to 6 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 120g)