Semita Conventual Poblana

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Bench scraper
• •Heavy baking sheet
• •Clean cotton cloth or servilleta
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the yeast

   Stir the yeast into the warm water with one teaspoon of the grated piloncillo. Let it stand 8 to 10 minutes, until foamy. If it does nothing, your yeast is dead. Throw it out and start again. Bread does not forgive dead yeast.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour or salvado, remaining piloncillo, salt, and crushed anise. Add the foamy yeast, warm milk, softened manteca de cerdo, and egg. Mix until a rough dough forms. The dough should feel tacky but not wet, with little flecks of bran and anise throughout.

3. 3

   Knead until smooth

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured table and knead 10 to 12 minutes. Push with the heel of your hand, fold, turn, repeat. The dough will stop tearing and begin to feel elastic. La manteca es el sabor, but it also tenderizes the crumb, so give the gluten enough work to hold the roll together.

4. 4

   First rise

   Set the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled. Do not rush it with excessive heat. Slow rising gives the wheat and anise time to develop a proper bakery smell.

5. 5

   Shape the semitas

   Punch down the dough and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a tight round, pulling the surface smooth and pinching the seam underneath. Flatten each round slightly with your palm. These are rolls, not tall brioche. Puebla's semita needs width and structure.

6. 6

   Press the sesame

   Brush the tops lightly with piloncillo syrup or honey thinned with a few drops of water. Pour the sesame seeds onto a plate and press each roll top-down into the seeds. Use your palm so the seeds embed into the dough. A few will fall off after baking. That is normal. A bare top is laziness.

7. 7

   Second rise

   Arrange the rolls on a parchment-lined baking sheet with space between them. Cover and let rise 35 to 45 minutes, until puffed but still firm when touched. If they overproof, they collapse in the oven and you lose the sturdy crumb that makes this bread useful.

8. 8

   Bake the rolls

   Heat the oven to 375F. Bake the semitas for 22 to 25 minutes, until the sesame is golden, the crust is deep brown, and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Pale bread tastes unfinished. The piloncillo should darken the crust just enough to smell warm and nutty.

9. 9

   Cool before cutting

   Move the semitas to a rack and let them cool at least 30 minutes before cutting. Hot bread tears because the crumb has not set. Serve whole with cafe de olla or split for a proper Puebla filling later: quesillo, aguacate, papalo, and chile chipotle adobado. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Use manteca de cerdo, not vegetable shortening. Shortening gives bland softness. Lard gives flavor, tenderness, and the old bakery character this bread needs.
• •Papalo belongs to the later cemita compuesta, not inside this bread dough. Do not confuse the roll with the sandwich. The semita is the foundation.
• •If you can find salvado de trigo at a Mexican market or bakery supplier, use it. Whole wheat flour works, but salvado brings the bread closer to pan de acemite.
• •Sesame should smell fresh and nutty. Rancid sesame ruins the whole batch. Ask the women at the market where the turnover is fast.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can rise overnight in the refrigerator after kneading. Bring it to room temperature for 45 minutes before shaping.
• •Baked semitas keep well for 2 days wrapped in a clean cloth, then in a paper bag. Rewarm briefly on a comal or in a low oven.
• •Freeze baked semitas for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh in a 325F oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)