Telera Cordobesa

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale accurate to 1g
• •Heavy rolling pin
• •Bench scraper
• •Sharp knife or bread lame
• •Heavy baking sheet or baking stone
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pie de masa

   Mix 100g flour, 55g water, and 1g yeast until no dry flour remains. This pie de masa, the small fermented dough that begins the loaf, will be quite firm. Knead it for 3 to 4 minutes, cover it tightly, and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 12 hours, or up to 18 hours.

   The pie de masa may look scarcely risen after chilling. That is fine. It should smell clean and wheaty, with a faint fermented sweetness, not sharp or alcoholic.
2. 2

   Mix the final dough

   Take the pie de masa from the refrigerator 30 minutes before mixing. Tear it into small pieces. Stir the remaining 3g yeast into the remaining 180g water, then add the pieces of fermented dough, the remaining 400g flour, and the salt. Squeeze and knead until the mixture gathers into a very stiff, rough ball. Cover it and rest for 20 minutes so the flour can take up the water.

3. 3

   Knead until joined

   Knead the rested dough firmly for 8 to 10 minutes. It will resist more than ordinary bread dough, and that is correct. Push with the heel of your palm, fold, and turn until the pieces of pie de masa disappear and the surface begins to smooth. Do not add water to make the work easier; a soft dough cannot give telera its close candeal crumb.

4. 4

   Refine the dough

   Flatten the dough with a heavy rolling pin, then roll it into a rectangle about 1cm thick. Fold it in thirds like a letter, turn it a quarter turn, and roll it out again. Repeat 8 to 10 times over 12 to 15 minutes. This is the refinado: it presses out coarse air pockets and makes the crumb fine and even. Finish when the dough feels smooth, satiny, and free of cracks.

   If the dough snaps back too hard to roll, cover it and wait 5 minutes. Rest relaxes the gluten without changing the water balance.
5. 5

   Shape the telera

   Round the refined dough tightly and leave it covered for 15 minutes. Press it into a broad oval about 24cm long, 18cm wide, and 4 to 5cm thick. Tuck the edges underneath so the top remains taut and smooth, then place it seam-side down on baking parchment.

6. 6

   Proof until puffed

   Cover the loaf loosely and proof at about 22°C for 75 to 100 minutes. It should grow by roughly half and feel lighter, but it must not double. Press a floured fingertip gently into one edge; the mark should return slowly and remain faintly visible. If the loaf becomes soft and swollen, the finished crumb will be too open.

7. 7

   Cut the montera

   While the loaf proofs, heat the oven to 230°C, conventional heat, with a heavy baking sheet or stone on the middle rack for at least 35 minutes. Just before baking, use a very sharp knife or bread lame to make two bold, parallel diagonal cuts across the top, each about 12cm long and 2cm deep. The cuts should divide the oval visually into three rounded sections and open clearly in the oven.

8. 8

   Bake until golden

   Slide the loaf and parchment onto the heated sheet or stone. Bake at 230°C for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 210°C and bake for another 22 to 27 minutes. The telera is ready when its crust is an even deep gold, the base sounds hollow when tapped, and the centre reaches 96 to 98°C.

9. 9

   Cool before cutting

   Move the loaf to a wire rack and leave it untouched for at least 2 hours. The close crumb continues setting as it cools; cut it early and the knife compresses it into a damp line. Once cold, slice through the montera sections with a serrated knife.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for harina de trigo candeal or harina para pan candeal. It should be white wheat flour, not coarse yellow semolina. If it is unavailable, use white bread flour with 11 to 12 percent protein; the crumb will be slightly springier and less white.
• •This dough contains only 47 percent water. It is meant to be stiff. Use a scale for the flour, water, salt, and yeast, because even another 15g of water changes the crumb noticeably.
• •Do not chase the large holes prized in wetter loaves. Telera needs a fine, compact interior so it slices cleanly, holds fillings, and thickens salmorejo without turning pasty.
• •Make the cuts deep and decisive. Shallow decorative scoring disappears as the crust sets and will not produce the rounded montera shape that identifies the Córdoba loaf.
• •Keep the cooled loaf cut-side down beneath a clean cloth or in a paper bag for 3 to 4 days. Plastic softens the crust, and the refrigerator makes bread stale faster. Freeze sliced bread if you need longer storage.
• •Once firm, this is the bread Córdoba wants for salmorejo cordobés. It also makes good migas, breadcrumbs, and thick toast rubbed with tomato and dressed with olive oil.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the pie de masa the evening before and refrigerate it for 12 to 18 hours. This gives the loaf better wheat flavour without making the final schedule difficult.
• •The fully baked telera keeps well for several days. Bake it one day before serving if you want firm bread for salmorejo cordobés.
• •For later use, cool the loaf completely, slice it, and freeze the slices in a tightly closed bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or toast them directly from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 64g)