Cuban Bread

My husband is a genius with pig. Anything pig--ribs, shoulder, you name it, he can make it delicious. He recently made barbecue (check out his blog, From the Forecastle to the Masthead, for more about this process) and after having a few friends over to enjoy barbecue sandwiches, we had some pulled pork left over--the best part. Since he is also obsessed with all things Cuban--probably resulting from a Hemingway fascination we share--we decided to make Cubanos. If you haven't tried them before, you must: long slices of bread with a thin, flaky crust, layered with mustard, pickles, ham, pulled pork, and swiss cheese, pressed until golden and crispy--they are truly amazing. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to try baking a new type of bread: Cuban Bread. But I couldn't find a recipe in any of my baking books so I turned to the Internet--what did we ever do in the kitchen without it? I guess I am straying a bit from the point of my blog, which was to work through the baking books already on my shelves, but whatever. Comment about this if you like, but try to bread first.


I found a recipe by Betsy Oppenneer, author of The Bread Bible (not to be confused with Beth Hensperger's Bread Bible, which is probably my favorite bread resource, though both are very good). I decided this was acceptable, since I've been wanting her books although I don't own them yet. Turns out that Cuban bread really isn't all that different from other loaf breads, like French or Italian, but that instead of preheating the oven before putting the loaves in to make a thicker, cruncy crust, Cuban bread goes in the oven before preheating so the loaf cooks differently, resulting in a thinner, flakier, crispier crust. This is one of the fastest breads to bake--I finished it in a few hours while doing laundry. It's also a fat-free bread, which means that it tastes good but goes stale quickly. She said it would be good only for a day, but we found that it was still sandwich-soft for three days, and after that, oh, what excellent bread pudding. But that's another post.


Here are the components of our Cubanos, from pork to bread.

Seriously, is anything more beautiful?

This is the loaf just before it went in the oven--gorgeous and pillowy.

Rustic. Homemade. Simple. Delicious.

Cuban Bread

You proof this one (like the Dark and Dangerous Cinnamon Buns) in the oven above a pan of boiling water. This helps the bread rise prior to the actual baking, and keeps it moist in the oven, important again since there is no fat.

1 scant tablespoon or 1 package active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, soften the yeast in the water. (Just so this in the bowl of the standing mixer if you're using one.)

Add the salt and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously with the paddle attachment (or a dough whisk or wooden spoon).

Gradually add more of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook (or turn the dough out onto a floured work surface). Knead, adding more flour, a little at a time as necessary, about 6 to 10 minutes (depending on method and vigor), or until you have a smooth, elastic dough and blisters begin to develop on the surface.

Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl (if you want to keep it fat-free, use cooking spray). Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead it into a ball. Put the dough on a well-greased baking sheet and flatten it slightly so that is about 3 inches high. Make 3 slits in the top of the loaf, about 1/4 inch deep and 2 inches apart.

Pour 1 cup of boiling water into a shallow pan and put the pan on the lower shelf of an unheated oven. put the dough on the shelf above, wait 10 minutes, then turn the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bead for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees.

Immediately remove from the baking sheet and cool on a rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.