Cuban bread?

There was a discussion recently in chat about Cuban bread. I'd never heard of this before - can anyone give me some clues on what this is, and how it should be made?

Many thanks, Celia

Celia, I spent most of my life in Florida where you can buy Cuban Bread in almost every grocery store, and could find the really good stuff in Cuban restaurants. I miss it so much! Seems you cannot find it outside of Florida (ok, maybe in Cuba. )

It's similar in shape to French bread, but softer and "squattier." There is a tradition of laying a palm frond down the length of the bread before baking to create an indent in the top. You will see older gentlemen at the counters of good Cuban restaurants dunking buttered, toasted slices into their cafe con leche in the morning.

I really, really miss Cuban sandwiches. You slice the bread the long way and cut it horizontally at about the six inch point--depending on how hungry you are. You put mayonnaise on one side, yellow mustard on the other, a slice of roast pork, a couple slices of salami and maybe a little ham, a slice of Swiss cheese, some dill pickles. Butter the outsides of the bread and grill it on both sides with a heavy weight on top (or use a panini press). The bread becomes the most incredible texture. Almost flakey. I think that is because lard is used in the dough.

Read more here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_bread

Here is more about the cuban sandwich, which is one of my favorite things to eat in Florida.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/CubanSandwich.htm

Carrie, Robert, thank you! It sounds very interesting - will have to give it a go. Ugh...but using lard is a little counter-intuitive for me. Does the bread have a similar texture to say a croissant or brioche? The recipe I've found at the Taste of Cuba site reminds me of a sweet butter dough I make.

Thanks, Celia

Carrie, Robert, thank you! It sounds very interesting - will have to give it a go. Ugh...but using lard is a little counter-intuitive for me. Does the bread have a similar texture to say a croissant or brioche? The recipe I've found at the Taste of Cuba site reminds me of a sweet butter dough I make.

Thanks, Celia

Hmmm. No, neither. I would say it's most like Italian bread, but in the shape of French. It's texture is chewy when not toasted, crispy on the outside and airy on the inside when toasted--there a some large air holes inside. Hope that helps. I just did a few searches for a recipe and it sounds like this recipe came the closest to what you'd find in Tampa (what they consider the Cuban bread capital). The guy who posted it tried about 10 different recipes. (Found on thefreshloaf.com)
Will you send me a loaf after you make it?? Kidding, it's no good after the first day.

Kitchen Warfare Cuban Bread (Tampa Style)
(This recipe requires a starter so to bake tomorrow you have to start today)

Starter (enough for two batches)
3/4 tsp yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Dissolve the yeast in the water in a NON-metallic bowl and let foam for a few minutes. Then add the flour and mix into a paste. Cover with plastic wrap and let mature for 24 hours.

Make the Dough
2 cups ice water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 oz lard
1 oz yeast
½ of the starter
1 1/2+ lb AP flour

You’ll also need a few feet of string soaking in water (chances are if you’re having to make your Cubano you’re no where near palmetto plants).

Directions

In a mixer bowl (w/ dough hook) combine the ice water, salt, sugar, lard, yeast and half the starter.

Add the flour and knead until very smooth. Add more flour as is necessary to pull the dough together and it no longer sticks to the bowl. Allow to rise in a warm place until doubled. This dough can take longer than what you may be used to, 60-90 minutes depending on your conditions.

Punch down and knead again for a few minutes until smooth. Personally I just toss it back and knead with the hook for a few minutes. Cover and allow to rise again until doubled. This rise is usually quicker than the first but just let it go until doubled.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces.

To form the loaves-
This is THE crucial step. Flatten the piece of dough with a few slaps of your hand (do not roll it out or press it). Fold it in half and flatten it again. Then roll it up fairly tight like a cinnamon roll. The length of each loaf depends on the size of your flat pan/oven but the key is that it should only be about an 1.25-1.5 inches in diameter. Again this is a key step. If you do not get this part right you’ll end up with a big poofy Miami style bread. Good, but not the same as Tampa’s style.

Once the loaves are formed immediately place a doubled length of string along the top of each loaf and ever so gently push it down into the dough. Very gently. This is another very crucial step. Skip this step and you’ll end up with a sort of poofed up Cuban hoagie roll that even a Miamian won’t eat ☺.

Once you have them on the pan with the string, let them rise a 3rd time for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 400.

Bake loaves about 20-30 minutes until golden brown and tapping on the loaves gives a hollow sound.

Remove the string and enjoy!

Notes-

The 3rd rise is really crucial. If you let the formed loaves puff up you won’t get the tighter Tampa style. They rise quite a bit while baking so just let them rise slightly once you form the loaves and add the string.

Oven temp is also crucial. If they cook too slow you won’t get the crisp flaky crust. If they cook too fast then the interior will be doughy (not done). 400 degrees for about 20 minutes works for me. If you’ve done everything else right and the crust is soft like a hoagie roll the oven is likely too cool.

Of course there are many variables in the flour and yeast used and humidity and temps where you live. You may have to adjust rise times esp if you see them puffing up bigger than you know Tampa bread should be. I expect it will take a few tries to get it the way you want it.

If when you taste it something seems ‘missing’ or different in the taste compared to the bread you’re used to its likely the lard. Some Tampa bakeries use it and some do not. This recipe uses a moderate amount. I’ve toyed with a little more and a little less. About 1 tablespoon more gives it a distinct flavor that’s a little more salty. I often prefer that if I know its going to be eaten alone. If I know its mostly going to be for Cuban sandwiches or served with a meal then I use the recipe as written. If you don't like the taste you can use shortening or even oil. At one time this would have been considered an act of heresy but not all bakeries do any more it seems. For me tho lard is a must. Old school don't ya know.

Carrie, thank you! I'll give this recipe a go and report back. Sigh...better go get some lard.

Carrie, thank you! I'll give this recipe a go and report back. Sigh...better go get some lard.

"C" I am not going to tell you that lard is good for you, because you are much too smart for that. However, I am going to tell you that there are some recipes that demand lard, and that lard will make almost every thing made or cooked in a skillet taste better.

I tried this today, and am really very pleased with the results. My neighbour across the road had some lard in her freezer, and I had some sourdough starter primed ready to go, so I substituted 1/2 cup of my starter for the starter in the recipe (hey, I'm impatient).

The recipe is very good (thanks Carrie!), although as I said, I have no idea what Cuban bread is supposed to taste like. The end result is very tasty, and when I squished it in the panini press, it's produced a very crispy crust over a soft textured crumb. I picked up some tips on dough handling by watching this video. The only problem was that the $#%@!! string stuck to the bread, so I had to carefully trim it off the finished loaves, hence the odd slashes on the bread. It shows you how crispy the crust is, though, because I was able to make really fine cuts in it. I think next time I'll either use my silicone rubber bands, or slash the bread. The loaves took about 25 minutes in my 200C (400F) fan forced oven, and I used 1/2 oz instant yeast instead of the 1oz of (I assumed) fresh yeast.

Here are some pics - Carrie, Robert, do they look right? I didn't really get a flaky textured dough, although it was very soft and holey, and the exterior nice and crispy. It has a really delicious flavour from the lard (sigh, you were right, Bob, as usual ).

cuban bread 012.jpg

cuban bread 006.jpg

cuban bread 015.jpg

cuban bread 017.jpg

A dilemma.

Where should I move? To the Northern Rockies.... or to Celia's house???

what purpose does the string serve?

It looks right to me, Celia! And that is exactly what the crust on a cuban sandwich looks like from the press. I think the lard is what produces the very crispy crust.

That looks exactly right! I am so completely, utterly impressed, Celia. Wow, I could go for a hunk toasted with a nice hot cafe con leche right now. Way to go!

You are in Australia (or is it New Zealand), right? I have never been there, but don't you have palm trees? If so, look for some "fronds" to use in place of the string. Then you'd be completely authentic.

A dilemma.

Where should I move? To the Northern Rockies.... or to Celia's house???

I vote for Celia's house! Or at least next door.

About ten years ago I found myself in Miami for about twelve hours between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. And, as a good restuarant critic should do, I debated on just what to do with those hours. My plan was to hire a car with driver, to visit about a dozen restaurants, to dine on (well, at least to sample) one dish at each of those restaurants. Went to all of the "fancy" places, went to a bunch of the tourist joints and went to several of the fast-food eateries. Among the best of my evening to early morning dining experineces was most assuredly a Cuban sandwich taken at a street-corner eatery. The only "dish" I actually ate completely. T'was lovely!!!!!!

Thanks for the feedback!

John, I think the string is to mimic the original palm frond used - which is apparently to put a groove in the top of the bread and give it shape.

Carrie, the recipe really did work well, if you're ever inclined to try it at home. The only thing to note is that it's quite a wet dough, so you need to either knead it in the Kitchenaid, or use a slightly different handling technique if you're kneading by hand.

Cheers, Celia

Thanks for the feedback!

John, I think the string is to mimic the original palm frond used - which is apparently to put a groove in the top of the bread and give it shape.

Carrie, the recipe really did work well, if you're ever inclined to try it at home. The only thing to note is that it's quite a wet dough, so you need to either knead it in the Kitchenaid, or use a slightly different handling technique if you're kneading by hand.

Cheers, Celia

I absolutely WILL try making it when I get back to CA where I have a good mixer. Thank you for testing the recipe for all of us. You are awesome!

You're very kind, Carrie, but it was you who found the recipe! The original link is here, with pictures.

Here are my notes, in case it's of use to anyone :

- I used bread flour instead of all purpose
- I used instant yeast instead of fresh (so halve the amounts specified)
- I used sourdough starter in place of the yeast starter - I put 1/2 cup in the final dough
- the string was a disaster - find an alternative!
- When I put the loaves in the oven, I sprayed the oven with water, to help create a crisp crust. I also rotated the tray after 15 minutes, then gave it an additional 10 mins (25 mins total baking time).

I mixed the dough by hand - here is what I did :

Put ice water, sugar, lard, yeast and starter into a large mixing bowl. Stir ingredients together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Pour this into the wet mix, and stir together with a spatula, then put your hand in and mix the dough together well, squelching it between your fingers to ensure everything is evenly combined. Let it rest in the mixing bowl for 10 minutes (this short resting time makes it easier to knead later).

Scrape the bowl out onto a lightly oiled bench. This is a very wet dough, and can’t be kneaded in the traditional English way (ie. pushing it with the heel of your hand and folding it over) – doing so will just smear it across the bench. I found it worked best to use the French method of lifting the dough up, slapping it down, and folding it on itself – a technique shown here (I use this for most of my bread making, as most of my doughs are very wet). Once the dough is smooth, oil the mixing bowl it came out of, and put the dough back in to rest, covered with cling film.

Allow to rise until doubled (mine took 60 mins). Knock the dough down and knead it again briefly, then allow to double in size again (this took about 40 mins). Divide the dough into 4, and proceed as per instructions.

Cheers, Celia

You are in Australia (or is it New Zealand), right? I have never been there, but don't you have palm trees? If so, look for some "fronds" to use in place of the string. Then you'd be completely authentic.

Australia. And I'm wondering if you could use a green leek "leaf" instead of the frond - that's what they looked like in the video?

Celia after seeing the video I think you should try the green leak "leaf". I did notice that it looked like they were pressing the edge of the palm leaf up into the dough which in the end made the bread look like it had been slashed. There has to be something around you that will work.