I’ve been trying for 2 weeks to make the perfect Cuban bread, just like I remember eating back in South Florida. I stumbled upon several recipes and finally decided to try the one posted on the website below.
http://www.tasteofcuba.com/pancubano.html
I follow the directions – I did end up using 4 1/2 cups of bread flour (I only used bread flour even for the starter). The only thing I did different is that I divided the dough into 2 instead of 4 and did not use a string down the middle instead I used a knife to make the slit down the middle. All I know is that it came out perfect and yes you need the lard, I know it’s bad for you but this makes the bread authentic. Yummy…. Now I can make Cuban press sandwiches with the pickles. 🙂
Here are some pictures of the process.
Starter – below
Yeast with water and sugar
yeast, water and sugar after 10 mins.
same as above but with lard and ready to add flour
dough before first rising
dough after 45 minutes
dough rolled out into 2 loaves with the slits cuts
loaves after 1hour rising
After being baked for 30 minutes
Art by Isabel 