Scott Miller
BBQ List

Cuban Bread

here's a recipe for cuban bread that i have used twice with good
success. since i'm in south FL, i generally leave the bread baking to
the experts and just go to a local bakery. the palm frond thing does
nothing more than give the bread a split top appearance and you can just
as easily do that with a razor.

i guess the best way to tell if you've made good cuban bread is to
compare it with a french baguette: the cuban bread will have a softer
crust and as you eat the bread you get lots of crumbs because the
interior should be very soft.
the french baguette has a harder crust that flakes more than the cuban
bread and the interior is more chewy in texture.

if baking isn't your thing, you might check with la segunda bakery in
tampa to see if they have done anything about developing a dough that
can be frozen and shipped:

La Segunda Central Bakery (813) 248-1531
2512 N 15th St, Tampa, FL 33605

http://icuban.com/food/pan_cubano.html has a good image showing how the
palm frond gives the split top effect to the loaf.

Pan Cubano

5 to 6 Cups Bread Flour 
(slightly more or less to bring dough to proper consistency) 
2 cups warm water 
4 packets dry yeast 
1 tablespoon sugar 
1 tablespoon salt 
4 tablespoons lard, room temperature 
2 tablespoons Wheat Gluten 
Olive oil, to brush on loaves before baking 
Palmetto leaves (See instructions) 

Grease a large bowl, and set aside. 
Dissolve yeast and sugar in about 1/4 cup of warm water. Let it stand
until it starts to foam. If it doesn't foam and bubble, you have some
bad yeast! Using the dough hook on an electric mixer, add the rest of
the water and the lard.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, wheat gluten and salt. Gradually add
the flour mixture, a little at a time, to your mixer -- mixing
constantly -- until you make a fairly stiff dough. (Adjust the amount of
flour as necessary.)
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pound the dough ball
down and knead, until smooth and elastic. There should be a little
elasticity in the dough.
Shape dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Flip it a few
times to grease all sides. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and place in
a warm place. Let rise until the dough doubles in size (about 20
minutes.) 
Grease another bowl. Remove the dough from the large bowl and punch it
down. Cut dough in half to form two balls. Place each ball in a separate
bowl. Cover each bowl with a moist cloth, place back in a warm spot, and
let rise until the dough once again doubles in size -- about 30 minutes.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Do NOT preheat
the oven.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Shape into long, Cuban
bread-style loaves. Use two palmetto leaves (white athletic shoestrings
work too) to create a double seam on the bread.
Place the loaves onto the baking sheet, leaf-side down. Place in a warm
spot and allow the loaves to rise for another 30 minutes. 
Flip the loaves over, remove the palmetto leaves or string and brush the
tops with a little olive oil. Place in middle shelf of the COLD oven.
Place a pan of boiling water on the bottom of the oven. Set the
temperature to 400F. Bake the breads until they are crusty and done --
about 45 minutes.
Makes two large loaves.

scott in FTL --> a 'sourdough' cuban bread recipe is also on this
website:
http://icuban.com/food/pan_cubano_sourdough.html 