This was a last-minute addition to the dinner menu. We already had an uncut loaf of bread in the bread box, but I wanted to make some fresh bread for an acquaintance who is currently convalescing at home and the recipe made two loaves... It seemed a shame to cut the older loaf when we had one that was fresh and warm out of the oven right there! (Besides, I needed to taste test it and make sure it was suitable for gifting! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

This is a nice, simple, easy loaf to make. It rises quickly and doesn't need any special handling. I mixed a little sourdough discard into my batch, but it doesn't need it. It was just a nice way for me to keep the started happy and fed.

I adjusted the baking time and temperature a bit because I didn't trust the recipe, but I should have just gone with it. I think the original baking instructions would've been just fine! And my adjustments caused to to come out a little too dark on top. Oh well... It still tasted lovely. It just wasn't the nicest aesthetically.

Cuban Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• ~700g all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 c. hot water (~50°C)
• 125g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt and mix well.
2. Make a well in the centre and pour in the hot water.
3. Mix vigorously by hand for 150-200 strokes or 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.
4. Mix in the sourdough discard.
5. Cover and allow to rest for ~10 minutes.
6. Work in additional flour ~50g at a time until the dough achieves a good consistency. I needed ~150g for this and ended up working in another 50 or 60 more during kneading. You may find you need somewhat more or less than that.
7. Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10-20 minutes¹.
8. Shape into a smooth ball, cover, and let rise in a warm place (~30°C) for ~30 minutes².
9. Once the dough is fully risen (test with your finger), knock it back and divide into two equal portions.
10. Round each portion of dough, cover, and rest for 5 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, put a kettle on to boil, grease a baking sheet, and dust it with cornmeal.
12. Transfer the dough rounds to the prepared baking sheet and brush each one with water.
13. Sprinke with poppy seeds or sesame seeds (if using).
14. Slash a large, fairly deep X into the top of each loaf.
15. Pour 2-3cm of boiling water into a large roasting pan or similar vessel and place it on the bottom oven rack.
16. Put another oven rack directly above this and put the baking sheet with the bread on this second rack.
17. Now turn the oven on to 200°C (400°F) and set a timer for 30 minutes. The loaves will complete their second rise while the oven preheats.
18. Once the timer goes off, check on the loaves. If the crust looks nicely browned, remove the water pan and reduce oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 10-20 minutes. If the crust is still pale, leave everything as it is and check again in 10 minutes.
19. In either case, check the loaves for doneness after the first 40 minutes of baking. (They will likely need 50, but it could be more or less depending on hydration and proofing.
20. Once loaves sound done, turn off oven and allow loaves to rest in hot oven for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
21. Ideally you should let the bread cool before slicing, but it's great served fresh out of the oven with a bit of butter!

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¹ Kneading may also be done by machine with a dough hook. It shouldn't need more than 4-5 minutes worked this way. ^Back
2 The recipe called for a fast, warm rise. It actually specifies temperatures up to 37°C for as short as 15 minutes! I generally prefer longer, cooler rises. Normally I might let this bread rise for an hour or more at a cool room temperature (18°C), but I was pressed for time today, so I set the oven to "proof" and gave it a quick rise. Which worked great. It just didn't develop quite as much character as it might have with a longer rise. Luckily it got a bit of a boost from the sourdough discard anyway, so it still had a pretty nice flavour. ^Back