Jim Coleman Recipes

True Spanish Bread

For this recipe you will need:

• 1½ tablespoons bread yeast
• 3 cups warm water
• 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

To prepare this recipe:

Mix the yeast in the warm water and let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Mix the salt with the flour and run through a fine mesh allowing it to fall into a large bowl. Using your fingers, mix in the oil. Slowly pour in the raised yeast while working the dough with your hands so as to produce a firm dough. Place the dough on a flat surface with some flour sprinkled on it. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a moist sheet and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume. Once again, remove the dough and knead it again over a floured tabletop, to remove air pockets until the dough feels smooth. Return the dough to a covered bowl and let it rest. 15 minutes should be sufficient.

Cut the dough as desired to form bars or loafs and place on greased pans. Cut slits in top of bread as desired. Let bread raise on pans 30 more minutes or until the tops of the bars begin to flatten.

Place in a very hot oven (450 degrees F) for 30 to 50 minutes, or until the tops of the bars become toasted and they sound hollow when knocked on the bottom. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool.

As with any bread recipe it may not come out exactly right the first time, but with practice the results are incredible. I've made a few mistakes, but now it comes out perfect and has that panderia flavor.