Cuban Bread

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Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 9
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 326.2
  • Total Fat: 6.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 5.4 mg
  • Sodium: 776.6 mg
  • Total Carbs: 57.9 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 2.0 g
  • Protein: 7.6 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Cuban Bread calories by ingredient


Introduction

Traditional Cuban Bread, mini-loaves (Appx 6-9 inches) Traditional Cuban Bread, mini-loaves (Appx 6-9 inches)
Number of Servings: 9

Ingredients

    STARTER:
    3/4 tsp active dry yeast(1/3 envelope)
    1/3 cup warm water
    1/3 cup bread or all-purpose flour

    Dough
    4-1/2 tsp active dry yeast - (2 envelopes or 2 cakes of compressed yeast)
    1 Tbsp sugar
    1-1/2 cups warm water
    3 to 4 Tbsp lard or solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
    1/2 batch starter (see above recipe)
    1 Tbsp salt
    4 to 5 cups bread or all-purpose flour

Directions

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 3 tablespoons of water in a large mixing bowl. When the mixture is foamy (5 to 10 minutes), stir in the lard, the remaining water, and the 1/2 batch of starter.

Mix well with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Stir in salt and flour, 1 cup at a time. You want to get a dough that is stiff enough to knead. You can also mix and knead in a mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a food processor fitted with the double blade, as the processor dough hook will not handle this job easily.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. The dough should be pliable and not sticky.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles its' bulk, about 45 minutes. Punch down.

To form the loaves, divide the dough in 9- 10 pieces. Roll out each to form a 6-inch long tube, with rounded ends (sort of like a long meat loaf) Put 4 of the loaves on a baking sheet, about 6 inches apart. Cover with dampened cotton dish towels and let rise in warm, draft-free spot until double their bulk, about 1 hour. If you want to let it rise at a slower pace, you can do it in a cooler spot and even in the refrigerator, but give it 3 to 4 hours instead.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Lay a dampened piece of thick kitchen string or twine (about 1/8 " thick) all along the top length of the loaf. Bake until the breads are lightly browned on top and sound hollow when lightly tapped, about 20-25 minutes.

Let them cool slightly and remove the strings. They will leave a distinct little ridge on top. Transfer loaves onto a wire rack for cooling.

Serving Size: Makes 9-10 6 Inch Subs

Number of Servings: 9

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SAYERPLAYER.