cuban bread

How To Make cuban bread

• 1

  Sprinkle yeast into very warm water in a large bowl (very warm water should feel comfortably warm when dropped on wrist). Stir until yeast dissolves, then stir in sugar and salt.Beat in 2 cups of the flour until smooth. Beat in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.Turn out onto a lightly floured pastry board. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, using only as much flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.Place in a greased large bowl, turn to coat all over with shortening, cover with a clean cloth towel. Let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for 1 hour, or until double in size.Punch dough down, turn out onto pastry board, invert bowl over dough, allow to rest 10 minutes.Divide dough in half and knead each piece a few times. Roll out one piece to a 15 x 10 inch rectangle. Roll up tightly from the long side, jelly roll fashion, pinch long seam tightly to seal. Roll loaf gently back and forth to taper ends. Place loaf diagonally on a large cookie sheet which has been greased, then sprinkle with cornmeal.Pat out the second piece of dough to an 8 inch round and place on a second prepared cookie sheet.Let rise again in a warm place, away from drafts, for 45 minutes, or until double in size.Make slits 2 inches apart on top of long loaf with a very sharp knife or razor blade, make crisscross slits, 2 inches apart, on round loaf. Brush all with ice water.Place cookie sheets in cold oven.Turn oven to hot (400 F) . Bake 40 minutes, brushing several times with ice water, or until bread gives a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from cookie sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.
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