Pan De Horno (real Spanish Bread)

Total Time: 4 hrs 40 mins Preparation Time: 4 hrs 10 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of bread yeast
• 3 cups warm water
• 7 cups flour, unbleached
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 mix the yeast in the warm water let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes.
• 2 mix the salt with the flour and run through a fine mesh, allowing it to fall into a large bowl.
• 3 using your fingers, mix in the oil or butter.
• 4 slowly pour in the raised yeast while working the dough with your hands so as to produce a firm dough.
• 5 place the dough on a flat surface with some flour sprinkled on it.
• 6 knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic.
• 7 grease the bowl and place the dough in it. cover the bowl with a moist sheet and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume.
• 8 once again, remove the dough and knead it again over a floured tabletop, to remove air pockets and until the dough feels smooth. return the dough to a covered bowl and let it rest, 15 minutes should be sufficient.
• 9 cut the dough as desired to form bars, loafs or balls and place on greased pans.
• 10 cut slits in top of bread as desired.
• 11 let bread raise on pans 30 more minutes or until the tops of the bars begin to flatten.
• 12 place in a very hot oven (450 degrees f) for 30 o 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.
• 13 this recipe comes from a panadero.
• 14 it may not come out exactly right the first time, but with practices the results are incredible.