The Best Homemade Cuban Bread

Welcome Back!!!! Bake the most delicious cuban bread - this recipe makes 2 loaves!!

For the starter
1/2 tsp instant-dry yeast
1/4 cup cool water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the dough
1 cup cool water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tablespoon melted lard or crisco or butter
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
The starter from last night
31/2 -4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

Make starter the night before. Cover and leave on the kitchen counter to proof. The next day, mix the water, salt, sugar, melted shortening or lard, and yeast. (Yes, this recipe uses yeast in both the starter and in the mixer) Mix for a couple minutes. Then add 3 1/2 C Flour. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. If dough doesn’t pull away from the sides and still appears sticky, add a little more flour and continue mixing until the dough ball forms and the bowl is almost clean again. Remove and knead by hand. Divide dough ball into 2 equal portions. Roll into rectangle that is 12 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Roll this up lengthwise and put onto tray that has been lined with parchment or sprinkled with corn meal. I do a single loaf on each tray in case one needs to bake longer than the other. Sprinkle each loaf with a little flour and then cover with a damp towel to allow for a second rise. Put loaves in warm place for second rise 45-50 more minutes. After they have risen, remove towels and cut a slit lengthwise with a sharp knife or razor blade down each loaf. Spray with water or brush with water. The water makes the loaf crispy on the outside. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. I rotate the pans halfway through so I set the timer to ten minutes initially and rotate. After total of 20 minutes, the loaves should be slightly brown on the outside and when you tap on them, they will give a thud - this means the bread is ready - remove from oven and place each loaf on a rack to cool for 30 more minutes. The kitchen will smell so good! 😊 To store the bread (depending on how long you plan on keeping it) I found that it keeps very well in zip loc bags cut up. Slice and enjoy - with butter, for sandwiches, pressed sandwiches, garlic bread, etc. ENJOY