In this episode of GoGreenfields, River and Terran take a tour of Spain via their palates. In this third podcast of a three-part series, your co-hosts prepare another delicious, ethnically inspired bread. They also showcase some of their Spanish speaking skills, learned as part of their unschooling experience.

River and Terran want to say a huge thank you to their Spanish Teacher, Profesora Sulo Abeid for helping with translations. You can find her on LinkedIn!

We strongly recommend that you give this recipe a try and be sure to tag us in your social media posts of the outcome!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gogreenfieldspodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gogreenfieldsshow/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoGreenfields

Pan de Barra bread is the third to be explored in a new GoGreenfield’s series called ‘Breads of the World’. After watching this episode on the delicious Spanish bread, be sure to check out the earlier episode on Challah Bread and Injera Bread.

Pan de Barra Bread

Starter Ingredients

3 3/4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) unbleached bread flour
1/12 teaspoon instant yeast (a large three-fingered pinch)
1/2 cup water, at room temperature

Dough Ingredients

16 ounces (about 3 1/3 cups) unbleached bread flour
1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) water, at room temperature

Directions

To make the starter, whisk all ingredients together. The mixture should have the consistency of thick pancake batter; add more water or flour as necessary to achieve the proper thickness. Cover loosely, and let stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or until bubbly. Cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 3 days. When ready to continue, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flours, salt, and yeast. Add the water and all of the starter. Using the dough hook, mix at low speed until all flour is moistened, and a rough dough forms.
Increase the speed to medium-low, and knead until smooth and supple, about 6 minutes longer. Add extra flour as needed to adjust the consistency; the dough should be slack, but should not be soupy.
Transfer the dough to a large, lightly-oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Uncover the dough and, using a nonstick spatula, fold the dough over itself in a tri-fold, as though you were folding a letter. Then, fold dough in half again, perpendicular to the first folds (like you’re folding the letter in half). Dough should end up being roughly a square. Cover again, and let rise an additional 2 hours.
Lightly oil a large baking sheet, or line with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, being careful to deflate it as little as possible. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough into three long pieces. With floured hands, shape each into a long baguette. Carefully transfer each to the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down. Cover loosely with lightly-oiled plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature until doubled in size, about 50 to 60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 500º F.
Using a sharp serrated knife, quickly and lightly slash the loaves 4 or 5 times each, on a diagonal. Spray or sprinkle the dough lightly with water, and transfer immediately to the oven. Bake at 500º F for 2 minutes, opening the door to spray the dough with water every 30 seconds. Reduce the temperature to 450º F, and bake for an additional 20 minutes or so, checking the bread after 15 minutes. The bread should be well-browned, and an instant-read thermometer should register around 205º F when inserted into the center. Remove to a wire rack to cool thoroughly before slicing.