Cuban bread aka Pan Cubano is a simple white bread that is a staple in Cuban-American cuisine. Traditionally it is about 3-feet long, slightly flat and wide. It is the bread of choice to make authentic Cuban sandwich. I can easily find pan Cubano in grocery stores. But the drawback for me is that it has lard aka pig fat added in it. Apparently it adds a slight meaty taste that is characteristic to this bread. So, instead of buying I bake it right at home. I used King Arthur flour Cuban bread recipe. But adapted it to make it vegetarian. I substitute the lard with butter and add whole wheat flour for some extra fiber. Also instead of making into one long baguette, I make them into smaller rolls. These Cuban rolls are perfect to make Cuban Tostada, hoagie sandwiches or these cheese pizza stuffed sandwiches.
Ingredients
This easy Cuban bread recipe needs basic pantry ingredients.
All purpose flour - I use 50:50 ratio of regular white flour with white whole wheat flour. Instant yeast Sugar SaltButter - I use unsalted butter but salted would work too. Use vegetable shortening to make the rolls vegan.
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the bread in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer. Mix and knead until a smooth, supple dough forms; about 8~10 minutes by hand or 6~8 minutes on the stand mixer. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise for 1 hour or until the dough is puffy but not necessarily doubled in volume. Gently fold the dough upon itself and turn it upside down after 30 minutes; this turn helps in eliminating some of the carbon dioxide and redistributing the yeasts’s food, both important for optimum yeast growth. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and shape each one into a log. Cover and let the logs rest for 15 minutes. Then shape each piece into a 8" long log that is tapered on both sides (this shape has a fancy name, batard – say that with a French accent 🙂 Place the loaves on a parchment lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush or spray the loaves with water and using a sharp knife slash a long slit lengthwise down the middle of each loaf. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove onto a cooling rack.
Tips
Use 4 cups of all purpose flour if you don’t want to add wheat flour.Use vegetable shortening instead of butter, to make this recipe vegan.Leftover rolls can be stored well wrapped at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, freeze them wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
More bread recipes to try
Spinach Sandwich rollsVegan seeded challah breadCinnamon sugar pull apart breadWhole wheat sweet rolls with mango fillingLong sandwich rollsZwieback bread100% Whole wheat bread
