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Pan sobao
Pan sobao: Puerto Rico's soft, slightly sweet kneaded loaf
Panaderías across Puerto Rico bake pan sobao before dawn, and it goes home in long paper bags for breakfast with butter and café con leche, or split for a sandwich de mezcla at a party. The name means "kneaded bread": shortening is worked well into the dough so the crumb is soft and close, the crust thin and the flavour gently sweet. Lard was the old fat; vegetable shortening keeps it vegetarian. The common mistake is adding too much flour because the dough feels tacky, which makes a dry, heavy loaf. Chef's tip: slash the risen loaf down its length and brush it with water before baking for the classic split top and thin, crackly crust.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups warm waterabout 38 °C
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 ¼ oz sugar
- 1 ⅓ lb strong white bread flourplus a little for dusting
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz vegetable shorteningsoft
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor the bowl
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Stir 1 ½ cups warm water, ¼ oz instant dried yeast and 1 ¼ oz sugar together in a large bowl and leave for 5 minutes until foamy.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 ⅓ lb strong white bread flour and 2 tsp salt and mix to a shaggy dough. Add 2 ⅛ oz vegetable shortening and knead for 10–12 minutes by hand (8 in a mixer) until the fat disappears and the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. It should pass the windowpane test: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through.
12 minStep 3: Put the dough in a bowl greased with 1 tsp vegetable oil, cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
60 minStep 4: Knock the dough back, divide it in two and shape each into a tight log about 35 cm long. Lay them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, well apart.
Step 5: Cover loosely and prove for 40 minutes, until puffy and a fingertip pressed into the side leaves a dent that springs back slowly. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
40 minStep 6: Cut a 1 cm deep slash down the length of each loaf and brush with water. Bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.
33 minStep 7: Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Wrapped, it keeps for 2 days and freezes well.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pan sobao take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
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