coke bread

If there is something that cannot be missing from our tables, that is bread. But if we can also make it at home, then we can guarantee that we will enjoy it twice as much. Not only because of the wonderful process involved, but also because of the difference in terms of flavour, texture and aroma. When it comes to making bread at home, we can find a wide range of possibilities, without adding all those that we ourselves want to create. On this occasion, we are going to see how to make the famous Pan de Coca at home.

This type of bread is very similar to pan de cristal. It is a slightly flat bread, with a very thin and crunchy crust, accompanied by a very light and airy crumb . Without a doubt, it is the perfect option to use as an accompaniment or to enjoy as a base for a coca. For example, using the same ingredients that we use to make Coca de Recapte .

Origin of coca

Coca bread is a variety of bread, from Catalan cuisine, which is characterized by being a bread with a thin, crispy crust and a light crumb. As I mentioned above.

Apparently, coca is made from the use of bread dough that has not been baked . Instead of throwing it away, people used to save it and bake it flat. The most common way to do this was to sugar it and serve it as a dessert. This custom makes the coca de pan the base for all cocas, whether with ingredients on top or cooked to accompany them later.

Making Coca Bread

This type of bread is a variety that can be classified as high hydration breads . This means that we will be working with a sticky dough that is difficult to handle. But only at the beginning, because once you get used to working with this type of dough, it will be very easy. In fact, they are addictive.

To prepare it, we can make the process a little easier by using the KitchenAid sifter and scale accessory . We already know that our time is precious and anything that makes our lives easier, well, we will welcome it with open arms! It helps us weigh it while we add it to our KitchenAid .

To make our coca bread we will follow a few simple steps.

• We will mix the flour with the water
• We will perform autolysis to hydrate the flour proteins and reduce the kneading time.
• We will knead until achieving perfect gluten development.
• We will carry out the bulk fermentation together with folding to strengthen the dough and create an internal structure.
• We will delay in cold
• We will divide and form the loaves
• We will let it rest
• We will bake

Perhaps reading them all may seem like too many steps, but quite the opposite. It is a very easy process to combine with other preparations and it is not at all tedious to carry out. The result is a wonderful bread, perfect to accompany any dish.

KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM125 food processor and KitchenAid sifter and scale accessory

Ingredients (for 2 loaves)

• 500 g of strong flour, W=300
• 400 g of very cold water
• 2.2 g dry baker's yeast
• 25 g olive oil
• 10 g of salt

Preparation

We prepare the coca bread dough

1. We reserve 10 g of water for later.
2. In a bowl, add the flour and water and mix until you obtain a homogeneous mixture. You can do this in the KitchenAid with the help of the KitchenAid sifter and scale accessory . Knead with the help of the hook or do the process by hand, if you prefer.
3. We will mix until there are no traces of flour left, it may take about 2 minutes.
4. We cover it with film and carry out autolysis for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
5. After this time, add the yeast, previously dissolved in the reserved water, and the salt. Mix again.
6. We transfer the dough to a clean work surface and begin to knead using the French kneading method.
7. We will alternate 3-4 minutes of kneading and 5 minutes of resting until we see that our dough acquires body, muscle and is smooth. We should see a smooth surface.
8. Once we have the dough at this stage, we add the oil. The best way to do this is to do it little by little, working the dough at the same time to help it integrate well.
9. It is very important that the dough has developed gluten well before the first fermentation.

We do the first fermentation

1. Grease a Tupperware with olive oil and place the dough inside.
2. We cover it and let it rest for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 24.4ºC (in my case) with a fold every 30 minutes . In total we will make 3 folds and, after making the last one, we store it in the cold until the next day. In my case it was 14 hours at 4ºC .

We form the coca breads

1. We take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. You will notice that the dough has quadrupled in volume, as well as having a surface full of bubbles.
2. We prepare a board/shovel, line it with baking paper and sprinkle with flour (rye is better, as it can withstand humidity better). We set aside.
3. We sprinkle a work surface very generously with flour and turn out the dough. If necessary, we will help the dough to slide and prevent it from tearing. It is very, very important to handle the dough correctly so as not to damage the structure and, consequently, the internal alveoli. We gently stretch the dough to form a rectangle.
4. Using a metal scraper, divide the dough into two equal pieces. Or approximately equal.
5. If you want it to have a more defined shape, you can cut the ends to give it a rectangular finish.
6. Using our hands, we will move the dough from the table to the board. We introduce our hands underneath, close it as if it were an accordion and place it on the board while stretching the dough.
7. Sprinkle the surface with flour, cover with a cotton cloth or film and let it rest for 45 minutes at room temperature .

We bake the coca bread

1. We preheat the oven 30 minutes before baking at 250º C with a steel or stone plate and a container/tray with volcanic stones that we will place inside as soon as we turn on the oven, in this way they will also take temperature.
2. If you don't have a steel plate, perforated De Buyer trays work very well. Just remember to preheat the oven with it in place.
3. Five minutes before putting the bread in the oven, we heat water (a little more than half a cup), we can do this in the microwave.
4. We put our coca breads in the oven in the lowest part . We slide the bread using the spatula/board onto the tray or steel plate.
5. Pour the water over the stones, close and bake for 5 minutes with steam.
6. After this time, we remove the tray with volcanic stones, close, reduce to 240ºC and bake for 10 minutes .
7. We lower the heat to 230ºC and bake for 5 more minutes with air.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a rack.
9. We enjoyed it with a good tomato, olive oil and salt flakes.

GRADES

• On this occasion we will use strong flour instead of baker's flour , as we do with ciabatta, since in addition to working with high hydration, we will subject the dough to a long fermentation process.
• Not all flours have the same absorption capacity . If you use a weaker flour, reduce the amount of water when mixing the ingredients for autolysis. You can always add more later when you are ready to knead. Remember one thing: "doughs are always rectified with water, never with flour."
• Do not skip the autolysis time , it helps the flour to hydrate and reduces the kneading time. Among other factors that are very beneficial for the dough.
• If you use fresh yeast instead of dry yeast, you must add 3 times this amount . That is, for every gram of dry yeast, you use 3 g of fresh yeast. In this case, it would be 6.6 g of fresh yeast.
• Kneading will be a bit laborious due to the high hydration . Don't add all the water at once or this step will be a real nightmare. It's easier to develop gluten in doughs with a more moderate hydration and then continue increasing the hydration.
• We will leave the dough in the cold to prolong this step and encourage the development of flavours and aromas.
• To prevent the crust from softening after baking, bake it in air for the last few minutes. Otherwise, the moisture inside will migrate to the surface and, after a few hours, you will have a tough bread.
• Ideally, bread should be consumed on the same day it is baked, since it does not have much shelf life.

Recipe prepared with: KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM125 food processor and KitchenAid Sifter and Scale Attachment

I definitely encourage you to make this Pan de Coca at home so that you can enjoy both the process and the result. When making it, the biggest "complication" you may encounter is the kneading process. But, following the steps I tell you and with patience, it will not be difficult.

You may be wondering if this bread can be kneaded in a mixer. Yes, it can, but the result will be infinitely better if we knead it by hand. Why? Because this type of dough, with high hydration, is not kneaded well in a home mixer and, therefore, the gluten does not develop correctly. This leaves us with a flatter bread and/or with an alveolar shape that is not what we are looking for.

So get those muscles ready to make one of the most wonderful breads you can imagine!