Pan de Cristal
Pan de Cristal
David Snyder
September, 2023
Pan de Cristal is a bread that has intrigued me for some time. It is a white bread similar to an Italian ciabatta but of even higher hydration. I was a bit spooked by the anticipated challenge of handling such a wet dough until I viewed the instructional video made by Martin Philip, the fellow who took Jeffrey Hamelman’s place as head baker at King Arthur Bakers.
Here is a link to Martin’s video: Pan de Cristal demonstration video
And here’s a link to the recipe on Kingarthurbakers’ web site: Pan de Cristal Recipe
Pan de Cristal is based on a traditional Catalonian bread. The currently popular version derives from a recipe developed around 2010 by Jordi Nomen of Concept Pa Bakery in Barcelona. The original recipe may have included some sugar and some olive oil, but Martin’s version uses neither.
Versions of Pan de Cristal have been posted on The Fresh Loaf several times in past years. You may find these interesting and instructive.
I have now made Pan de Cristal two times. The second time I used 10% freshly milled hard Spring white whole wheat with no perceptible change in the bread - crust, crumb or flavor. This is a very nice bread. We have enjoyed it particularly for sandwiches. I have not yet used it for panini but plan to do so. Adding some olive oil and maybe some sugar are other variations to try.
Here are some more photos to encourage you to make this bread for yourself:
Happy Baking!
David
Comments
I've made it three times, under the name "glass bread" - once with instant yeast and twice with sourdough. They all turned out well except the first one got overbaked. I liked the taste, and it feels like quite an accomplishment to have done *anything* with such high hydration. Since then, ciabatta seems easy and I have no hesitation in tackling high hydration or sticky doughs. This has helped me, for example, in my beginning efforts with einkorn flour.
I agree, watching a few videos including Philip's really helped.
Your loaves look terrific!
TomP
The video provided both information and anxiety relief. It's like Leadbelly said - "It's so easy when you know how."
David
Looks excellent David. It's truly a wonderful bread, but it is a daunting hydration to approach the first time, especially for a ham-handed guy like myself. I happened to find that same video, and recipe, a couple of weeks ago. I worked up my courage and baked it, with similar results. That video was also key to allaying my own anxiety over the hydration.
I just bought "Bread Flour" from KA to try it again later this week. The first time I just used the Central Milling flour I usually bake bread with. The results were good, but "not quite right" , and we too enjoyed it for sandwiches. This time, baked with the bread flour, I plan to try Bruschetta with it. It seemed it would be a good choice for that.
You mentioned that your tried it with some fresh milled hard Spring white whole wheat, but you did not mention what patent flour you used. Did you go with Martin Philip's recommendation for the KA Bread Flour, or something else.
Good to see a new post from you David.
OldWoodenSpoon
Great to hear from you too!
Yes. I used KAF Bread Flour. It seemed to work very well. The only deviation from expectations was that, in my very warm kitchen, fermentation proceeded really fast. If I do it again in an 83ºF kitchen, I reduce the yeast and/or use cold water.
David
The bread crumb may be too open for bruschetta unless a simple toast, rub with garlic then with a cut, very ripe tomato.
David
Wonderful bake David as always.
Benny
Happy baking!
David
I had a first attempt at this bread after coming across the King Arthur video earlier in the year, although a stressful process we were delighted with the result. I usually make bread with the assistance of my KitchenAid so I searched for a recipe using a stand mixer and discovered this:
https://youtu.be/9MNGtbwI_4w?si=UcxnO0i4YVwyrUGe
I’m using French T65 bread flour as before, I haven’t seen KA flour for sale in England and the T65 is my standard bread option.
I did try making crusty loaves using folds rather than kneading but found that having to manipulate the dough every 30 minutes or so was more time consuming than my usual technique (letting the KitchenAid do the work 😁).
I have some beautiful Lou Perac sheep milk cheese that deserves some good bread, also home grown tomatoes. With a bit of luck the dish of what looks like sloppy batter just now will transform into bread to accompany the cheese and tomatoes this evening.
Grateful to all who have contributed to this thread, it is always reassuring to learn of other people’s experiences. If I do manage to produce pan crystal this afternoon I’ll try to add a photo…..