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cuban bread fresh from the oven from cleveland cooking

Easy Cuban Bread Recipe

Author: Dan Harper
1005kcal
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Prep 40 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total rising time and overnight starter 12 hours
Total 13 hours
This Cuban bread recipe can be used for so much more than just Cuban sandwiches! What a delicious soft bread!
Servings 2 loaves
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine Caribbean, Cuban

Ingredients

Starter
  • ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
  • ½ cup of water
  • ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Dough
  • 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour divided
  • ¾ cup of warm water
  • 1 package of dry active yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon or more of cornmeal

Method

For the starter
  1. Mix the starter ingredients together until combined.
  2. Store in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
For the dough
  1. Combine the packet of yeast, warm water, and sugar in a bowl and let set for 7-10 minutes to prove yeast. The yeast should get foamy and bubbly.
  2. Next add the butter or lard, salt, and one cup of the flour. Mix until combined. The mixture should form a ball or something resembling one.
  3. Add the starter and 1 ½ cups of the remaining flour. (Reserving the last ½ cup of flour) and incorporate into the mixture.
  4. The dough should be sticky at this point. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour as needed.
  5. Coat the bottom of a bowl and the ball of dough with a teaspoon of oil. Place the ball of dough in the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm spot for two hours. The dough should double in size.
  6. After the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide the dough in two.
  7. Form dough into roughly two 5 x 14 inch rectangles. Roll the two rectangles into roughly two 14 inch logs and pinch the edge of the roll to seal the dough.
  8. Sprinkle the cornflour onto two parchment covered baking trays.
  9. Next press the logs down to another 5 x 14 inch rectangle and place one on each baking tray. Sprinkle a light coating of flour on each rectangle of dough.
  10. Cover the baking trays with clean tea towels and let rise for two hours.
  11. With a sharp knife, slice the top of the risen dough ¼ inch deep down the center of the loaf. Spray each loaf with a bit of water.
  12. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Rotate baking trays top to bottom and bake for 10-15 minutes more.
  13. Let the dough cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting into them.

Nutrition

Serving1 loafCalories1005kcalCarbohydrates176gProtein24gFat22gSaturated Fat12gPolyunsaturated Fat3gMonounsaturated Fat5gTrans Fat1gCholesterol45mgSodium2466mgPotassium268mgFiber7gSugar8gVitamin A529IUVitamin C0.01mgCalcium40mgIron10mg

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