Pan de Cristal or Glass Bread was the challenge for March.
I became very worried when the 2nd line of the 1st paragraph mentioned ‘the croc’.
I remember the crocodile bread.
I have nightmares about the crocodile bread – it’s slithering and oozing around the house, looking for anything to devour.
It’s the first bread I baked with the Babes.
If I remember correctly I was offered booze and sexy underwear if / when I joined the group.
Neither have materialized.
I digress….
Kelly, of A Messy Kitchen, and our host kitchen for the month, says that Pan de Cristal can be a little challenging as the dough is a bit wet. (ahem) She goes on to say it’s a good choice for a more experienced baker but one can reduce the water to make it easier.
Just make sure you have a good, strong flour.
If you want to make the Glass Bread yourself, and it can be fun to, um, stretch your skills, go to A Messy Kitchen for the recipe and detailed instructions on how to do it. Plus you’ll find all the details of baking along this month.
The Babes say it’s worth the effort….
That’s it for March
As always –
Stay Safe, Healthy & Patient and wear your mask (as needed) or enjoy seeing smiling faces!
The Bread Baking Babes
A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
Bake My Day – Karen
blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
Bread Experience – Cathy
Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle
Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
My Diverse Kitchen — Aparna
My Kitchen In Half Cups – Tanna
Notitie Van Lien – Lien
And me…. Thyme for Cooking – Katie
I was surprised that some potential buddies were trying it out already, though they haven’t posted results yet! I think all our loaves look good considering the challenge level! Even Elizabeth’s defiant, flatter one had a fine looking crumb and she said it was tasty. Cathy’s sourdough looked beautiful, I hope she feels well enough to post soon. And now I am going to go read your croc post and chortle. And then I will have to try it out so you can chortle back. 😄
Ah…. the Croc. I remember it well. Have fun with it. I do remember that we loved the final result.
I’ll watch for Cathy’s post
We, on the other hand, did not love the final result after wrestling with the croc. I too remember it all too well. But armed with this coil folding technique, Kelly, things might go much better for you. (Brrrr, I’m still terrorized by the croc….)
Let me know if you try again…. or will I hear the frustration across the pond?
This one is worth the effort! Absolutely. And I believe that this coil fold is going to see some increase in use and popularity.
Well, I did have to go back and redo your crock. Totally forgotten the foil. Now I’m sure when we get home I must try the crock again with the coil folds.
You are brave – and Elizabeth…. Be sure to compare notes lol
This Pan de Cristal is child’s play in comparison to the croc! Even though my pan de cristal didn’t turn out quite as well as the others’. At least we didn’t have to turn it into bread crumbs.
What’s wrong with bread crumbs?!?
There’s nothing wrong with bread crumbs if they’re made with day old bread! (J’adore bread crumbs!) It’s when they’re made with failed bread right out of the oven that the crying begins.
I did try again with wild yeast. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the shrieks of agony. (The sordid details are here: https://etherwork.net/blog/wild-pan-de-cristal/ )