Cuban Bread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What makes Cuban bread Cuban bread? ›

Cuban bread is a fairly simple white bread, similar to French bread and Italian bread, but has a slightly different baking method and ingredient list (in particular, it generally includes a small amount of fat in the form of lard or vegetable shortening); it is usually made in long, baguette-like loaves.

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

The Puerto Rican Bread is the island's version of the “Pan de Agua” (water bread) one finds all over the Spanish Caribbean. It is similar to the Cuban Bread in look and texture, with its light color crust and soft dough, yet larger (11 oz) and with a slightly sweeter taste.

What makes Cuban bread distinct is lard—it gives the bread a savoriness and lightness not found in other loaves. If you want to make this bread vegetarian-friendly, you can replace the lard with butter, but you'd lose some of that characteristic richness.

If you live near a Latino bakery, you will probably be able to find Cuban breads. Lacking these, the best substitute for pan cubano is the long, soft French or Italian breads you find at the supermarket (a high-quality bakery baguette is too crusty). Challah or brioche makes a good substitute for pan suave.

The unique, contrasting, texture and savory yet light flavor of Cuban bread is what provides its distinction from other styles. It's thin and crunchy on the outside, while remaining soft and airy on the inside, making it the perfect bread to enjoy pressed—it remains soft inside but crispy like a cracker on the outside.

Commercial bakeries use two types of ingredients to slow spoilage — emulsifiers and enzymes. Emulsifiers keep bread from going stale by preventing oil and water from separating. Adding emulsifiers sometimes goes by the names “crumb softening” or “dough conditioning” because it works to preserve texture.

Fortunately, one of the most glaring baking problems has an easy solution: ensuring your bread stays moist. The key is twofold: use quality ingredients and let the dough stand overnight. If you're using storebought flour, opt for “bread flour,” which will hold better in heat and help create a more tender crumb.

The spongy texture and moist flavor that oil creates can be a boon to certain recipes. Not to mention oil is cheaper and easier to work with. Butter will always provide superior flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth texture. In many recipes, combining the two gives the best of both worlds.

The palmetto leaves serve a purpose beyond tradition dating back to the 1800s. Before the bread goes into the 400-degree oven, leaves are placed in the middle of the loaf. That creates the bread's signature seam and ensures even baking, Moré said. “It keeps that area under the leaves moist and soft,” Moré said.

What is Cuban bread called? ›

I didn't think I liked Cuban sandwiches until I had one on real Cuban bread (pan Cubano) — what a difference!

Even if they don't specifically make Cuban bread, I've found that most Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Dominican bakeries will have something similar. If all you've got is a standard North American supermarket, so-called soft "French" or "Italian" bread or a not-too-crusty ciabatta is the way to go.

Is lard the same as Crisco? In a word, no, but they can be used for similar purposes. Lard is made from rendered pork fat, while Crisco is vegetable shortening made from palm oil and soybean oil. Crisco can be used in pie crust recipes and for frying.

Cuban Bread (enriched Bleached Flour [wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Wheat Gluten, Niacin, Potassium Bromate, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Enzymes, Folic Acid], Water, Soybean Oil, Or Lard [refined Pork Fat With Bht And Bha Added To Protect Flavor], Salt, Yeast [with Potato Starch, Sorbitan ...

“We call it a Cuban sandwich.” La Creacion Bakery makes two types of Puerto Rican bread — pan soboa, which means “kneaded bread” and is sweet and soft, and pan de agua, which means “water bread” and is like Italian bread with a crust that is hard yet slightly softer than Cuban bread.

Cuban Bread, Cuba

What makes Cuban bread different from the French baguette is the addition of lard in the dough.

What gives Cuban bread its distinct taste and makes it different from French or Italian bread is the addition of manteca, or lard. This gives it its dense but pillowy texture. It can be easily veganized by using vegetable or (our preference) coconut shortening. Don't be intimidated by this bread!

A traditional Cuban sandwich is layered with ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard – there's no lettuce, tomato, or mayo on this baby. As with any dish, the better the ingredients, the better the sandwich – this becomes even more imperative with fewer ingredients.

A true Tampa Cuban is layered from bottom to top: ham, roast pork, salami, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The better the quality of the ingredients, the better the sandwich.