Cuban Bread

ByRenee

This bread is the quickest yeast bread you will ever make. It is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. You can have fresh, warm, delicious home made bread in just over an hour.

Jump to Recipe

The title from the original recipe is Faster Than a Speeding Bread Machine from The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn.

I adapted it to use the Deep Covered Baker from Pampered Chef.

Deep Dish Covered Baker

Cuban Bread

5-6 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 or 2 cups)
2 tablespoons dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups hot water (120° to 130°)

There are two ways to mix up the dough. The fast way and the slower way. If you have a food processor you will want to jump down to the fast method to mix.

Click for Fast Mixing method

Traditional Way to Mix – Without a Food Processor

Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes, or three minutes with a mixer. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead 8 minutes.

* Fastest Mixing Method – The method I use – Using a Food Processor

If you have a large food processor you can mix this up in no time at all. My food processor holds 11 cups.

11 cup Cuisinart Food Processor
Closeup of Cuisinart Food Processor

Combine the dry ingredients in the processor bowl.

Adding ingredients to food processor

Turn on the machine and slowly pour the water in the tube until the dough forms into a ball. Let the dough ball spin around 20 times. What I do is let is run until it starts to clump into a big ball.  Then I start counting each time the ball goes around the bowl.  You can see in the photo that it is not one giant ball but it was all clumped together and moved around the bowl like one clump.

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After the dough is mixed using either method

Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let rise 15 minutes.

Let the dough rise

Punch down and shape into a large loaf. Place the dough a deep baker that has been sprayed with Pam.

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Cut a slit about 1/2 inch deep along the top and several small slits on either side of the first slit. It will look a little like a branch with leaves when you are done.

Put the lid on the baker and place in a COLD oven. Turn oven to 400° and bake for 50 minutes. Don’t peek at it. You just have to trust that it is doing what it is supposed to.

Remove from oven and turn bread out onto a baking rack to cool just enough to slice and then slather with butter.

If there is any bread leftover it makes wonderful French toast.

Here’s the Recipe

Cuban Bread
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Cuban Bread

Recipe by Renee
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

50

minutes

This bread is the quickest yeast bread you will ever make. It is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. You can have fresh, warm, delicious homemade bread in just over an hour.

Ingredients

  • 5-6 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 or 2 cups)

  • 2 tablespoons dry yeast

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 2 cups hot water (120° to 130°)

Directions

  • Fastest Mixing Method – The method I use-Using a food processor
  • If you have a large food processor you can mix this up in no time at all. My food processor holds 11 cups.
  • Combine the dry ingredients in the processor bowl.
  • Turn on the machine and slowly pour the water in the tube until the dough forms into a ball. You might not need all the water.
  • Let the dough ball spin around 20 times. What I do is let is run until it starts to clump into a big ball. Then I start counting each time the ball goes around the bowl. You can see in the photo that it is not one giant ball but it was all clumped together and moved around the bowl like one clump.
  • Manual Mixing Method – More work and takes longer – If you don’t have a food processor
  • Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt.
  • Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes, or three minutes with a mixer.
  • Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
  • Knead 8 minutes.
  • After Mixing – no matter what method you use
  • Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel.
  • Let rise 15 minutes.
  • Punch down and shape into a large loaf.
  • Place the dough a deep baker that has been sprayed with Pam.
  • Cut a slit about ½ inch deep along the top and several small slits on either side of the first slit. It will look a little like a branch with leaves when you are done.
  • Put the lid on the baker and place in a COLD oven. Turn oven to 400° and bake for 50 minutes.
  • Don’t peek at it. You just have to trust that it is doing what it is supposed to.
  • Remove from oven and turn bread out onto a baking rack to cool just enough to slice and then slather with butter.

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