Modified “Pan de Cristal” Recipe

This recipe is quite easy to prepare because you do not have to do manual kneading or babysit it.

Ingredients

• 600 grams of bread flour (I like King Arthur Brand organic bread flour)

• 1/2 tsp of sugar

• 1 tsp of salt (Diamond Kosher Salt)

• 2 tsp of active dry yeast

• 600 grams of water

• 40-50 grams of raisins

Combine the dry ingredients

Dump all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and fluff the mix.

Soak the raisins

Soak the raisins in the water for at least 20 minutes. This will plump up the dried raisins. If you want to speed it up, you can use the microwave to warm up the water. Be sure that the temperature is below 115º Fahrenheit before adding to the dry mix, otherwise, the high temperature could kill the yeast.

Add the soaked raisins to the dry ingredients

Mix the dough with the mixer on low for 10 minutes.

The dough will be wet, sticky, and become quite elastic.

Scrap down the dough into a ball.

(Unless you need the bowl, no need to remove the dough from the bowl)

Cover the bowl and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

Next Day

Gently remove the dough onto a clean surface dusted with a bit of flour.

Don’t worry about deflating the dough because it will double in size again in 1 to 2 hours, but the less you deflate it, the better.

Wet your hands before handling the dough because this is a sticky dough, and your wet hands will help the dough not stick all over your fingers.

Divide the dough into two portions.

Drop each dough into the lightly greased bread pan.

Cover to let them rise some more at room temperature (70º-74º Fahrenheit)

Meanwhile, while dough is rising

Nearing the end of the dough rise (like 30 minutes), turn on the oven to 475º Fahrenheit.

Place a pan of hot water on the lower oven rack.

(Be careful when you open the oven because of the heat and steam.)

Baking the Bread

When the dough looks like it has doubled in size, place them inside the 475º Fahrenheit oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust looks medium brown like nicely toasted bread on the outside (not burnt brown).

NOTE

Baking time could vary because ovens vary from one to another. So what you want to look for is the interior temperature of the bread between 160º and 200º Fahrenheit, and the exterior has a nice toasted color crust.

If you are serving this to someone who is vegan, use a neutral-flavor plant-based oil.

If you like, you can try other dried fruits. I like to soak them in water so that they plump up. You could even add a little bit of finely grounded cardamon (maybe 1/2 or 1 tsp). Be careful with how much cardamon you add because you could end up with an overly fragrant loaf of bread. Remember, you are not making fragrant candles or soap.