Name: Chilean Country Bread
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Chilean
Ingredients: 500 grams of all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 cup of warm/hot water, and more if need it; 2 tablespoons melted butter, still warm or shortening or lard; 1 envelope quick yeast (7 grams)

Versión en español

Chilean Country Bread is what country ladies bake every day at home for their families or to sell. It never tastes the same to me if you buy it at a bakery. Most Chileans enjoy this bread when on vacation: at the lake or the beach. Sometimes is improved with pig cracklings kneaded into the dough. You can use fried bacon if you feel indulgent.

The rolls have a sturdier interior than American rolls.

Tips for delicious Pan Amasado bread:

Why don’t yeast doughs rise? Differences and types of fresh or dry yeast?

The first thing is to make sure that the activation of the yeast has been successful: yeasts are living organisms that are “asleep.” To wake them up and allow them to grow and produce the gases that make the dough rise, they need a warm environment (around 24C, if your kitchen is below 21C, it will be difficult for the yeast to do its job, and if it is above 30C it will grow too fast and that also affects the final result).
If your kitchen is cold, you can put the dough in a bowl in the oven OFF with a source of hot water. That small sauna is ideal for yeast.
The water you add to the yeast to hydrate and wake it up should be 35-37C. You can put a few drops of water on your wrist if it’s lukewarm. That’s fine. If it burns, it will kill the yeast.
You must wait 8-10 minutes. If you don’t see bubbles, the yeast is dead, and you must start the process from scratch.
The most reliable yeast is granules. Fresh yeast is more erratic.
It is better to use filtered water than tap water. Do not use distilled water.
Also, read below. You need to use wheat flour that develops gluten.

Why is it important that the yeast does not touch the salt?

Because salt inhibits yeast growth, especially if it is concentrated, when the dough already has all the flour, it does not have much influence.

Can I replace or eliminate sugar in the bread recipe?

No, yeasts need sugar to feed and grow. Artificial sweeteners cannot be digested by yeast. Granulated refined sugar can be substituted for honey, but the proportions and circumstances depend on the recipe.

Do all flours rise the same: wheat, integral, oats?

No, the doughs rise because they develop gluten (a net) that traps the gases produced by the yeast. Wheat flour doughs have the ability to make gluten. Most other flours (gluten-free) fail to do this mesh.
So if you want to make bread without wheat flour, you have to use special recipes.
This also happens with whole wheat flour, which requires more water, and the harder elements of the grain that are preserved to make it whole interfere with the formation of gluten.

Why does homemade bread go stale so quickly?

Because it has no preservatives, my recommendation is to cut it and freeze it as soon as the bread is cold, then toast it, and it is ready to be enjoyed.
Bread with more fat (brioches) naturally lasts longer softer.

Most common toppings or uses for Chilean Country Bread:

For breakfast with scrambled eggs, avocado
Serve cut for an appetizer with Pebre
On sandwich: with ham and cheese for picnics, or at restaurants as Chacareros (steak, tomato, green beans) or Barros Luco (steak and melted cheese)

Chilean Country Bread

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: Pilar Hernandez
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 12
Category: Breads
Method: Baked
Cuisine: Chilean

Print Recipe

Description

A treat, a delicious country bread.

Ingredients

Units

500 grams of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup of warm/hot water, and more if need it
2 tablespoons melted butter, still warm or shortening or lard
1 envelope quick yeast (7 grams)

Instructions

Make a volcano with the flour mixed with the salt and sugar, put in the center the melted butter, 1 cup of warm water, and yeast, mix.
Knead until the dough is soft and pliable, takes about 10 minutes, add more water if you need, you can use a bread maker or a Kitchenaid with the kneading paddle to achieve this (5 minutes kneading on the KitchenAid).
Make a log with the dough and cut into 12 equal pieces (70 grams each), cover with a tea towel and work each ball into round discs.
Let rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm place covered with a tea towel.
Preheat oven to 350F or 180C.
Pierce the rolls with a fork and paint with warm milk. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Serve hot, any extras reheat wrapped in a damp cloth in the microwave.