Pan Amasado Chilean Country Bread

Versión en español

Chilean Country Bread or Pan Amasado (literal translation kneaded bread) is what country ladies bake daily at home for their families or to sell. It never tastes the same if you buy it at a bakery.

Most Chileans enjoy this bread on vacation, at the lake, or the beach. Sometimes, it is improved with pig cracklings (chicharrones) kneaded into the dough. If you feel indulgent, you can use fried bacon.

The rolls have a sturdier interior than American rolls.

Pan Amasado Chilean Country Bread

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• 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

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Description

A treat, a delicious country bread.

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Ingredients

Units USM

• 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)

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Instructions

1. Make a volcano with flour mixed with salt and sugar. Put the melted butter, 1 cup of warm water, and yeast in the center, and mix.
   
2. Knead until the dough is soft and pliable. It takes about 10 minutes. Add more water if you need it. You can use a bread maker or a Kitchenaid with the kneading paddle to achieve this (5 minutes of kneading on the KitchenAid).
   
3. Make a log with the dough and cut it into 12 equal pieces (70 grams each), cover with a tea towel and work each ball into round discs.
   
4. Let rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place covered with a tea towel.
   
5. Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C.
6. Pierce the rolls with a fork and paint with warm milk. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
   
7. Serve hot. Any extras reheat wrapped in a damp cloth in the microwave.
   

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 172
• Sugar: 0.5 g
• Sodium: 210.9 mg
• Fat: 2.4 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 32.4 g
• Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 4.6 g

Tips for delicious Pan Amasado bread:

Why my dough didn't rise? What are the differences and types of fresh or dry yeast?

The first thing is to ensure that the yeast's activation has succeeded: yeasts are living organisms "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, turn the dough in a bowl in the oven OFF with 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 on your wrist if it's lukewarm. That's fine. If it burns, it will kill the yeast.
Wait 8-10 minutes. If you don't see bubbles, the yeast is dead, and you must start the process from scratch.

Granules are the most reliable yeast, while 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, which develops gluten.

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

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

Can I replace or eliminate sugar in the bread recipe?

No, yeasts need sugar to feed and grow. They cannot digest artificial sweeteners. 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 the gluten (a net) that traps the gases produced by the yeast. Wheat flour doughs can make gluten, while most other flours (gluten-free) fail to do this.
So, use specific recipes to make bread without wheat flour.
This also happens with whole wheat flour, which requires more water. The harder elements of the grain that are preserved to make it whole interfere with gluten formation.

Why does homemade bread go stale so quickly?

Because it has no preservatives, I recommend cutting and freezing it when the bread is cold. Then, toast it, and it is ready to be enjoyed.
Bread with more fat (brioches) naturally lasts longer and softer.

How Chileans eat Pan Amasado?

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