Updated on December 16th, 2020
Pan Gallego is a bread that originates from the Mediterranean region of the world. Specifically, Spain and it is customarily made with a knot on the top which is why “pan Gallego” translates into Galician bread. I love baking bread and how most bread carries its history with them. I find that if you appreciate the history of food it almost tastes better, and that is definitely the case with this recipe. Many people like to take food tours while in a foreign country or city as a more informative way of discovering the past of that area. Some of my favorite Youtubers, Kara and Nate take food tours almost religiously because it perfectly blends the history of the city as well as some of the best foods. (affiliate links included)
Anyway, this is a beautiful bread recipe that is quite simple to make. Bread is an art form that I feel like a lot are scared of. I admit, trying to make a good loaf of bread is HARD. There are so many steps involved, water temperature, fresh yeast or active dry, probably hundreds of different types of flours to experiment with. That does not even include the challenge of GLUTEN-FREE bread. Let’s start with this perfect Pan Gallego and go from there, shall we?
This recipe incorporates some wonderful texture with pumpkin seeds, sunflowers seeds, and millet. I chose to just use sunflower seeds as my way of adding texture but if you have all three of these ingredients, by all means, go for it! You can also add your own choice of seeds or nuts if you prefer something else. I also increased the water amount because I live in a very dry climate and I am also over 5,000 FT so most of my recipes have a tendency to need more moisture. If you would like to stay as classic as possible with Pan Gallego, try to follow the recipe as close as possible. I always like to make the original as it was intended before making any tweaks of my own.
Items Used In This Recipe
Have a favorite bread recipe that you think I should try? Email that over to me at [email protected] or leave it in a comment on this blog post! One thing that I find interesting about this bread is that it does not contain any salt which creates bland bread. It traditionally is served with salty foods which I think is why the original recipe is without salt. Also, this recipe was created at a time that salt was heavily taxed which I find to be quite interesting!
Interested in some of my other bread recipes? Check out all of the other posts right here!
Pan Gallego
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Kitchenaid Mixer
- Bowl scraper
- measuring cups
- Sheet pan
- Food scale
Ingredients
- 350 Grams Unbleached white bread flour
- 115 Grams Wholemeal bread flour
- 10 Grams Yeast, active dry
- 266 Grams Lukewarm water
- 28 Grams Olive Oil
- 28 Grams Pumpkin seeds
- 28 Grams Sunflower seeds
- 14 Grams Millet
- corn meal for dusting
Instructions
- Start by preparing all ingredients and setting aside. Cream your yeast and water together until all yeast is dissolved. I always cream my yeast in my Kitchenaid mixer bowl because it is the easiest option for me. If you are choosing to knead by hand you can use a large bowl for this step. Add in olive oil to bowl.
- Add in flours and begin mixing until combined and a smooth dough is created. I mixed my dough on the second speed on my Kitchenaid for about 5 minutes. Once dough is nicely kneaded, add in seeds of your choice and continue mixing just until seeds are distributed through out the dough. Cover dough in an additional pour of olive oil and allow to proof in overturned bowl or you could also wrap the top of a bowl in plastic wrap or clean towel. Allow to proof for two hours or until doubled in size.
- While dough is proofing, start heating oven to 425 F. Once your dough is sufficiently proofed, shape and allow to rest for an additional 10 minutes. Spray the oven with water right before the dough is placed inside the oven to create a steam in the oven and a nice outer crust. Just to make sure, I spray the dough once placed inside the oven a couple times to make sure it has enough steam to create the crust that I am looking for. Bake at 425 F for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire wrack to cool. Eat immediately or store in a bread bag for future use. This bread should keep for at least a week before starting to lose its flavor and become stale.
I am really trying to get more followers on all of my social media platforms so if you could give me a follow, I would for sure appreciate it! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook currently. I also found these awesome bread bags that I use for all of my bread recipes. I was getting tired of constantly throwing away plastic wrap into our landfills to sit for who knows how long. Just another way of being greener of more environmentally responsible in the kitchen which I always appreciate it. I will leave a link below if you would be interested in picking up your own! Plus, they make your bread look extra fancy as well.
Happy baking!
