Pan Gallego, or Galician Bread, is a naturally leavened, high hydration Spanish Bread made with a hint of rye and whole wheat flours. The distinctive characteristic of this bread is the unique knot tied on top of the loaf prior to baking.
I am the host kitchen for the Bread Baking Babes this month. I chose this unique bread as the monthly bake. Although it’s made with a higher hydration dough, it’s really easy to work with.
I first learned of this bread in Bryan Ford’s Book New World Sourdough. Artisan Bryan’s version includes a bit of rye, which I really like; however, some of the examples I’ve seen on the net only seem to use a portion of whole wheat but not rye.
According to the notes in the book, Bryan spoke with bakers in the area, and because he didn’t have access to the type of flour that is native to Galicia, Spain, they recommended using a strong white flour and rye.
You want enough rye flour to give the crumb distinct flecks, while at the same time, making sure the dough has enough strength to be able to knot the dough before baking.
He doesn’t specify whether to use white or whole grain rye. I used home-milled whole grain rye flour. It provides a lovely color and add to the rustic appeal of the loaf.
The formula makes two large loaves so I cut it in half and made one loaf for each bake. If you want more than one loaf, feel free to double the recipe.
The loaves featured in the book weren’t scored, but in some of the videos I watched, the baker scored the loaf and the knot. Refer to the video links in the notes below.
Karen says
I followed your second method but got impatient and only let it come to room temp for about an hour. Thanks for the great find!! Love all of your experimentations!
Cathy says
There seems to be a sweet spot between letting it warm up enough not but too much. The knot tends to work better with slacker dough, but the loaf spreads out a bit too much unless you get it in the baker really fast.
Glad you enjoyed this one. It is a great bread even if it spreads out a bit.
Kelly says
Doesn’t look misshapen at all, especially after baking. Pretty picture perfect with that knot and gorgeous color! I played pretty loose with the timing and let it rise quite a bit for the final shape. I think that’s why I got a lot of large bubbles toward the top in some sections, from forming the top knot.
Cathy says
Thank you Kelly! You may not see them in the photos, but I got a couple of large bubbles towards the top as well. Still very tasty.
Elizabeth says
Cathy, your bread looks perfect. Next time, I will definitely follow your lead and throw in a few slashes.
This bread was SO much easier than pan de cristal! (Especially with the unconvention mixing method I used….) Many thanks for a great choice.
Cathy says
Thanks Elizabeth! This one was definitely easier than the Pane de Cristal. I do think the scores help and add to the appeal.
Valentina says
hello, I have a question for you. I am quite new in bread baking but I am looking forward to experimenting new recipes. I want to ask you what kind of bread flour you used for this one (how strong). thank you for yor reply and for all the recipes!
Cathy says
Hello Valentina,
I experimented with King Arthur Baking’s all-purpose and bread flour in this bread. I don’t have the packages, but you can find the protein and other specs on their web site.
Happy Baking!
I hope you have fun with this bread.
Cathy
Valentina Rotaru says
Many thanks Cathy! i will look it up!
Happy baking!
valentina