If there is a basic of Spanish food, it is bread: as an accompaniment, as part of a plate, making up the famous pintxos… this food is present at all times. Thus, they exist so many varieties of bread depending on different factors -more than 300- that it is impossible to mention them all. So much so that bakery is considered an art. That is why we focus on one whose origin and name is quite unknown, but its production process combines the artistic and the artisanal. Surely you have seen -and eaten- it sometime in your life: it is about the candeal bread, that less and less is being made. Do you want to know more about this product? Let's get on with it!
Candeal bread history: where is it from?
El candeal bread, also known as bread sobao or bregao, at first glance it seems one of many that exist. But the truth is that it has certain characteristics -as we will see later- that make it a totally different bread to the one we are used to, in the best of the senses. And yet he is one of the least considered. Iban Yarza, an author from Bilbao, spoke for El País and expressed contempt for the candeal bread with respect to the others: “Everywhere the doughs loaded with yeasts and additives equivalent to pieces of polystyrene are lavished. It is inexplicable to me that we are marginalizing such a refined, sophisticated and exquisite full of medieval ties, "he said.
Perhaps it is due to the ignorance that exists around this bread, because the truth is that “the most paradoxical of all is that the chinese muffins (mantou, bath), now so fashionable, steamed, they are made with doughs similar to those of candeal ”.
Where does this special product come from? He was born in Castilla y León, in Valladolid. Although soon its production began to be exported to the south, towards Andalusia and Extremadura. Its complete elaboration, from when the dough is made until it is considered finished, tries to be done in the most traditional way possible. At the Mayado Rubio bakery in Santovenia de Pisuerga, Manuel Mayado uses a flour from Villafranquila (Ávila) to make the sourdough, since “we try to make it as similar as possible to the wheat candeal de Castilla that was used in the past ”; This is what he commented for the newspaper El Norte de Castilla.
What's different about it?
It has a final, golden crust that crunches, with a dense white crumb; a penetrating wheat flavor and a texture reminiscent of sponge cakes. This is how the perfect candeal bread. As we have said before, it is a type of bread that has nothing to do with the usual bread. Why?
Well, the main difference with other breads is that the candeal has very little hydration, 45%. For this, more flour is required than in other preparations, which makes it a bread. not too profitable. The wheat used is candeal, which translates into a much higher protein content and a lower gluten level than in the wheat common. In addition, the candeal bread is not kneaded, but is refined with the help of rollers; this helps to achieve the consistency characteristic of this product. It is these factors that make this food unique.
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That it is an artisan and special product there is no doubt. It is, however, a bread that is little taken into account and that, above all, has hardly been studied in relation to other breads. As Yarza emphasizes, “of masses so magical almost nobody has taken care”. You can appreciate this magic point perfectly in the creative shapes which he adopts from the talented hands of bakers. This also makes it different and very original.
The gastronomic side of Candeal bread
Bread is not only used as an accompaniment -what better appetizer than a slice of bread with a good sausage-, but it is also part of various recipes, both sweet and salty. Without going any further, the garlic soup, crumbs, or the gazpacho They are typical dishes of Spanish gastronomy that have bread as the main ingredient. On the other hand, for sweet lovers, the bread pudding it is always a good option. All of them gain a special touch when they are made with candeal bread.
Now that you know a little more about this Spanish product, maybe the next time you go to the bakery you will ask about it. To know if it is of quality, you should look at the bottom part. Thus "you can know if it has been cooked in a stone oven that provides better quality or one with air that makes it cook and not roast it," explains Manuel Mayado. Have you not tried it yet or have you already found some unique form of this candeal bread?
