Spanish bread refers to different variants of bread in Spain. According to the Spanish lifestyle, bread-like the main meal, is served during all the three main dishes of the day. Spaniards love bread, and they consume it in different forms, distinguished by the ingredients and regional variations. To unravel different types of Spanish bread, wait until the festive season; you will find every variant of Spanish bread. A classic bread that you can find all over Spain is the baguette.
Bread is a staple food for most Spaniards, someone argued. But is it true that most Spaniards love bread more than anything else? Or is it a staple food for the low-income cadre only? Is it because bread is cheaper than any other food option for the majority of Spaniards? These questions can be answered well within. Beyond many arguments, bread remains the basic food in Spain, or tell me of a restaurant not serving bread, and you must have found an extraordinarily unique establishment in Spain. But is the bread worth anything? According to Spaniards, I think it does, from the way most Spaniards value bread. So, are there types of Spanish bread? Yes, several of them.
Why do Spaniards love bread?
Why is bread popular in Spain? It is like a tradition; many of them found themselves eating bread from a tender age. Up until now, Spaniards still believe bread is their staple food you can eat twice a day. And it is a cheap way to fill stomachs for peasants. According to them, quantity is treasured than quality as long as you go to bed with a full stomach. According to studies, most Spaniards eat an average of one kilo of bread per day. It is believable because a man and a woman in Spain can survive with bread alone.
Spanish bread ingredients
The basic Spanish bread is called Basico. It is prepared with white flour, granular salt and sugar, warm water, yeast, and unbleached-white flour; the flour and water ratio vary according to weather conditions. Prepare the dough by combining ingredients in warm water and bake in a regular oven. Basicos are shaped like a baguette. Serve sliced with soup or any other beverage.
Are there types of Spanish bread?
Now let’s dive into different types of Spanish bread. We can see the most popular options, and if we get enough time and resources, we can look into other common bread types for Spaniards.
Pan Blanco
The most popular bread for Spaniards so far; a large type of bread, flat and round, made from finer flour. It has patterns made on the top side of the bread using a blade. It is yummy, although it dries quickly to become hardy.
Pa de pages
It is a round loaf mainly found in Catalonia and Balearic Islands which looks more like traditional farmhouse bread. A thick crust on top is ideal for rubbing with tomato.
Rustic Spanish bread
It is a common Spanish bread people bake at home with fewer efforts. You can serve this variant of Spanish bread as an appetizer, and it is better if eaten with green olives in tough financial turmoil. The Spanish bread variant is common in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Its main ingredients are; active dry yeast, butter, unbleached flour, water, egg, salt, and granular sugar. Sometimes, oil replaces butter, and regular grain flour replaces unbleached flour.
Polvoron
It is a soft-heavy-short bread common in Andalusia people commonly serve during Christmas. The variants of Polvoron are served in all ex-Spanish colonies and Latin America. Food experts have related this bread variant to have its origins in the Levanter region. It belongs to the Mantecado variant, often confused with Polvoron. It is also served in the Philippines, but recipes for Polvoron vary according to each country. Its ingredients include; sugar, flour, melted butter and can sometimes be flavored with cinnamon or chocolate.
Mollette
It is a Spanish bread from Antequera made by combining several ingredients, including; yeast, whole-wheat-flour, plain flour, sugar, milk, salt, milk, and olive. After the dough is ready, we make small oval-shaped disks and bake to a golden brown. Molletes are then bisected into two halves, then toasted and drizzled with olive oil, and then topped with sliced tomatoes plus a pinch of salt. Molletes are popular for breakfast servings.
Hornazo
Traditional Spanish delicacy that’s finger-licking from the cross-sectional looks, inside of Hornazo is stuffed with ingredients like pork loin, chorizo, and hard-boiled eggs. You can nicely decorate the top side with a variety of shapes made from the same dough. These delicacies are common for the festive annual celebration of Easter Monday. Today, it can harbor many variations, and you can stuff it with anything from ham, cheese, tuna, or smoked salmon.
Pan de barra
It is made from a simple dough consisting of regular wheat flour, yeast, water, and salt. Shape the dough into thin loaves and allow to rise before slashing on the surface. Bake until crispy and browned. You can distinguish from French baguette from its harder and dried texture hence fit for sandwiching. It is one type of Spanish bread most Spaniards enjoy because it does well in sandwiches, Bocadillos, or Spanish cuisine.
The list of these Spanish bread variants is endless, and Spaniards love these Spanish variants; after all, bread is a staple food for many since traditional days.
Conclusion
You have seen the different types of Spanish bread, most of which people consume daily, whereas others are for specific occasions. The basic Spanish bread ingredients include; water, salt, flour, and yeast. But you can add more ingredients depending on what type of Spanish bread you are making. Whatever variant of Spanish bread you are interested in, you can creatively add toppings for finger-licking delicacies. You cannot miss bread in three basic meals per day for Spaniards. Most of them, especially those living in poverty line, believe in filling their stomachs than quality foods, and bread provides a budget-friendly way to fill their stomachs. Now you know why is bread popular in Spain.
