Portuguese pão de água: A simple recipe with rich flavour

My friend is a master at baking homemade bread. She makes delicious sourdough and experiments with various additions. However, ever since she returned from vacation, the only bread that matters to her is one for which she brought the recipe back from Portugal. Its recipe is straightforward, and the result is excellent.

Everyone who has been to Portugal has tried this bread. You can buy it in every bakery. "Pão de água" is a yeast-based wheat bread that is light and well-risen. Unfortunately, I didn't go to Portugal this year, but I enjoyed eating a slice of this bread at my friend's place. It tastes great with just butter, and you can also lightly salt it, which is how the Portuguese often eat it.

Portuguese bread stands out for its delicate, soft, and crunchy crust. You can achieve this effect by mixing only three ingredients: flour, water, and yeast. There's just one more addition, which is salt. Collecting them won't be difficult, but you have to put effort into kneading the dough. The preparation starts by mixing water and flour; at this stage, the dough doesn’t have a smooth or elastic structure yet and resembles a sticky mass. Then, you have to set it aside to allow the flour to soak well, which shortens the kneading time. Only after this stage do you add yeast and salt, then knead the dough. It is watery, where it gets its Portuguese name, which, when translated, means "water bread."

Ingredients:

      
• 370 grams (13 oz) bread flour,
• 240 millilitres (1 cup) water,
• 4 grams (0.14 oz) dried yeast,
• 7 grams (0.25 oz or 0.5 tsp) salt.

Method:

1. Add water to the bread flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest at room temperature for 40 minutes.
2. Add salt and yeast to the dough and knead vigorously for 15 minutes or 8-10 minutes using a kitchen mixer. The dough is sticky, but it's better not to add extra flour.
3. Cover the kneaded bread dough with a cloth again and let it rise. This can take anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the ambient temperature. The dough should double in size.
4. Sprinkle a large baking tray with flour and pour the risen dough directly onto it. Shape it into a long or round loaf.
5. Put the tray into an oven preheated to 250°C (480°F) with steam for about 12-15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 230°C (445°F) and bake for 15-20 minutes. The bread should be golden brown and slightly crispy.