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Cuban Bread

I love the Columbia Restaurant. We are blessed with several in the state to visit. One in St Augustine, that  we frequent with my daughter and her family, one in Celebration, and of course the original in Ybor City. We enjoy their  1905 salad and warm Cuban bread. The bread is amazing.
This is my interpretation of their bread. The key to this deliciousness is lard. I read an article on La Segunda bakery that has supplied their bread forever. I saw in the article that they used to use beef tallow in the early day but switched to lard soon after. This recipe uses both.
This is not a make in an hour or two recipe, but one that takes 2 days to make.
Day one is a prefermentation. Day two is making the bread.

Ingredients: 
Preferment
1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1/2 cup of warm (not hot) water

Dough
2 1/2 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast 
2/3 cup of warm water 100 to 110 degrees
3 tablespoons lard melted 
1 teaspoon beef tallow melted

Begin by making the prefermentation. Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl or 2 cup mixing cup. Cover, and rest overnight on the counter. The mixture will rise then fall. It's ready after falling.
Add flour, sugar, yeast to your stand mixer.  With the whisk or paddle attachment, mix ingredients well. 

Switch to the dough hook. Add the prefermentation, warm water,  melted lard and beef tallow. Mix until all ingredients are combined. Allow to rest about 5 minutes. Add salt and knead on low speed for several minutes.  Check the dough by stretching a small portion.  If it forms a thin strand that is almost transparent like a window, the dough is ready. If not, run a couple of more minutes. Remove dough and place in a well-oiled bowl, making sure all of the dough is covered in oil. Cover and allow to double in size.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces.  Flatten each dough ball into a a rectangle and tightly roll into a log, pinching the seams tightly closed. Place loaves seam side down on a baking sheet or load pan. Cover and allow to rise until.double in size. With a sharp knife or bread lame, slice a quarter inch slit lengthwise down the loaf.
Place a cast iron pan on the bottom shelf of you oven. Pre-heated oven to 350 degree.  Wearing oven mitts carefully add 2 cups of boiling water to pan, and immediately add the bread, quickly closing the door. Use extreme caution the water will steam and can cause serious burns if careless. 
If you are fortunate enough to have a steam oven, set steam to 80 percent and forgo the pan of water. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 190 degrees, or skewer inserted in middle od loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

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