Galician bread (''pan galego'' in Galician, ''pan gallego'' in

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) is the

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...

that is traditionally produced in the autonomous community of Galicia, in

northern Spain Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe occupying most (about 82 percent) of the Iberian Peninsula. It also includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia, as well as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Isla ...

, recognized as a

Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...

(PGI) since December 20, 2019. It contains soft

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

native to Galicia, called "trigo do país" (''country wheat''), mixed with foreign wheat flour, traditionally from Castille (''

Triticum aestivum Common wheat (''Triticum aestivum''), also known as bread wheat, is a cultivated wheat species. About 95% of wheat produced worldwide is common wheat; it is the most widely grown of all crops and the cereal with the highest monetary yield. Ta ...

''), in addition to

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

sourdough Sourdough or sourdough bread is a bread made by the fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. Lactic acid from fermentation imparts a sour taste and improves keeping qualities. History In the ''Encyclopedia of Food Microbio ...

yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...

(''

Saccharomyces cerevisiae ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...

'') and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

. It is characterized by high hydration, which gives it a spongy crumb with abundant irregular pores and a pale cream to dark white color. In addition, it has an intense and slightly acidic flavor, thanks to a prolonged

fermentation Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

time. Its crust is floured, aromatic, very crisp, and golden to dark brown in color. It is one of the most appreciated breads in

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due to its high quality.

Characteristics

Due to its type of dough, it is classified in the category of ''panes de flama'' ('flama breads', meaning soft dough breads). Unlike the more typical sobado breads of Castile and the South, the Galician breads have a more toasted crust and a greater amount of water in their dough. The addition of water is done very progressively until reaching high percentages of hydration, sometimes up to 90%; that is, 90 g of water for every 100 g of flour. The resulting dough is very liquid and difficult to handle, so it is not a recipe suitable for novice bakers. The rest time of the

pre-ferment A ferment (also known as bread starter) is a fermentation starter used in ''indirect'' methods of bread making. It may also be called mother dough. A ferment and a longer fermentation in the bread-making process have several benefits: there is ...

can be between 5 and 7 hours. The rest times in the block of the dough, the manual shaping and the firing on refractory stone are also factors that determine its

organoleptic properties Organoleptic properties are the aspects of food, water or other substances that create an individual experience via the senses—including taste, sight, smell, and touch. USDA uses In traditional U.S. Department of Agriculture meat and poult ...

Diffusion

Galician bread has such a wide production area, which covers the entire Autonomous Community of Galicia. However, not all the bread made in this region can be listed under the PGI Galician Bread protection, since it must meet production criteria set by law. In 2020, it was estimated that only 10% of the inhabitants of Galicia regularly consume Galician bread.

Bread formats

The different forms of Galician bread are standardized as follows: * The barra is between 40 and 60 cm long and weighs 300 g * The bola or torta has a flattened and round shape, and a variable weight of 250 or 500 g, 1 kg or even more. Depending on the place it is called in one way or another, and traditionally they are cooked before bolos. * The bolo or fogaza has a round and irregular shape, more or less the same length as width, and on top it can be finished off with a kind of bow or scored. The weight varies between 250 or 500 g, 1 kg, 1.5 kg or even more. There are also longer forms. * The rosca has an irregular flattened ring shape, with a variable weight of 250 or 500 g, 1 kg or even more.

References

Bibliography

* {{Cite book, last=Consellería do Medio Rural, url=https://mediorural.xunta.gal/sites/default/files/produtos/pregos/Pliego_condiciones_IGP_PAN_GALEGO_mayo_2018__C_.pdf, title=Indicación Geográfica Protegida (I.G.P.) "Pan Galego" / "Pan Gallego", publisher=Pliego de condiciones, year=2012, language=es, access-date=2022-02-01 Spanish breads Galician cuisine

Characteristics

Diffusion

Bread formats

See also

References

Bibliography