Pan de Cristal — the lightest bread you’ll ever make.
Often called the Spanish ciabatta, this beautiful artisan loaf has almost 100% hydration — equal parts flour and water. With the right technique and strong flour, it turns into a crust that shatters like glass and a soft, airy crumb inside. Thanks to its hydration, it stays fresh and delicious even the next day.
Learn how to make this magical Spanish bread at home — crispy, delicate, and full of flavor.
This is hybrid dough with Sourdough Starter and Biga for High Hydration Pan de Cristal.
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Ingredients:
Biga (make night before, preferment until next morning)
– 100 g water
– 0,5 Dry instant yeast or 1,5 g Fresh yeast
– 150 g bread flour
Sourdough starter ( night before, preferment until next morning):
– 30 g water
– 15 g sourdough starter
– 30 g bread flour
Ingredients for dough:
– 180 g of water (+50-60 g additional)
– 20 g whole grain flour
– 220 g bread flour
– 250 g Biga (all)
– 60 g sourdough starter
– 7 g salt
Here’s a refined summary of my sourdough bread-making process:
1. Biga preparation: at the evening I mix water, yeast and flour, whisk all together, and let the biga ferment at room temp (18-20C) utill next morning.
2. Starter preparation at the evening and peaks by the next morning.
3. At the morning- Flour and water are mixed and rested for 30 minutes during the autolyse to develop gluten.
4. All ingredients are incorporated in a mixer as demonstrated step-by-step in the video.
5. The dough ferments at room temperature for 2.5–3 hours during warm fermentation.
6. Then I divide the dough into pieces and let them rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. The oven is preheated with a baking stone to 250°C. The dough is baked covered for 10 minutes, then uncovered at 230°C for another 10- 15 minutes until golden brown.
8. Finally, the bread is cooled before slicing to enjoy its flavor and texture fully.
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0:00 Presentation of Baked bread
00:20 Biga preparation
00:46 Sourdough starter preparation
01:24 Mixing flour and water
01:51 Adding ingredients and kneading the dough
03:45 Kneading dough by hands
04:50 Fermentation
07:35 Shaping
10:37 Baking bread
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Hello! Let’s make a Pan de Cristal! Pan de Cristal is a type of bread of Spanish origin, characterized by its extremely thin and crispy crust and its light, airy crumb with large air pockets. It is made with a high-hydration dough, meaning it uses a lot of water, resulting in a texture that resembles thin, fragile glass when broken. This is hybrid method of dough with yeast and sourdough starters. So, let’s begin!
At the evening (at 9pm) I mix 100 g water, 1,5 FRESH yeast (or 0,5 dry) and 150 g flour. Whisk all together, and let the biga ferment at room temp (18-20C) utill next morning. That same evening I make sourdough starter- mix well 30 g water, 15 g sourdough starter, and 30 g of flour And leave it at room temperature (23°C/73°F) until reach peak activity. Next morning:
I mix 180 g of cold water, 20 g of whole wheat flour and 220 g of bread flour, mixing thoroughly until all the flour is hydrated. I leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes for autolyse. During this time, gluten begins to develop. After 30 minutes I add 250 g of Biga starter and 60 g of sourdough starter. On low speed, I knead the dough for 5–6 minutes. Then I add 7 g of salt, 30-50 g of cold water, increase the mixer speed, and knead for another 7-10 minutes. Since the dough was very hydrated, and my mixer can’t knead it well, I decided to knead it by hand 3-5 minutes more. The dough has become smooth and is ready for fermentation. I leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, I do the first stretch and fold with wet hands to help develop the gluten and ensure a fluffy crumb. I let the dough rest for another 30 minutes and then repeat the stretch and fold process. I let it rest for 40 minutes before doing the third stretch and fold. Finally, I do the fourth stretch and fold and let the dough rest for 45 minutes. By now, the dough has become puffy and has increased in volume. I dust the linen towel with flour. Next, dust the work surface with flour and place the dough on it. Using a bench scraper I divide the dough into pieces, place them on a towel and let them rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. I preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F. I transfer the dough to parchment and place the dough in the oven, I add ice cubes, cover it and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, I reduce the oven temperature to 230°C/450°F, uncover the dough, and bake for another 10- 15 minutes until golden brown. And just look at how beautiful and crispy my Pan de Cristal turned out! Thank you for watching. I would greatly appreciate your subscription and likes!
Dining and Cooking