Here's How To Get Your Hands On TikTok's Viral Glass Bread
Pan de cristal, also known as glass bread, is having a moment. This extremely appealing bread hails from Catalonia in northeastern Spain and is known for its shatteringly crisp exterior (hence the "glass") and airy, open crumb interior. It is similar to ciabatta but has a higher ratio of water to flour — a high-hydration dough, in other words. This composition renders it lighter and more tender to eat, making it a great canvas for sandwiches, dipping in spreads, or just drizzling with yummy olive oil.
Because of its growing popularity, glass bread can often be found in the grocery store in the fresh packaged bread section, nestled in with other breads like brioche. It is also available in stores like Whole Foods as well as being regularly on offer in international grocery stores or online vendors of Spanish cuisine. Local bakeries can be a great source for glass bread, and you might even be able to score a few loaves from a local Spanish or South American restaurant, depending on your location. For me, that means a nearby Peruvian sandwich spot that makes a variety of decadent sandwiches on memorable glass bread ranging from eggplant with stracciatella to an addictive sushi-grade tuna salad — all excellent choices for this versatile loaf. Otherwise, you can always set out to make glass bread yourself.
Making and keeping glass bread
If you're new to breadmaking, you might want to try making other common types of breads first before attempting glass bread. It's not very forgiving of mistakes or deviations. If you underwork the dough, for instance, or if it's too cold before you start folding, your bread could end up with the wrong texture. Glass bread is also time intensive. Making the dough only takes about 40 minutes, but the resting, folding, and shaping process takes several hours. It may be worth trying at least once, though: the smooth and pliable dough texture is extremely satisfying to delve into, and the folding process becomes its own meditative practice. Since there's so much water in the dough, it starts off with an almost batter-like consistency before becoming nearly as elastic as that toy slime that kids play with — the dough literally begs for tactile involvement.
@emmymadetok Making Glass Bread – Pan de Cristal 🍞 #pandecristal #glassbread #breadrecipes #foodrecipes #foodrecommendations
Once you've procured or baked your glass bread, it may certainly get gobbled up in one go. If not, simply store it wrapped loosely on the counter for up to two days. Counterintuitively, do not store glass (or other) bread in the fridge as the crust will become tough and hard to eat, and it will quickly become stale. Even when stored correctly, this bread's interior is already subject to rapid staling, while the crust gets soft — simply warm it up at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes to return it to normal. To keep it for longer, just pop it in the freezer and pull it out any time you're craving that delightful, crisp crust and airy interior.