In Barcelona they call it Pan de Crostons, but everyone also knows him as Pan Dalì. The reason must be sought in the crush that the Figueres surrealist painter it was taken for this type of three-pointed bread typical of Catalonia. As you can guess from the first name, the other peculiarity, in addition to the shape that reminds a bullfighter's hat, is the crust: "crostons", in fact, in Catalan means "croutons". Why plural? Because the ends of the triangle are the most crunchy part.

Because the Pan de Crostons is also called Pan Dalì

The food for Dali was a real obsession. "My painting is gastronomic, spermatic, existential". To bread, then, he always reserved a leading role in many of his works. But the one for the Pan de Crostons was a real shock. He had it as a child and accompanied him throughout his life. It is he himself who recounts it: «The bread I often put on my head is a hat with which I presented myself at home when I was six years old. I emptied a Pan de Crostons, this form of three-pointed Catalan bread, and I put it on my head to amaze my parents ". A passion that when he transformed his house into a self-celebrating museum, he had it upholstered a whole wall of the Galatea Tower with plaster casts, still visible, in the shape of Pan de Crostons. From that moment it was renamed Pan Dalì.

The peculiarities of this Catalan bread

It is a white bread, based on wheat flour stone ground e mother yeast. Once tasted, you immediately understand why the artist fell in love with it. It could be defined a "sound" bread. With a golden color, just a light pressure to make it issue a well audible croc. To this particular crunchiness corresponds, then, a distinctly toasted flavor. The dough is very simple. The difference is made, in addition to the unique form of its kind, the long leavening and the Slow cooking in particular ovens with a stone base. For those who want to try doing it at home here are the ingredients and the recipe of the La Torna oven which is located inside the Santa Caterina Market in Barcelona.

Ingredients for three loaves of 600 grams

1 kilo of medium strength wheat flour
600 grams of water
250 grams of sourdough
10 grams of salt

Method

Sift the flour, add the sourdough and knead, pouring a little water at a time. The last 50 grams should be dosed according to the absorbent capacity of the flour used. Then add the salt. Once obtained a homogeneous mixture e slightly elastic, put it in the fridge for 12 hours. The next day, bring it back to a temperature between 23 ° and 24 ° C and divide it into three round loaves. At this point work the dough to give it the right shape. You will go from having one in your hands first bowler, then a bullfighter hat.

Squeeze the dough with your hands, creating a border of about 4-5 centimeters, leaving a small mound in the middle instead. That's how the bowler is formed. Next, pull the edges until you get one triangular shape. For each point, bend the right edge over the left, then position the cutting hand and press the dough at the base of the new triangle that has formed. Thus the bullfighter's hat is obtained. Leave to rest another hour. Bring the oven, possibly equipped with refractory stone, at a temperature of 210 ° C. Before baking, sprinkle the bread with a little flour and lay the dough on the stone. Cooking times vary between 50 and 60 minutes depending on the power of the oven.