Mollete de Antequera

Mollete de Antequera is Andaluz, from the inland Málaga comarca: a flat oval roll with a floury white skin, a tender open crumb, and scarcely any crust. It isn't a small crusty loaf. Antequera makes it pale and soft because its proper finish comes later, split and warmed on the plancha, where the crumb catches olive oil, ripe tomato, jamón, or the rich pork spreads of the local breakfast table.

The bake decides it. Give the mollete only enough time to set the crumb, then take it out before the top browns. That pale finish isn't timidity or an underdone mistake. It keeps the skin thin and the middle pillowy, ready to toast at the cut face without turning the whole roll hard. My Margin beside this recipe says only, "stop before color." That is the line to remember.

If you can't find harina panificable, the medium-strength flour used for everyday bread, mix 300g all-purpose flour with 200g bread flour. All bread flour makes a chewier mollete; all-purpose alone gives a softer roll that spreads a little more. The overnight sponge supplies the quiet wheat flavor without adding fat to the dough. No hace falta haber pisado España. Make the dough soft, bake it pale, and warm it before eating. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.