Pan de Alfacar

Pan de Alfacar is Granadino, from Alfacar and neighbouring Víznar at the foot of the Sierra de Huétor. It is a mild wheat loaf with a crisp golden crust and a pale, flexible crumb full of irregular holes. Masa madre, the living wheat starter, gives it flavour, while a little baker's yeast keeps the rise steady. This isn't meant to be a sharply sour loaf.

The hand-kneading decides it. At first the dough clings to everything, and the temptation is to bury it under more flour. Don't. Wet your hands and work it until the surface turns smooth and a small piece stretches thin without tearing. That developed dough holds the fermentation gases; extra flour only leaves you with a tight, heavy crumb. Pésalo, no lo adivines. Weigh it, don't guess.

I shape this one as a hogaza, the traditional round form, and stop the first rise before the dough doubles. Let it grow by roughly two-thirds, then shape it gently enough to keep the air you've worked for. My notebook's margin says only this: sticky hands are easier to mend than dry bread.

Only bread made in Alfacar and Víznar carries the IGP seal. Far from Granada, use neutral-tasting, chlorine-free spring water with a moderate mineral content. The exact mineral note will change, but the dough will behave properly and the crumb will remain light. No hace falta haber pisado España. Follow the dough as well as the clock. Siempre sale, si lo sigues: it turns out if you follow it.