Ingredients
Dough
- 700 gstrong white flour
- 12 gsalt
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 1 tbspcaster sugar
- 420 mlwarm water
- 30 gbutter or lard, softened
To finish
- flour, for dusting
- water, for steam
Equipment
- a baking stone or heavy tray
- a metal tray for water
- a sharp blade or lame
To serve
- coffee
- butter
- a slice of cheese
Directions
- Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Keep the salt away from the yeast until the water goes in. Pour in the measured warm water. Mix it to a rough shaggy dough. Let it rest for twenty minutes before kneading. Adding the fat is done after the rest. Work in the softened butter or lard.
- Knead it for ten to twelve minutes. It should become smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover it. Leave it somewhere warm until roughly doubled. A cooler slower rise gives better flavour than a warm fast one.
- Turn the dough out and divide it into sixteen pieces. Each should weigh about seventy grams. Shape each piece into a tight round. Set them on a floured tray with space between them. Cover them loosely and prove them for forty minutes. They should look puffed but should still spring back slowly.
- Heat the oven to its highest setting with a stone inside. Give it a full thirty minutes to heat properly. Put an empty metal tray on the oven floor while it heats. Have a cup of boiling water ready beside the oven.
- Cut one clean slash down the length of each roll. Use a sharp blade held at a shallow angle. Baking is done in two clear stages.
- Pour the boiling water into the hot tray and shut the door at once. Stand back, since the steam is scalding. Bake them for eight minutes with steam in the oven. The steam keeps the surface soft so they can expand fully.
- Take the water tray out of the oven. Bake them for a further eight to ten minutes. They should be golden and should sound hollow underneath.
Technique
- Steam for the first eight minutes then finish dry, which is what makes the crust thin and crisp.
- Slash each roll so it opens where you choose rather than at a random weak point.
- Cool them uncovered on a rack, since covering them softens the crust.
Substitutions
- A heavy baking tray if you have no baking stone.
- Oil in place of butter or lard.
Variations
- Shaped as short ovals rather than rounds.
- Made larger, as a single loaf.
- With a little wholemeal flour in the dough.
History
Small bread rolls from Portuguese baking, sold fresh each morning by Dili bakeries and eaten with coffee.
Frequently asked questions
What is Paun?
Paun is a bread & pastry from Timor-Leste: portuguese-style bread rolls sold warm each morning. Small bread rolls from Portuguese baking, sold fresh each morning by Dili bakeries and eaten with coffee.
How long does Paun take to make?
Paun takes 30 min plus 2 hours rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 16 rolls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Paun?
Yes, within limits. A heavy baking tray if you have no baking stone. Oil in place of butter or lard.
What is the most important thing to get right in Paun?
Slash each roll so it opens where you choose rather than at a random weak point.
