Medianoche Bread

Course: Breads, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Cuban, Dominican, Hispanic, Puerto Rican

Keyword: bread, sandwich

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 25

Rising Times: 1 45

Total Time: 2 35

Servings: 1-ounce slices

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Marta Rivera

Medianoche or "Midnight" Bread is an enriched yeast bread made with eggs, butter, bread flour, and yeast that forms the base of the popular Cuban sandwich of the same name. This bread is also delicious on its own.

Print Recipe

Equipment

electric hand mixer or a stand mixer
pastry brush
half sheetpan

Ingredients

For the Medianoche Bread

2 1/4 teaspoons (8 grams) active dry yeast
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar separated
2/3 cup (140 milliliters) whole milk warmed to 110°F (40°C)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 57 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
2 large eggs room temperature
1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
3 1/4-3 1/2 cups (420-485 grams) bread flour plus more as needed for kneading and forming

For the Egg Wash

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) cold water

Instructions

Bloom the Yeast

In a small bowl, bloom the active dry yeast in the warm milk with 1/2 teaspoon of the granulated sugar.
Check the yeast mixture after 5 minutes. If you don't see any signs of life– bubbles, foam, or movement in the bowl– after 5 minutes, you'll need to restart the activation process with new yeast.
Begin mixing the bread dough once you see the yeast moving.

Mix the Medianoche Bread Dough

Use an electric hand mixer to blend the room-temperature butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl at medium-low speed.
Increase the mixing speed to medium once the mixture forms a gritty paste and blend for another 3 minutes.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Add the room-temperature eggs, one at a time, blending them in at low speed until combined.
Once all the eggs are added, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters.
Next, add the yeast-milk mixture and 1 cup (130 grams) of the bread flour and blend them in at low speed.
Add another cup of flour and blend in until the mixer starts slowing down. This is your indication to turn the dough out and knead by hand.

Knead the Bread Dough

Pour the remaining flour onto a clean countertop and scrape the dough mixture into the center of the flour.
Using your hands, vigorously knead the dough, mixing the flour in with each turn.
Add more flour, as needed, if the dough sticks to the countertop. Knead the aggressively for a full 10 minutes.
The dough should be soft and supple and not sticky.

Let the Dough Rise

Lightly grease a bowl with canola or vegetable oil and spin the ball of dough in the bowl to oil it completely.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and put it in a warm, draft-free area of your kitchen.
Allow the medianoche dough to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Form the Dough and Give It Another Rise

Punch the dough to dispel the gases that built up during this first rise.
Form the dough into an 18 to 20-inch (45-50cm) log by pressing the ball in between the palms of your hands.
Push it from left to right and back again, ensuring the fleshy part of your palms stays in contact with the countertop. As you press, the dough will form into a tube.
After shaping the dough, transfer it to a parchment-lined sheetpan.
Cover the medianoche dough with a clean towel and allow it to rise in a warm, draft-free area for 45 minutes.
The dough will swell but may not rise to double its volume this time.

Prepare the Oven

While the dough rises, arrange your oven racks so that one is in the middle position and one is in the very bottom position (or rack). Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
After turning on the oven, boil 3 cups (710 milliiters) of water in a saucepot over medium heat.
Once the water in the pot comes to a boil, carefully transfer it to the corner on the bottom rack of your oven.

Make the Egg Wash

After you set up the steam oven, add the egg yolk and the cold water to a small bowl.
Use a fork or a small whisk to beat the egg yolk and water until it runs smooth.

Bake the Medianoche Bread

Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the medianoche dough after its final rise.
Bake the medianoche bread in the 350°F (180°C) oven for 25-30 minutes or until a deep golden brown.
The bread loaf will sound hollow when you thump it with your fingers.
Remove the pan from the oven.
Immediately after removing the medianoche bread from the oven, cover it with a clean kitchen towel to trap the steam.
Allow the bread to cool under the towel for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the towel and transfer the medianoche bread to a wire rack to cool completely.
Use this medianoche bread to make these Tripletas, your favorite Cubano sandwich, or any other sandwich you like.
It also makes a great bread pudding or French toast.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

Use the same amount of all-purpose flour instead of the bread flour, but the results won't be as chewy as they should be.
Replace the unsalted butter with salted butter if that's all you have. Just reduce the kosher salt in the recipe to 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 grams).
You can replace the active dry yeast in this recipe with an equal amount of instant yeast but don't bloom it and add it with the first cup of bread flour.
You can also form the medianoche dough into 4 4-ounce (115g) hoagie rolls. Divide the dough into four equal portions and use the same technique to shape the dough.
If you don't have any more eggs, you can brush whole milk over the dough instead of using an egg wash.

Stand Mixer Instructions:

Add the butter, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend these ingredients together at speed 2 (on a KitchenAid) for 3 minutes using the paddle attachment.
Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and paddle, then add the eggs, one at a time, at low speed. Once the eggs are incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape it down again.
Add 1 (130 grams) cup of the bread flour with the yeast-milk mixture and blend at low speed until a thick batter forms. Scrape down the bowl and paddle and switch to the dough hook.
Add the remaining flour, a cup at a time, while you knead the dough at 2nd speed. Continue kneading the dough, after all of the flour is added, for 10 minutes.

Tips and Techniques:

I knead this bread dough by hand after mixing the butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer, but you can mix it in a stand mixer if you prefer.
Depending on the weather and humidity, you will use a total of 3 1/4- 3 1/2 cups (420-485 grams) of bread flour (or even a little more if it's really humid) for this dough.
The microwave or a cold oven is the perfect place for rising bread dough.
You can lay the formed bread dough onto a lightly greased sheetpan and refrigerate it for 24 hours. The longer it chills, the deeper the flavor will be, but I don't recommend refrigerating it for more than 24 hours. Chilled dough will also need an additional hour of rising time.
Smaller loaves may bake in 15-18 minutes, so keep an eye on them around the 15 minute mark.

Storage Instructions:

Store leftover medianoche bread in a bread bag or wrapped in plastic wrap to retain its soft texture and keep the flavor fresh.
Store it at room temperature for 5-7 days. Avoid refrigerating baked bread because the chilled air causes it to go stale faster.

Freezing Instructions:

Before Baking:
1. Put the unbaked formed loaf on the sheetpan into the freezer before its second rise.
2. Once frozen, wrap it in two layers of plastic film and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
3. Freeze the raw dough for 3 months.
4. Thaw the dough in the fridge the day before you bake it. Once it's thawed, unwrap it and allow it to go through the second rise as instructed.
After Baking:
1. Allow the bread to cool completely, then wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
2. Freeze the baked medianoche bread for up to 3 months.
3. To thaw: remove the foil wrapping and thaw at room temperature before removing the plastic wrap.
4. Toast previously frozen bread to give it a freshly baked flavor.

Nutrition