Pan de agua puerto rico: Puerto Rican Water Bread Recipe

Puerto Rican Water Bread Recipe

By

Hector Rodriguez

Hector Rodriguez

A Puerto Rico native and former food service professional, Hector Rodriguez develops recipes inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America.

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Updated on 07/25/21

Tested by

Diana Rattray

Tested by
Diana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats’
Editorial Process

The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

Pan de agua, or water bread, is a common bread found in the Caribbean. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans are in love with this crusty bread. In the Dominican Republic, pan de agua comes in small round rolls, while in Cuba and Puerto Rico it takes the form of French-inspired loaves. For Puerto Ricans, this bread is the staple of their breakfasts and snacks. There’s nothing like biting into a fresh slice of crusty, warm pan de agua while you sip a strong café con leche first thing in the morning. Ideal for sandwiches and delicious with fresh butter, this is an easy bread to make and you won’t regret the time investment. The result is a bread with a hard and crispy crust and a fluffy and airy center that you’ll fall in love with.

Similar to French or Italian bread, pan de agua is made from the same basic ingredients, but the baking process is different. Have you heard of placing a loaf of bread in a cold oven? Well, this might be the first time you do it, but it won’t be the last. The proofed dough is placed in a cold oven and is set above a pan of boiling water. The bread continues to rise as the oven heats up, causing the crust to become deliciously thin and crisp. 

Irresistible right out of the oven, pan de agua is great in Cuban sandwiches, bread pudding, or at breakfast with any egg dish or slices of ham and cheese. Freeze some baked loaves to have delicious bread any time you want. Plan ahead, as you need a little over three hours from start to finish.

“This was a soft, chewy bread, and very easy to make with a few basic ingredients. There’s no added fat except for the oil or butter to grease the bowl or proofing container. The bread has nice flavor and it will make excellent sandwiches.” —Diana Rattray

For the Dough:

• 1 (0.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 2 cups (473 milliliters) warm water

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 5 cups (709 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons cornmeal, or flour

For the Egg Wash:

• 2 large egg whites

• 1 tablespoon water

For Baking:

• 1 cup water, boiling

Make the Dough

1. Gather the ingredients.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

2. In a large bowl, quickly mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Cover the mixture and let it stand for about 20 minutes until the yeast starts foaming on top.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

3. In a separate bowl, mix the salt and flour. 

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

4. Add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture, 1 cup at a time. The dough will begin to form as you add the flour. 

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

5. Once the dough is malleable and you have added all of the flour, transfer it to a floured surface and knead it for 10 to 15 minutes. It should become elastic and no longer sticky. If you’re using a standing mixer with a dough hook, 8 to 12 minutes should be enough to get a good consistency.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

6. Grease a large bowl with the oil and place the ball of kneaded dough inside. Turn the dough so it’s oily all over. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

Shape the Dough

1. Flour a work area and divide the proofed dough into 2 equal portions. Knead them into separate long loaves, about 12 to 14 inches long.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

2. Sprinkle some cornmeal or flour on a baking sheet and place the loaves on top. Use a sharp knife to make 3 to 4 slashes along the top of each.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

3. Mix together the egg whites and the water to make the egg wash. Brush the egg mixture on top of the loaves. 

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

Bake the Loaves

1. Put the loaves on the center rack of a cold oven. Place a shallow baking pan on the rack below the loaves. Fill the shallow pan with the boiling water.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

2. Wait 10 minutes. Turn the oven to 400 F. Bake the loaves for 35 minutes. Their internal temperature should reach 200 F, and they should be golden and a bit crusty. Enjoy.

   The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

How to Store and Freeze

Pan de agua is made without fat or preservatives so it goes stale quickly, so it’s best enjoyed the day it’s baked. However:

• If you want to save the second loaf until the next day, cover it as securely as possible with plastic wrap. Warm it up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving it.
• For longer storage, wrap the loaves tightly in plastic wrap and place them in zip-top freezer bags. Freeze the bread for up to two months. To use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, slice, and toast.

When Is the Dough Properly Proofed?

Depending on the container or bowl, it can be difficult to visually tell when the dough has “doubled in size.” To check the dough, poke two lightly floured fingers about an inch into the dough. The indentations should remain. If the dough springs back and fills the indentations in within a minute or two, it isn’t ready.

Traditional Italian Bread

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Pan de Agua – Easiest Puerto Rican “Water Bread” Recipe

By Marlene G.

[Reading Time: 5 min]

Have you heard of Pan De Agua, or Water Bread?

For those who are not familiar with what pan de agua is, we’ll share the basics about it, and as a bonus, you’ll learn how to make pan de agua, too.

What is Pan De Agua?

Literally translated as “bread of water” or “water bread,” pan de agua is a cultural staple that is beloved by Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans alike. Depending on the culture, pan de agua can be made as small round rolls or can be made to look like French-inspired loaves.

This bread is incredibly easy to make and pairs amazingly well with your morning cup of coffee or to have as a simple snack. The best pan de agua have a crispy, external crust that surrounds a perfectly light and airy center.

One of my favorite breads to eat from back home (Puerto Rico) is pan de agua. It’s super easy to make! When it comes to the flour and kneading, you want to use the same pre-measured flour to dust your surface first so that you avoid adding too much extra flour, should you need it.

I’ve included tips with most of the steps sharing things I do that help me to ensure the recipe comes out perfect each time. Once you’ve baked the perfect pan de agua, make sure you’re storing it the proper ways to keep it fresh for as long as possible.

Here’s what you need for the easy pan de agua recipe. We’ve outlined some common errors people make – avoid these mistakes when making freshly baked bread!

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour (5 cups)
• Tablespoon of Salt
• Tablespoon of sugar
• 2 cups of warm water
• 1 packet of yeast (rapid rising)
• 2 bowls
• 1 egg white and 1 tbs of water lightly whisked together
• cornmeal or flour to dust the pan (cornmeal works better but flour is just fine)

Instructions:

1. Mix flour and salt together and set aside. A tip with the flour: Don’t pack it into the measuring cup. Just spoon it in and level it off. When it comes time to knead the dough, as you are kneading, just add a bit more flour to your hands (and some to the counter) if it becomes too sticky. This way you’ll know you are using just the right amount of flour.
2. In a separate bowl mix sugar, water and yeast, and let stand for 20 min (with a towel over the top of the bowl). Your yeast will get a bit foamy, this is how you know it’s good. Also, the warm water should be a tad bit warmer than a baby’s bottle. So you really want warm-hot water. Not so hot that you can’t touch though. Tip with the towel: dampen it with warm water and really ring it out so that there is no drip. You just want it a bit damp. You can even just dampen a part of the towel, not the whole thing. Then use this as your towel to place over the dough.
3. Once you’ve left the yeast/water/sugar to sit for 20 min, covered with a towel, you can now start adding your dry ingredients one cup at a time. Stir it together each time you add more.
4. Once you have about ¾ of a cup left (or a little less because it still may be too sticky at this point) you can dust the counter with a little flour (just take some from the dry ingredients bowl you mixed so that you use this up first) and start kneading the dough.
5. You need to knead for about 8-10 minutes. I always do 10, and it works out great.
6. Slowly add the rest of the flour mixture to the counter and/or the actual dough while you are kneading, until all the flour is used up and 10 min has passed. If the dough gets sticky, and you run out of the flour/salt mixture – just grab a bit more flour and dust the counter and your hands. That should be enough. Repeat this until the full time has passed.
7. Place the kneaded dough in a greased bowl (I usually have my daughter clean out the bigger bowl I used and dry it off real good, and spread some butter on it while I’m kneading the dough.). Be sure the bowl is deeper than the dough a the dough will expand to about 3 times it’s size.
8. Cover the bowl with the dough in it and let it rise for 2 hrs. You can use the same tip from 2 with the warm damp cloth for this part too if you’d like: dampen it with warm water and really ring it out so that there is no drip. You just want it a bit damp. You can even just dampen a part of the towel, not the whole thing. Then use this as your towel to place over the dough.
9. When it’s done, sprinkle just a bit of fresh flour on the counter and dump your dough on it. The part that was touching the bowl should be a bit sticky, this is how you’ll know that you’ve done everything right.
10. Next, take a knife and cut the dough in half. Form two long loaves and place in a non-stick-sprayed baking sheet with cornmeal (or flour) sprinkled on it. You can also use parchment paper that is just sprinkled with cornmeal. Parchment paper doesn’t stick, so I find that if I have this I favor it more than a simple pan with non-stick spray.
11. Take a sharp knife, and cut slits all across the top of the loaves.
12. Grab your whisked egg white and tbs. of water and brush it over the loaves (I don’t always have a brush accessible so using your hands is just fine! ) . You do not have to use all of the mix. You will probably have lots left over.
13. Once all this is done, boil a little over a cup of water (about 1 ¼ cup).
14. Place loaves the middle of the oven. On the bottom rack place a shallow pan with the boiling water. I just boil the water in my small cast iron skillet since it can be used in the oven too.
15. Turn your oven on 400 degrees and bake for 35 min. DO NOT pre-heat your oven. Just turn it on once all it in there. (tip: check on the bread at about 30 minutes in. if you like the golden color, you can take it out then)

And there you go! You’ve made your own pan agua.

Depending on how you like your bread you may want to store it differently. I like my pan de agua to get a bit “crunchy” so I leave about half a loaf out on a dish. But the rest of the bread I leave covered because it keeps it a bit softer (my husband prefers his that way).

It was a tradition in our family to have this bread Sunday mornings with some coffee. My Grandfather would go every Sunday morning up to the panaderia to grab a loaf of pan de agua and pick up the Sunday newspaper for my Grandmother.

Pan de agua from Puerto Rico is truly delicious. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as our family does!

Filed Under: At Home

90,000 sedap, stirring about Skorchennya LEA 13 KVITY in the Tsich areas of LIMI TO CALAO

Service of the Kanalizati LIMI ( SEDAPAL ) roshed, ShOD Skorchennya on the deck of the capital in the degree districts Metropolitan of Lima and Callao with the method of plenipotentiary merezhі.

At the call of the cim Sedapal having said that for a long day, Wednesday, April 13 , in other districts Lurigancho-Chosika, Chaclacayo and Santaanita will not have drinking water service.

Find out the date, frequency and differentiation of the farmer’s view of the water HERE:

Chosika (from 14:00 to 22:00)

URB. SLEEPERS HUAMPANI.

Chosika (from 9:00 to 13:00)

URB. SLEEPERS HUAMPANI.

Chaclacayo (from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm)

AB. HUASCARAN, ASSO. MUNICIPAL PRACTICES.

SantaAnita (from 14:00 to 10:00)

URB. SANTA AURELIA.

Además del corte de agua, Enel informó del corte de luz en algunos distritos. (Foto Andina)

ELECTRICITY POWER SUPPLY IN THE MIDDLE

On the other side, the energy company Enel has also voted that electricity power supply will be available in the region.

The company has been appointed to be charged for the work of preventive work on electric lines “to improve the quality of service.” nine0015

Find out if the power of the middle is turned on, Thursday 13:

LimaCercado (8:00 to 9:00 a.m.)

P.J. VERESEN 1 AV. TECHNIQUE MZ K, OUTDOOR INSTRUMENTS CDRAS 16, 18, 20, 21, MZ H, I, J, PROXID 17 MZ L, PROXID 21 MZ K.

Rimak (from 8:30 to 17:00) AB

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Jesus Maria (from 9:00 to 16:00)

URB. PATRICIAN PR. GREGORIO ESCOBEDO CDRAS 4, 5, COSTA RICA STREET CDRA 1, YOUNG. NICARAGUA CDRA 1, 4, 5.

Open (from 9:30 to 12:30)

A.H. NEW PROGRESS AV. PUERTO RICO MZ J2, Q, S, Y1, Z, Z1, AV. ARGENTINA MZ D, D2, T, T1, U1, AB. COSTA RICA MZ A2, I, I2, J2, Q, R, S, V, X, X1, Y1, Z1, AV. CUBA MZ A, A2, F2, I 2, R, V, W, X, PARAGUAY STREET MZ C, C2, D2, U, U1, V1, PUNO MZ STREET, URUGUAY STREET MZ B2, C2, M, V, V1 , W1, JR. HUANTAR MZ A2, C2, D2, E, E2, F2, I, I2, R, S, T, Z1, JR. MEXICO MOH I2, J2. nine0015

San Martin de Porres (10:30 to 17:30)

VILLA VICTORIA AV LIVING PROGRAM. VEGAS MZ A, C, D, E, L, REAL MADRID LIVING PROGRAMS MZ A, B, C, D. WILLIAM DANSI CDRAS 9, 12, 13, JUNIOR RICARDO HERRERA CDRAS 9.

Comas (from 12:00 to 13:30)

C/N 197.

LimaSerkado (from 13:00 to 14:00)

URB. SILSKA MISCEVIST PR. E. MEIGGS CDRAS 3, 18, URB. PROMISLOV ZONE PR. NICOLAS DUENAS CDRAS 3, 4, 9, JUNIOR. CELEDON CDRA 3, JUNIOR ISABEL FLORES DE OLIVA CDRA 17, DISTRICT 1 CDRA 17, STREET S/N CDRA 18, ACCESS NN CDRA 2.

Puentepiedra (13:00 to 16:00)

CHES. A.V. KAM’YANIY MIST MZ X1 LT 07, AH. DROZDI MZ A, B, D, F, AH. LOMAS DE ZAPALLAL MZ H, AH. NOVA NADIIA MZ A, B.

Callao (14:30 to 16:00)

URB. INTERNATIONAL BOCANEGRA PR. JAPAN CDRA 16, VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER, PRIVATE PIKLUVALNIK ASSOCIATION, SEDAPAL.

Comas (15:00 to 16:30)

URB. HOLY PHILIP AV. CDRAS STREET 1, 7, 10, MZ A, J, P, CHINCHA STREET CDRA 1, ICA CDRA STREET 1, PACIFICO STREET CDRA 1, PISCO STREET CDRA 2, 3, MZ P, YAUYOS STREET CDRA 1, JR. PACIFICO CDRA 7, 8, MZ C, F, CAMANA CDRAS PASSAGE 1, 2, CHINCHA CDRA PASS 1, NAZCA CDRA PASS 1 MZ I, URB. HOLY ISABEL THE YOUNG. ORCHID CDRAS 1, 3, MZ N3, O, JR. MATI JUNGLE CDRA 3, YOUNG. SAN PEDRO DE CARABAYLLO CDRA 7, JUNIOR ZAVJDI ZIVA CDRA 1.

Laval – Dieciciete de Agosto, distance (km, miles), route on the map, time difference

Laval – Dieciciete de Agosto, distance (km, miles), route on the map, time difference

Aircraft launch

Car launch

Distance

City

Laval – Dieciciete de Agosto Distance

km

miles

driving distance

1048 km

650 miles

straight-line distance

h

driving time

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Other distances

Laval – Puiggari Laval – Rafaela Laval – Garruchos Laval – San Antonio de Arredondo Laval – Rawson Laval – Aldea San Antonio Laval – Puerto Leoni Laval – Adrogue Laval – Gualeguaichu Laval – Nogoyá Laval – Colon Laval – Pueblo Italiano Laval – La Escondida Laval – Virreyes Laval – Falda del Carmen Laval – El Sauce Laval – Galpon Laval – Villa Larroque Laval – San Basilio Laval – Neuquen

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Dieciciete de Agosto – Laval

Content

• Distance
• Map route
• Airplane distance
• Flight time
• Direction of travel
• Time difference
• Interesting facts
• Travel cost

Vehicle distance

The distance between Laval, Corrientes, Argentina and Dieciciete de Agosto, Buenos Aires, Argentina by car is – km, or miles. It will take a minute or an hour to cover this distance by car. The road is marked with a blue line on the map. By moving the markers, you can lay a new route through the points you need.

Whole route

Distance by plane

If you decide to go on a trip to Laval Dieciciete de Agosto by plane, then you have to fly the distance – 1048 km or 650 miles. It is marked on the map with a gray line (between two points in a straight line).

Flight time

Approximate flight time for Laval Dieciciete de Agosto in an aircraft with a cruising speed of 750 km/h is 1 hour and 23 minutes.