Pan De Casa Recipes

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in water in a large bowl.
• Using a dough hook, stir the flour, salt, anise seeds, and sesame seeds into the yeast mixture and knead until smooth.
• Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise, covered, for an hour and a half.
• Turn the dough out and knead again. Grease two cookie sheets. Divide the dough into 3 rounds and let rise, covered, for another half hour on cookie sheets.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If you want to make this the old-fashioned way, take uneven stones and heat them in the oven on cookie sheets.
• Bake the rounds in the oven for 30 minutes or until the rounds sound hollow when tapped. If using stones, brush them with oil first, then place the rounds on top.

Steps:

• Place 3 1/2 cups flour in an large bowl,make an well in the middle. Mix the yeast slighly into the flour and slowly add the the water until the dough comes together. Adding the remaining 1/2 cup of flour if the dough is too sticky, the desired conistency shoud be tacky.
• Place the dough on a floured countertop, add a little more flour and kned for 10 minutes. Use the palm of your hand to stretch it and turn it over.
• Spread the dough out slightly and add the salt. Dust with more flour and continue to knead for several minutes. Knead into a smooth ball and let rise for 1 to 2 hours, in a bowl greased with EVOO and covered with a kitchen towel. You'll know it's ready when the dough springs back when you touch it gently with your finger. The temperature of the dough is about 80°F and has doubled in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and cut it in half. Press it down and roll up each piece. Turn them on their sides and roll them up again - this rolls the gas out of them.
• Place each dough in their own greased bowls and cover with kitchen towel for 30 minutes, until they have again doubled in size.
• To make the final rounds, fold the dough two times, shaping them into balls. Then place the balls seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Dust with flour. Let sit 30 minutes more, covered.
• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Sprinkle the rounds with more flour, and press a little air out the sides. Score the tops of the rounds with a sharp knife several times. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check after 20 minutes. Tap the bottoms and listen to hear if they sound hollow; if they do, their ready. Remove them and let cool to room temperature before slicing.