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    Home » Puerto Rican » Pan de Agua (Water Bread)

    Pan de Agua (Water Bread)

    ★★★★★ from 1 reviews
    Feb 14, 2022 / by Salima Benkhalti / 2 Comments

    8 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    Loaves of Puerto Rican water bread
    A plate of bread with butter
    A plate of pan de agua with butter
    Water bread on a white table

    Pan de Agua (also known as water bread) is a popular bread in the Caribbean. It's easy to make and perfect for sandwiches or served warm with a dab of butter.

    A plate of pan de agua with butter

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    Pan de agua is the best combination of a crusty exterior and soft fluffy interior when it comes to bread.

    It's basically impossible not to love the taste and texture of it right out of the oven!

    a ball of bread dough

    Ingredients

    Here's what you'll need to make pan de agua:

    • active dry yeast
    • warm water (for the yeast)
    • white granulated sugar
    • all purpose flour
    • salt
    • flour for dusting the pan
    • egg white or olive oil
    • water

    See recipe card for quantities.

    How to Make Pan de Agua

    A bowl of yeast proofing

    Start by proofing the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes or until it looks foamy and thick on the top layer. Transfer proofed yeast to a large mixing bowl.

    A bowl of bread dough

    In a measuring cup, measure out the flour and mix in the salt. One cup at a time, start incorporating the flour into the yeast mixture in the large bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon. 

    Two hands kneading dough

    Once all the flour is added, move the mixture onto a clean, flour dusted surface. Using your hands, knead kneading the mixture with your hands for at least 20 minutes or until it no longer sticks to your hands (adding more four if needed).

    Prep a large bowl with nonstick spray or olive oil, transfer the dough into the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours. 

    When the dough is almost fully rested, beat together the egg white and water and prep your work surface. Return the dough to your flour dusted work space and divide into two balls. Roll the balls into loaves about 1 foot in length.

    Two loaves of bread dough

    Prep a parchment lined baking sheet by dusting with flour and place the loaves on top of the flour. Using a knife, slash into the tops of the loaves before brushing lightly with the egg white mixture. 

    Next, set some water to boil in an oven safe skillet. Once it's boiling, add it to the bottom rack in your oven. Place the pan with your loaves of bread on the middle rack and set the oven to 400 degrees and allow the bread to bake as the oven comes to temperature.  Set your timer to 30-35 minutes (or until golden brown all around).

    Hint: in Puerto Rico it's very traditional to use cornmeal instead of flour to prevent sticking. If you have cornmeal in your pantry, definitely use it! I left it out because I didn't want to buy an extra ingredient when using the combination of parchment + flour does the trick. Use what you have!

    A slice of homemade bread with butter

    What to Eat with Water Bread

    Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy with pan de agua:

    • In a Cuban - this bread is essentially made for a Cuban sandwich. BRB, running to go make one immediately.
    • Fresh out of the oven - freshly baked bread straight from the oven is a luxury we enjoy far too little in life. Please do not hesitate to grab a bit of butter and have a moment with your bread.
    • With picadillo (recipe coming soon!) - if you're familiar with Caribbean food, you know all about picadillo. This deliciously seasoned beef is excellent paired with pan de agua.

    If you love picadillo like me, make sure to subscribe to my email list so you don't miss my recipe when it comes out next month!

    Water bread on a white table

    Tools & Tips

    Here's are some tools & tips to help make this recipe a breeze:

    • Start early - because this bread takes 2 hours to rise and another 30+ to bake, it's a good idea to get your yeast proofing as early as possible. This way you can enjoy your pan de agua all day!
    • Be patient - if you've ever kneaded bread before, you know it can feel like you've spent an eternity doing it. 10-15 minutes of kneading can feel like forever, so put some music on and enjoy the process!
    • Have 2 large mixing bowls clean and ready to go - I don't know about you but if I don't plan ahead, my bowls will all be dirty right at the moment I'm ready to start making this recipe. So don't be like me, check ahead to make sure you've got 2 large mixing bowls ready to go! I love using these pyrex bowls that come with lids.
    • Storage - pan de agua can keep for up to a week if stored correctly. It really is best enjoyed fresh.
    • Make it vegan - use a bit of olive oil instead of egg whites for the egg wash as a plant based alternative.

    Happy cooking!

    the name Salima
    Print

    Pan de Agua (Water Bread)

    A plate of pan de agua with butter
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

    Pan de Agua (also known as water bread) is a popular bread in the Caribbean. It's easy to make and perfect for sandwiches or served warm with a dab of butter. 

    • Author: Salima Benkhalti
    • Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
    • Cook Time: 35 minutes
    • Total Time: 3 hours
    • Yield: 2 loaves 1x
    • Category: side, appetizer
    • Method: baked
    • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin
    • Diet: Vegetarian

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 packet (2.5 tsp) active dry yeast
    • 2 cups warm water (for the yeast)
    • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
    • 5 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • ¼ cup flour for dusting the pan
    • 1 egg white (or 1 tsp olive oil)
    • 1 tbsp water

    Instructions

    1. Start by proofing the yeast. Mix together the sugar and warm water before gently mixing in the yeast. Set aside for 20 minutes or until it looks foamy and thick on the top layer. Transfer proofed yeast to a large mixing bowl.
    2. In a measuring cup, measure out the flour and mix in the salt. One cup at a time, start incorporating the flour into the yeast mixture in the large bowl, mixing with a wooden spoon.
    3. Once all the flour is added, move the mixture onto a clean, flour dusted surface. Using your hands, knead kneading the mixture with your hands for at least 20 minutes or until it no longer sticks to your hands (adding more four if needed).
    4. Prep a large bowl with nonstick spray or olive oil, transfer the dough into the bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
    5. When the dough is almost fully rested, beat together the egg white and water and prep your work surface. Return the dough to your flour dusted work space and divide into two balls. Roll the balls into loaves about 1 foot in length.
    6. Prep a parchment lined baking sheet by dusting with flour and place the loaves on top of the flour. Using a knife, slash into the tops of the loaves before brushing lightly with the egg white mixture.
    7. Next, set some water to boil in an oven safe skillet. Once it's boiling, add it to the bottom rack in your oven. Place the pan with your loaves of bread on the middle rack and set the oven to 400 degrees and allow the bread to bake as the oven comes to temperature.  Set your timer to 30-35 minutes (or until golden brown all around).

    Keywords: pan de agua, water bread

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    Reader Interactions

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      If you tried this recipe and loved it, please consider leaving a star rating and comment. Your reviews help other readers to discover my recipes. Your support means more than you know to me!

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      Comments

    1. Steve

      February 28, 2022 at 8:51 am

      As a bread novice I felt pretty great about my end result! This bread was perfect for sandwich making.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Salima Benkhalti

        February 28, 2022 at 9:05 am

        I felt the same way. Here's to more experimenting with bread in 2022!

        Reply

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