Pan de Agua, the Dominican daily bread

Light, crusty outside, soft inside. Pan de Agua is everyday bread in the Dominican Republic. You see it at breakfast with queso de hoja, at lunch in quick sandwiches, and again at night for a warm tostada. Simple dough, a hot oven, and steam give it a clean crackle and a tender crumb.

What makes it Pan de Agua

It is a straightforward white bread: flour, water, yeast, salt, and a little sugar. Our house recipe adds butter for a softer bite while keeping the crust thin and crisp.

Home recipe with butter

Ingredients

• 500 g bread flour

• 315 g warm water

• 30 g unsalted butter, softened

• 8 g fine salt

• 8 g sugar

• 6 g instant yeast

• Ice cubes or a cup of hot water for steam

If using salted butter, reduce the salt to 6 g.

Method

1. In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the water and stir until no dry spots remain. Rest 10 minutes.

2. Knead 3 minutes. Add the softened butter in small pieces. Knead 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky.

3. Cover and rise until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.

4. Turn the dough out. For connected rolls, divide into 6 pieces and place them close so they touch. For small batons, make 2 loaves.

5. Proof 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy.

6. Heat the oven to 230°C. Put a metal tray on the bottom rack for steam.

7. Score each piece with one clean slash. Bake on the middle rack. Pour a cup of hot water or a handful of ice into the hot tray to steam.

8. Bake 18 to 23 minutes, until deep golden. Crack the door for the last 1 to 2 minutes to dry the crust. Cool 20 minutes.
   

Tips that help

• Add butter after the dough comes together to keep the texture light.

• For hand kneading, smear and fold to work in the butter without tearing the dough.

• If your oven is small, mist the loaves just before baking and again at minute 3.

How to shape connected rolls

1. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Keep sizes even so they bake uniformly.

2. Pre-shape each piece into a tight ball. Rest 10 minutes to relax the gluten.

3. Flatten one ball into a short oval. Roll it into a 14 to 16 cm log, sealing the seam with the heel of your hand.

4. Place logs seam side down on parchment, about 1 cm apart so they touch as they proof.

5. Cover and proof until puffy and slightly wobbly, about 30 to 45 minutes.

6. Dust off extra flour. Score one clean slash on each log right before baking for controlled oven spring.

Shaping cues

• The surface should look smooth and tight. If it wrinkles when you lift it, give it a gentle re-roll to build tension.

• Keeping pieces close gives that classic pull-apart look.

Baking abroad

In Tokyo, look for bread flour labeled 強力粉. Ovens run small, so bake 4 rolls at a time and repeat. Unsalted butter gives more control. If you only have salted, use the salt adjustment above.

History and culture

Pan de Agua took cues from European steam-baked loaves and settled into Dominican daily life through local bakeries and colmados. The method stays simple and adaptable: lean dough, high heat, and a burst of steam. In the Dominican Republic you often see small rolls set close so they pull apart at the table. In nearby islands the shape can run longer and thinner, but the idea holds. It is everyday bread meant to be eaten fresh.

Storage

Best the day it is baked. Keep in a paper bag inside a loose plastic bag to protect the crust. Reheat at 180°C for 5 to 7 minutes. Freeze up to one month and reheat from frozen at 180°C for 10 to 12 minutes.

I will add a recipe soon for making a Dominican sandwich with Pan de Agua and Chinolita.