Laufabrauð – Icelandic leaf bread - Untested

https://bake-street.com/en/laufabraud-icelandic-leaf-bread/?fbclid=IwAR2K2K_r1op52sxRx4-lMHx1N4Mt7y4q5L3fgNZZocDY_qflJqbbJnZnTKs

FOR THE DOUGH:

100 g whole milk
35 g water
12 g unsalted butter
170 g cake/pastry flour
50 g cornstarch
2 g baking powder
7 g sugar
2 g salt

FOR FRYING:

sunflower or olive oil

1. Sift the flour into a medium bowl, set aside.
2. Add the sugar together with the salt and the baking powder. Mix with the help of a spatula.
3. In a saucepan pour the milk together with the water and the butter. Place at medium heat and leave until the butter melts, but without boiling.
4. Remove from the heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Integrate the ingredients with the help of a spatula.
5. Begin to knead, amalgamate the dough with your hands.
6. Transfer to a clean work surface and start kneading. If, as you knead, you notice that the dough is very dry, you can add a few drops of water, but without exceeding ourselves. The dough should be slightly dry to the touch, but that allows us to manipulate it without cracking.
7. We will work the dough until it is homogeneous, practically smooth and the flour has been completely integrated. It will take about 5-7 minutes.
8. Cover with the bowl and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
9. Remove the film from the dough. Using a metal scraper or a sharp knife, divide the piece into 15, more or less equal, portions. While we work on each piece to stretch it, cover the rest with film to prevent it from drying out. This is very important.
10. Take one of the portions and stretch slightly with your fingertips.
11. Stretch the dough with a roller to a very thin, almost transparent thickness. We will stretch the dough very delicately to help achieve the desired diameter, this will be around 5,9-6,3 inches (15-16 cm).
12. Place a ring or plate on the dough and remove the excess with the help of a very sharp knife.
13. Take the piece and place it on a sheet of kitchen paper or waxed paper (if you have). Cover with another sheet of kitchen paper and then with a cloth.
14. Repeat the process with the rest of the pieces.
15. To decorate the leaf bread or laufabrauð, you use a utensil called laufabrauðsjárn. In my case I don't have it, so I used a blade. You could also use a very sharp knife.
16. Decorate the bread making cuts on the surface. You will appreciate this step much better in the video. We must always make pair cuts.
17. Once we have decorated one of the breads, place it again on a sheet of paper, cover it with another sheet and the cloth. Just like we did the first time.
18. Repeat the process with the rest of the breads.
19. Fill a medium saucepan with enough oil to be able to fry the breads and float.
20. Place at medium heat and let it reach a temperature of around 345ºF (175ºC).
21. This step will be quite fluid, we will go fast so I advise you to leave everything prepared.
22. Place several pieces of kitchen paper where we can drain the bread that we are taking out and a space to be able to go stacking the breads.
23. Prick the surface of the bread and put a bread in the pot and fry during few seconds by each side. As it is very fine, it will be cooked immediately, the ideal is that we are left with a light golden color.
24. Remove from the pot, drain and place on the kitchen paper.
25. Quickly and with the help of kitchen paper, press the surface to flatten and remove the excess oil.
26. Set aside and repeat the same process with the rest of the pieces.
27. Store in a tin container or enjoy.

• This bread is made with cake/pastry flour, that is to say, the same flour that we use to make biscuits, but without the addition of baking powder.
• We must knead very well to obtain a soft and elastic dough. In spite of the low amount of protein in the flour, we will obtain very good results. Remember that rest will help the protein hydrate and therefore facilitate kneading.
• If you wish, you can add ground caraway or anise to the dough, it will give it a very aromatic touch.
• The normal size of this bread is around 5,9-7 inches (15-18 cm) in diameter. In case you want to make it smaller, there is no problem. Just keep in mind that you will get more pieces.
• Be careful when stretching the dough so that it doesn't break. It is not as resistant as strudel, for example, because of the flour we used to make it.
• The cooking time is very low, with a few seconds per side will be ready. It is important that the oil is not too hot so that it does not burn the breads as soon as they are placed into the pot.
• We must not exceed in the cooking of the bread to prevent it from becoming very golden. In addition, if so, we run the risk of breaking it by pressing it with the board or hands with paper after frying them.
• They are kept in perfect condition for several weeks in a tin container.