Pan Chuta

Dissolve the baker’s yeast in the water. Mix briefly with the flour to form a firm dough (do not knead; some flour may still be visible).

Dough temperature: 24°C

Cover and leave to proof at room temperature for 12–16 hours.

Note: Biga is a firm Italian-style pre-dough with a hydration of about 140–160%. A short mixing time is important so that the flour remains slightly visible.

Dissolve the sugar and milk powder in the water. Mix wheat flour, water-sugar-milk powder mixture, yeast, eggs, biga, rum and herbs (aniseed and cinnamon) together in the kneading machine. After 3 minutes, add the butter, then the salt towards the end of the mixing time and knead the dough until a nice gluten structure is formed.

Dough temperature: 24°C
Proofing: 90 minutes

Weigh dough pieces at 600 g each. Round them and then flatten evenly to about 30 cm in diameter.

Dust with whole wheat flour and allow to proof well. Using a sharp cutter, score a bird motif (scratch pattern) on the surface. Bake in a moderately pre-steamed oven. Halfway through baking, open the vent and finish baking the loaves until lightly brown.

Pan Chuta is a traditional specialty bread from the Peruvian Andes. It is characterized by its flat, round shape, subtle sweetness, and distinctive aroma of anise and cinnamon. The artistic surface scoring resembles the famous Nazca Lines — enormous geoglyphs in the Nazca and Palpa deserts. Traditionally, Pan Chuta is baked in wood-fired ovens using eucalyptus wood, which imparts its unique flavor to the bread.