Pan de Campo or Cowboy Bread!

Pan de Campo or Cowboy Bread! 

Tonight I tried another bakery. And this time, Pan de Campo, the Offical State Bread of Texas. I have tried to find some special foods for the region where my daughter will be living from the fall. Pan de Campo is also called, Cowboy Bread. The recipe reminds me of the campfire bread I used to make growing up in Norway. I would prepare the dough and bring and wire round a stick and grill over the campfire. And I guess that is what it basically is, campfire bread. However I made it at home in my kitchen and in a regular oven tonight. And I also cut it in nice shapes a way the "cowboys" probably didn´t. Looking at pictures I see they can be made in many shapes and forms, and often outside on a grill with charcoals, or in a dutch oven or a oldfashion baking oven of stone and fired with wood, like a pizza oven or a oldfashioned swedish baking oven. Anyways I thought I will just use some creative freedom here. It can also be served in many different ways. And tonight I made it with a little Norwegian twist with some slices of Gudbrandsdalsost (Norwegian Brown Cheese made from cow and goat milk) and some fresh cut strawberries on top since I had no jam. It could just be served with butter and jam. It can also be eaten with fried eggs and bacon and I did that for lunch today. 

Pan de Campo Recipe

From down in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas where pan de campo is very popular.

Valley-style Pan de Campo

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup shortening

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

hot water

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening. Add just enough hot water to make a thick dough. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead two to three minutes or until smooth. Don't overwork it. 

Divide the dough into two portions. Let it rest covered with a damp cloth for 15 to 20 minutes.

Form into rounds and bake. (Here it's up to you as to the form of baking used, Dutch oven or conventional oven. Conventional oven should be about 175 Celsius degrees (350F degrees). Bake until golden brown.