Ochios: A Regional Bread from Spain

I’ve made egg dough, and I’ve made dough with oil. Ochíos, a regional bread from Spain, use both and I’m pretty sure I’ve never kneaded a softer, more silky dough. Not that my sample size is very large. I’m not a big bread maker, aside from flatbreads and pizza dough. That’s why I’m exploring the art of breadmaking this year.

The bright green olive oil from Úbeda was used to make my first ochíos. We travelled there with a friend after Christmas. Úbeda is located in the province of Jaén in the autonomous region of Andalucía. In addition to the white washed, narrow streets, the region is renowned for its olive oil and other agricultural products. People were living in the Guadalquivir River valley before recorded history.

Olive oil has been the source wealth for the region dating to the days of the Carthaginians. The area was part of the Caliphate of Córdoba during the time of the Moors and the place names reflect the original Arabic names. After the Reconquista the towns of Úbeda and Baeza followed the Renaissance style to rebuild their cities. There are gorgeous examples of the architectural style demonstrated in palacios throughout the city including the remarkably well preserved Plaza Vázquez de Molina which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003. Fortunately, many older sites have been preserved as well. Part of the old city wall is still intact, as are parts of the old Jewish Quarter and homes built in the Moorish style.

Photo from Pixabay

Our trip only lasted a few days, unfortunately. In between sightseeing and walking from one marvel to the next, up and down hills and through narrow streets, we refreshed ourselves frequently. I have to say, the tapas we were served in Úbeda were some of the better ones we’ve had in Spain, and they got more elaborate each time we ordered another drink. The variety was amazing and there were more vegetable based tapas than we usually get in Valladolid, which made me happy.

We were served ochíos on several occasions. The ochíos themselves were small, like a slider roll, although the bread is spongy rather than bun like. My favorites were a bold orange-red from the smoky paprika and oil brushed on before baking, others were adorned with sesame seeds. We were served ochíos stuffed with jamón, and an egg and spinach mix called revueltos. There are sweet varieties as well, although I didn’t get to try any.

Lots of tapas available on the Calle Real.

To make my first batch I had to cobble a few recipes together from various Spanish websites. As you can imagine, there are lots of regional breads in Spain and many recipes for panes de aceite, which are flatter loaves due to the amount of oil, but not many for ochíos.

One recipe used a stand mixer with a dough hook and the other kneaded the dough by hand to make a sweet version of ochíos. I cut the recipe in half and since I used Spanish recipes, the measurements were in metric. I’ve converted them for you, but it was really simple to just measure everything using a scale.

The scale was also used to measure the dough into portions. The recipe calls for 80 gram portions (about 3 ounces). For those without a scale the resulting dough balls were about the size of a lemon.

Both recipes I consulted added fennel seeds (anís) to the mix. I left them out.

Ochios: A Regional Bread from Spain

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: 10

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm (not hot) water (250 ml)
• ½ cup high quality extra virgin olive oil (125 ml)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 25 grams fresh yeast (equivalent to a packet of active dry yeast)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading (500 grams)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

To top the ochíos:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt

To fill the ochíos

• Your choice: jamón, cheese, tuna, eggs, hummus, etc

Instructions

• Dissolve the yeast and water and let stand 10 minutes. It should be bubbly.
• In a large mixing bowl, measure the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add the egg, olive oil, lemon juice and the yeast.
• Bring the flour from the sides towards the center and mix everything together until the dough comes together into a mass.
• Lightly flour your work surface, then turn out the dough and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, about ten minutes.
• Give the mixing bowl a quick wash and dry, then add about a tablespoon of oil to the bottom. Add the kneaded dough and turn the ball in the oil to coat it all over. Cover the bowl with a towel and set it aside to allow the dough to rise until doubled, between 45 - 90 minutes.
• After it has risen, punch the dough down, then divide it into 80-gram portions. Form these into small rolls and transfer them to baking trays that have been lined with parchment paper. Give them a little pat to flatten them out slightly.
• Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
• Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of sweet or smoky paprika in a small bowl and brush it on the ochíos. Sprinkle each one with a little coarse salt. Cover the tray and let stand for 20 minutes while the oven heats.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Allow the ochíos to cool, then slice, fill and serve.

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I enjoyed making the ochíos and would make them again. Since making these is part of my Year of Bread I want to note that while mine were flavorful they were nowhere near as light and spongy as the ones we had in Úbeda. I suspect I will need to tweak the amounts of oil and flour to get a less dense end product. If you’re a breadmaker and have some insight into the recipe, please let me know in the comments.