Pan de Agua (Water Bread)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together lukewarm water, sugar and yeast. Cover and allow mixture to rest in a warm place until the top is foamy, around 20 minutes. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt.
3. Gradually stir flour into the yeast mixture until a smooth dough forms.
4. With both hands, knead dough for around 10 minutes, until elastic but not sticky.
5. Shape dough into a ball. 
6. Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place dough in the bowl. Cover and let dough rise in a warm place for 1½–2 hours, until it doubles in size.
7. Uncover dough and punch down. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 2 equal portions.
8. Shape each portion into a long loaf, measuring around 12 inches long. 
9. Dust a large baking sheet with cornmeal or flour and arrange both loaves on the sheet. With a sharp knife, make several diagonal slashes along the top of each loaf.
10. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites with water. Brush tops of the loaves with egg mixture. 
11. Place loaves in the center of an unheated oven. Fill a shallow baking pan with boiling water and place pan on an oven rack directly below bread.
12. Let bread rest in the cold oven for 10 minutes.
13. Turn oven on and heat to 400°F.
14. Bake bread for 35 minutes until loaves are golden.
15. Remove pan de agua from oven and serve warm with fresh butter.