19.12.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 324/26

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Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

(2008/C 324/12)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months from the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PAN DE CRUZ DE CIUDAD REAL’

EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0608-05.06.2007

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name

‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Spain

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Type of product

Class 2.4 — Bakery product

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The product covered by the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) is defined as a compact and dense loaf of bread made from wheat flour. It comes in the form of a bulging loaf, with a consistent, white crumb and a smooth crust. Two perpendicular cuts are made deep into the top of the crust in the shape of a cross, which gives the bread its name. The top of the loaf is also marked with the code corresponding to the registration number of the bakery that made the bread. The bottom of the loaf bears the PGI symbol or logo.

The bread has the following particular characteristics:

It is obtained from a hard dough made from wheat flour that has the following values: W between 140 and 200 and P/L between 0,5 and 1,0.

It is round and flat with a crust.

It has a thick crust of between one and two millimetres, which is smooth and crisp, golden to light brown in colour and which tastes of toasted cereal.

The crumb of the bread is white and its texture is smooth, spongy and consistent. It has no alveoles and looks like cotton.

The bread has the following organoleptic characteristics: the crumb has an intense cereal aroma with a pleasant and slightly sweet taste. The crust is smooth and crisp and tastes of toasted cereal. Under normal conditions of storage, the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ remains fit for consumption for six or seven days.

There is no mould, abnormal residue or any kind of foreign matter.

The maximum moisture of the crumb is 30 % and the acidity of the loaves is between pH 5 and 7.

The bread is put up in the form of large loaves (750-850 g), small loaves (550-650 g), one-pound loaves (310-410 g) and bread rolls (115-135 g).

3.3.   Raw materials (for processed products only)

Wheat flour with the following values: W between 140 and 200 and P/L between 0,5 and 1,0.

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

The bread covered by the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ PGI is made from only wheat flour, water, salt, natural yeast and authorised improvement agents and additives. The flour must have the following values: W between 140 and 200 and P/L between 0,5 and 1,0.

The average conversion rate is 110-125 kg of bread for every 100 kg of flour, depending on the weight of the loaves.

The bread covered by the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ Protected Geographical Indication is made following the steps set out below:

1.   Mixing

This is carried out using a dough mixer for as much time as is needed to obtain a homogenous dough, between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the type of machine used. It must be ensured that the dough does not leave the machine at a temperature above 24-25 °C.

2.   Refining or kneading

The dough is placed in a kneading machine, preferably one with slats, and put through the machine several times until a thin, elastic dough is obtained.

3.   Weighing

As it is artisanal bread, it is weighed using a volumetric measuring device, electronic scales or a divider. The weights of the dough, in grammes, needed for the different loaves are as follows: large loaf — between 900 g and 1 000 g; small loaf — between 660 and 760 g; one-pound loaf — between 370 and 470 g, and bread roll — between 150 and 180 g.

4.   Shaping

Shaping is carried out by hand, making the piece of dough into a rounded cone shape and ensuring that no residue sticks to it. It is then flattened into a circle and stretched with the aim of making the circle bigger by thinning the edges while ensuring that the centre remains taller.

5.   Rising

Once the bread is shaped, it is placed on a shelf covered with linen or a similar fabric at room temperature, where it begins to rise and a thin crust forms. The correct temperature of the rising room is between 26 and 30 °C and the correct relative humidity of the air in the rising room is between 40 and 45 %. Rising time varies between one hour twenty minutes and two hours twenty minutes, depending on the room temperature.

6.   Cutting

Cutting is also done by hand. Once the bread has risen, two perpendicular cuts are made in the top of the loaf in the shape of a cross. The other side or underside of the loaf is then marked with the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ PGI logo. The logo for the large and small loaves has a diameter of 6 cm while that of the one-pound loaves and rolls has a diameter of 4 cm. The bread is then rested for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the cut to take shape as the crust forms.

7.   Placing in the oven

The bread is placed top-side down on a peel and placed in the oven manually.

8.   Cooking or baking

This bread is baked in ovens equipped with heat-resistant bottoms and walls. Total cooking time is between 30 and 50 minutes. The temperature of the oven must be 250 °C for the first 15 minutes and it is then reduced to 200 °C for the remaining 15 to 35 minutes.

9.   Removal from the oven

The bread is removed from the oven using a peel and placed on trolleys with wooden shelves for airing and cooling. Once cooled, the loaves are ready for distribution.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

Loaves of bread covered by the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ PGI are placed on the market in packaging when this is required by the legislation in force.

If the bread is placed inside packaging, this is carried out in the production area, in order to maintain all the chemical, physical and organoleptic characteristics and thus ensure that it lasts longer.

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling

Loaves of bread covered by this geographical indication are marked and labelled for their correct identification in the following way:

The top of the bread is marked with two deep perpendicular cuts in the shape of a cross. The code corresponding to the registration number of the bakery that baked the bread is inserted into one of the quarters made by the cross, and a food-use label is inserted into another, including the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ PGI logo, the European PGI logo, the individual control number corresponding to the bread and the identity of the certifying body.

The underside of the bread bears the PGI symbol or logo made up of small holes in the crust.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

The area in which the bread under the ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ Protected Geographical Indication is made covers all towns in the province of Ciudad Real.

5.   Link with the geographical area

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area

The climate of the geographical area, in terms of temperature and humidity, usually allows the bread to rise at room temperature. In these conditions, the rising room has a temperature of between 26 and 30 °C and relative humidity of between 40 and 45 %.

The specific characteristics of the artisanal method of making ‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ bread, the reputation of which is well known, are as follows:

Shaping and cutting by hand, cutting a cross in the top of the bread, the mark made by holes on the underside and the break of 10 to 15 minutes before the bread is put in the oven with the crossed crust facing downwards.

5.2.   Specificity of the product

The bread comes in the form of a compact and dense loaf with a smooth, even, thick crust and a firm, white crumb that has an intense cereal aroma and a pleasant, slightly sweet taste.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

‘Pan de Cruz de Ciudad Real’ originates from the district of Calatrava in the province of Ciudad Real in the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha, and as such dates back to the period of the Order of the Knights of Calatrava in the thirteenth century.

The bread's reputation is linked historically to the living conditions of the inhabitants of this region in former times, who had to stay out in the fields for long periods of time. This fact, combined with the weather conditions of the time, meant that they had to have food that would last, could be easily stored and was nutritious.

Consequently, farm workers and shepherds in the area used to take this kind of bread with them when they stayed out in the fields for long periods of time. For the same reasons it was also used for military logistics by the knights of Calatrava during the Reconquest of Spain. This bread later came to be used in other ways: it was either eaten directly in certain dishes and stews or served as an accompaniment to other dishes. In this way, its use spread to other areas of the province of Ciudad Real.

The long-standing reputation of the quality of the ‘Pan de Cruz’ bread has been maintained through the basic tradition of artisanal baking in manufacturing bakeries. Consequently, this regional bread, for which there is a long-established demand in the Ciudad Real area, has been able to keep the characteristics that make it different and special.

Many regional dishes historically made in the area over the years are still eaten today, and are prepared using ‘Pan de Cruz’ bread as the main ingredient. This shows how a product that is specific to the region's cuisine and exclusive to the province of Ciudad Real has been used in cooking for a long time, thus constituting a specific geographical link.

The ‘Pan de Cruz’ bread, which has been made in an artisanal way for centuries, was produced on a large scale during certain periods but later began to be eaten less. However, the renown and fame of this bread has led to it being eaten more nowadays. There is great consumer demand for this bread, both inside and outside the province, owing to the demand for good-quality regional produce.

The temperature and humidity of the geographical area are needed for the bread to rise at room temperature and for a thin crust to form. This does not require excessive heat but the bread must be cut and placed in the oven in the particular ways set out above in order to obtain the specific and different characteristics set out under point 5.2.

The bread-making method has been developed over centuries of traditional baking.

The main feature of the specific way in which the bread is made, for the most part on an artisanal basis, is that of making cuts in the shape of a cross, which prevents the crust from bursting during baking. Similarly, the way in which the bread rises is adapted to the humidity and temperature conditions of the region.

Reference to publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)

http://www.jccm.es/cgi-bin/docm.php3

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(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

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