Pan con Timba
(pahn kohn teem-bah)
Almuerzo y La Merienda (The Midday Fuel & The 3 PM Pick-Me-Up)
If you want to know what a Cuban childhood tastes like, look no further than this working-class masterpiece. In 1874, laborers building the island's first railway noticed their dark, homemade slabs of guava paste resembled the tar-coated 'timber' ties they laid all day. The English engineers jokingly called it bread with timber; the locals phoneticized it to 'timba,' and the name stuck. Grandmothers eventually added a thick slice of cheese whenever the family had a few extra pesos. You can eat it cold as you run out the door, but the real magic happens on a hot griddle. Butter, salt, and a heavy press transform these humble ingredients into a shatteringly crisp, molten, sweet-savory revelation. It takes five minutes, uses basic supermarket staples, and tastes exactly like coming home.
Before you start
Slicing the Guava
Guava paste is notoriously sticky. If you are struggling to slice it cleanly, run your knife under hot water and wipe it dry before cutting.
Ingredients
- soft French loaf or hero rolls1 small
- guava paste4 oz
- Swiss cheese or queso blanco4 oz
- salted butter2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Layer the cheese slices onto the bottom half of the bread.
Laying the cheese down first creates a barrier that protects the bread from getting soggy once the hot guava begins to melt.
- 02
Top the cheese with the sliced guava paste and press the sandwich closed.
- 03
Generously spread the softened butter over the entire top and bottom exterior crusts.
The salt in the butter isn't just for achieving a golden crust; it is absolutely essential to balance out the intense, floral sweetness of the guava inside.
- 04
Place the sandwich in a skillet over medium heat and weigh it down.
If you don't own a panini press or a traditional plancha, simply lay a heavy cast-iron skillet or a foil-wrapped brick directly on top of the sandwich to press it flat.
- 05
Toast for 3 to 4 minutes until deeply golden brown, then carefully flip and repeat.
You are looking for a shatteringly crisp exterior and a molten interior where the cheese oozes directly into the warm, jammy guava.
- 06
Remove from the heat, slice in half on a sharp diagonal, and serve immediately.
A hot cup of café con leche or an ice-cold glass of milk is mandatory here.
Notes
The Bread Workaround
If you live miles from a Cuban bakery, don't stress over finding authentic Pan Cubano. A soft supermarket French loaf or even sweet Hawaiian rolls (to mimic Pan Medianoche) will press beautifully and hit the exact nostalgic notes you want.
Guava Paste vs. Jelly
Make sure you buy 'dulce de guayaba en barra'—the dense, sliceable block sold in tins or plastic wrap in the Hispanic aisle. Guava jelly or jam will melt into a disastrous liquid mess under the heat of the press.
From Cook Cuban in America.