Argentina

The dish

Medialunas de manteca are Argentina’s version of a croissant. They get brushed with a sugar glaze right out of the oven. I served them with a side of dulce de leche.

What we thought

These are soft, sweet, laminated rolls that are more bready than croissants. 4.5/5.

Ingredients and directions

Ingredients

Dough

• 3⅓ cups bread flour
• ⅔ cup lukewarm milk
• ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1¼ tsp instant yeast
• 1½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
• 3½ tbsp unsalted butter, softened (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Lamination, egg wash, and serving

• 13 tbsp high-fat unsalted butter (lamination
• 1 large egg + 2 tbsp water (egg wash)
• Dulce de leche, to serve (optional)

Heavy syrup

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

The night before

1. Whisk together the milk, yeast, sugar, and honey until dissolved.
2. Add the flour, whole egg, and yolk. Mix on low using a kneading attachment until a dough forms.
3. Cover the dough and rest 30 minutes.
4. Add the salt, softened butter, and vanilla then knead on medium 6–8 minutes until smooth and strong.
5. Shape into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly, and refrigerate overnight (12–16 hours). The dough should taste sweet and rich on its own.

When ready to finish

6. Place the cold lamination butter between two sheets of parchment then pound the butter until it’s a 6×6 inch square. You want the butter still cold but not hard. Refrigerate the butter for 10 minutes to stiffen it back up.
7. Roll the chilled dough into a 6×12 inch rectangle. Place the lamination butter block in the center. Fold the dough over the butter so they meet in the middle. Pinch the dough closed to the butter is inside.
8. Refrigerate the dough + butter combo for 10-15 minutes to firm up the butter again.
9. First Fold: Roll the dough into a long rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter). Wrap the dough up and freeze 15 minutes, then fridge 15 minutes. Do not let the butter warm up.
10. Second fold: Repeat the previous roll and letter-fold once more (roll to ¼ inch and then fold in thirds). Chill 30 minutes in freezer then in the fridge for 1 hour. Note that if you want these to be flakier, your can repeat the folding process 1-2 more times. Only 2 times makes the rolls cakier and less like a croissant.
11. Roll the dough into a long rectangle about 8 inches wide and slightly thicker than ⅛ inch. Try to make sure the dough doesn’t tear.
12. Cut the rectangle into short, wide triangles with a roughly 4–4.5 inch base. Stretch each triangle by the tip gently (don’t tear the dough), then roll the dough from the base to the tip. Curl the different ends inward (like a croissant). I’d also pinch the edges of the triangle to seal in the butter.
13. Place the rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets with the tips and sides nearly touching. Cover loosely and leave it at room temperature for 1–1.5 hours until puffy. I cooked mine too soon because I got tired of waiting. However, they’re ready when the dough jiggles when wiggling the baking sheet.

Bake

14. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
15. Make the egg wash by mixing the egg and water. Brush the risen medialunas with egg wash.
16. Bake 18–22 minutes until the rolls are a deep golden brown. Mine took 22 minutes.

• Sugar coating

17. While the rolls cook, make the sugar coating by combining the sugar, water, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer a few minutes until it thickens slightly. Remove from heat and keep warm while the rolls finish baking.
18. As soon as the rolls are removed from the oven, glaze immediately with the hot syrup.

Serve warm, with dulce de leche on the side if you like. You can make dulce de leche by boiling a can of condensed milk for 2.5 hours, keeping the can covered with water the whole time. Make sure you keep the can covered or it can blow up. Also, be careful opening the can as it will spray if still hot.