Argentine Medialunas (Butter Croissants)

Medialunas (“half moons”) are the breakfast and afternoon snack of Argentina and Uruguay, always with a café con leche. They’re cousins of the French croissant, but smaller, softer, sweeter, and glazed with a shiny sugar syrup. Making them at home takes chilling and rising time, but the actual work is modest and the result is worth it.

• Makes: 20 medialunas
• Prep time: 1 hour
• Chilling and rising: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Bake time: 18 minutes
• Total time: 3 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

• 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet, 7 g) active dry yeast
• 6 1/2 tablespoons (80 g) sugar
• 1 egg
• Scant 1 cup (220 ml) warm milk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 g) softened butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For laminating, glazing and syrup

• 14 tablespoons (200 g) cold butter
• 1 beaten egg, for brushing
• 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar and 1/2 cup (100 ml) water, for the syrup

Instructions

1. Make the dough. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and let stand 10 minutes until foamy. In a bowl, mix the flour, remaining sugar, salt and zest. Add the yeast mixture, egg, vanilla and soft butter. Knead 8 minutes until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the butter block. Place the cold butter between two sheets of parchment and pound it with a rolling pin into a 1/2-inch-thick square. It should be cold but pliable.
3. Enclose the butter. Roll the dough into a rectangle twice the size of the butter square. Place the butter in the center and fold the dough over it, sealing the edges.
4. Make 3 folds. Roll into a long rectangle and fold in thirds like a letter. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Chill 20 minutes. Do a third fold and chill 20 minutes more.
5. Shape. Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick into a rectangle about 10 inches wide. Cut into triangles with a 4-inch base. Make a small slit in the center of each base, roll up toward the tip, and curve the ends into a crescent.
6. Let rise. Place on buttered baking sheets, spaced apart, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
7. Bake. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush with beaten egg and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until deep golden.
8. Glaze. Meanwhile, boil the sugar and water for 3 minutes. Brush the hot syrup over the medialunas as soon as they come out of the oven.

Tips

• Keep everything cold: if the butter starts leaking while rolling, chill the dough 15 minutes. That’s the secret to flaky layers.
• For breakfast: shape them the night before, cover and refrigerate. In the morning, let them rise 1 hour at room temperature and bake.
• Filled medialunas: add a strip of ham and cheese, or a teaspoon of dulce de leche, at the base before rolling.

Leer esta receta en español: Medialunas de Manteca Caseras

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