These Medias Lunas Argentinas are a traditional breakfast pastry that are similar to Italian cornettos; a mix between croissants and brioche bread.
Why you will love this recipe
If you have patience to make these pastries, your taste buds will be rewarded with a sweet, fluffy and tender delicacy.
Medialunas as they are also known, are a little sweeter than a croissant and have a more elastic crumb.
I first tried medialunas during a visit to Argentina in 2010 and have loved them ever since!
Medialunas are a common breakfast among locals because Argentinian love a sweet breakfast.
Ingredients
- Flour: For this recipe you will need all purpose flour. The flour should have a medium protein content (11.7%) or the rolling process will be difficult because the dough will pull in.
- Sugar: Medialunas have a higher ratio of sugar than croissants which make them sweeter. They are also brushed with a sugar syrup that adds shine to the finished pastry.
- Yeast: I used instant yeast for this recipe but I will list the different options in the recipe card.
- Milk: This will help us incorporate all the dry and wet ingredients. Adding milk in baked goods makes them softer.
- Butter: Lots of butter go into this recipe. You will need butter to make the dough and butter to create the layers (laminate) in the pastry.
- water and salt: this are basic ingredients in the dough that help with flavor and texture.
Step by step instructions
This recipe is based on this YouTube video. Mi Receta de Pan recipes have always worked for me and this one was no exception.
The instructions are in Spanish but the video is detailed and easy to follow if you want to watch the video.
Make sure to measure out all your ingredients before you start the process, it will make it easier.
Test the yeast
Start by testing your yeast. This recipe is time consuming and a lot of ingredients go into it. If your yeast is not good, everything will go to waste.
To test your yeast add some of the sugar and milk that the recipe calls for in a glass and add the yeast. Mix with a wooden spoon and wait 10-15 mins until it starts to foam.
If the yeast does not grow and foam, that means is old and needs to be tossed.
Mix wet ingredients
Once you do the yeast test, add your west ingredients to a blender until they are well combined.
Mix the flour and knead
Add the flour and the rest of dry ingredients and mix until you form a dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes by hand or for 5 minutes in a stand up mixer with a dough hook attachment at speed 4.
Rest the dough
In order to have the yeast act and develop, you need to rest the dough for 1 hour in the fridge or ideally overnight.
Add the butter layer
We will form a butter paste of the size of the rolled out dough and encase the butter in the dough.
After that we will roll out the dough and fold it, let it rest and then repeat the process once more.
Roll out the dough and cut the medialunas
The next step is to roll out the dough into a rectangle with a narrow side of about 10-11 inches and cut it into triangles to form the medialunas.
Once rolled the dough should be about ¼ inch thick.
Shape the triangle cuts like you'd roll a croissant and pinch the edges.
Proofing
After shaping the medialunas, we will let them proof until they double in size and are wiggly.
Brush with egg wash.
Bake
Bake the medialunas until golden brown and brush them with the honey syrup.
What to serve with Medialunas
In Argentina, medialunas and facturas (pastries) are served usually for breakfast.
You can enjoy medialunas with your favorite jam or dulce de Leche.
They are delicious any time of the day and are perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of coffee or tea.
Medialunas Argentina
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 560 grams All purpose flour 11.7% protein content
- 225 ml Water cold
- 95 ml Milk cold
- 8 grams Instant active yeast
- 10 grams Salt
- 80 grams Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 30 grams Butter for the dough
- 225 grams Butter For the lamination process
- 1 egg for brushing the medialunas
Instructions
- In a glass cup add the yeast, milk, a tablespoon of sugar and a tablespoon of the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon.95 ml Milk, 8 grams Instant active yeast
- Let the yeast foam for about 15 minutes.
- Into a blender add the yeast mixture, egg, the rest of the sugar, salt, 30 grams of butter and water.225 ml Water, 80 grams Sugar, 1 Egg, 30 grams Butter, 10 grams Salt
- In a bowl add the mix of wet ingredients and with a spatula add the flour until you form a shaggy dough.560 grams All purpose flour
- Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes.
- Alternatively you can use a stand up mixer with the hook attachment and mix the wet ingredient blended mixture and the flour and knead at speed 4 for about 5 minutes.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour in the fridge or overnight.
- Cut the butter into 1 inch squares and place it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Gently roll it out until you form a flat square of butter about 8 inches per side. Chill it in the fridge for about 20 minutes.225 grams Butter
- Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it into a rectangle of about 8x16 inches.
- Place the square of butter in one side of the rolled out dough. It should cover ⅔ of the rolled out though lengthwise.
- Sealed the butter with the remaining ⅓ of dough by folding it over to the middle. Fold the other side over so the butter block is complete encased.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees and continue rolling lengthwise. Fold the dough as a letter by folding the corners in ⅓ to meet in the center and then fold over one more time. This is know as the double fold or business letter fold.
- If you feel like the dough is getting too warm, place in the fridge for 20 minutes before you continue working. If the dough is too warm your butter will melt.
- Turn the dough 90 degrees and continue rolling lengthwise. Now fold the dough bringing one side to the center and folding the other side on top.
- If you feel like the dough is getting too warm, place in the fridge for 20 minutes before you continue working.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle with a narrow side about 10-11 inches long and about ¼ inch thick .
- Trim the edges about ¼" all the way around. This removes the folded edges that would prevent the dough’s rise.
- Cut the dough in thirds lengthwise and in half down the center. This will give you six 4" x 9" pieces. Cut these pieces in half diagonally to form triangles that have 2 equal long sides and a narrow base.
- Stretch them gently to make them a little longer, then cut a 1" notch in the center of the base of each triangle with a pizza cutter.
- Roll the triangles toward the tip with a V motion of the hands. Make sure the tip ends up under the bottom of the medialunas. Brush with egg wash.
- Place them in a baking sheet and proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes until doubled in size.
- Bake at 420 Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes until the medialunas are golden brown.
- Brush with a simple syrup of equal parts sugar, water and honey.
- Serve with your favorite jam or dulce de leche.
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