Bizcochos

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gstrong white flour
• 10 gdried yeast
• 60 gsugar
• 10 gsalt
• 250 mlwarm milk
• 2eggs
• 50 gbutter, softened

To laminate

• 250 glard, or butter, at room temperature

To finish

• 1egg, beaten
• sugar syrup, made from 100 g sugar and 60 ml water
• quince paste, dulce de leche or pastry cream, for filling

To serve

• by the dozen, with mate, at any hour

Directions

1. Butter is used in more modern bakeries and gives a richer, more croissant-like result. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then add the warm milk and eggs. Knead for eight to ten minutes until smooth and elastic, then work in the softened butter. Let it rise until doubled, about an hour and a half.
2. Wrap the risen dough and refrigerate it for at least two hours. The dough must be cold before laminating, since a warm dough lets the fat melt into it rather than staying in layers. Take the fat out of the fridge and beat it into a flat rectangle before you start. Roll the dough into a rectangle about three times the size of the fat block.
3. Lay the fat in the centre and fold the two ends of the dough over it, sealing the edges. Roll gently and evenly, since heavy pressure squeezes the fat through the dough. Refrigerate it for thirty minutes after each fold.
4. Roll the dough out to about half a centimetre and cut it into whatever shapes you are making. Cut with a sharp knife in a single stroke rather than dragging. Dragging or pressing seals the cut layers together and stops that edge rising.
5. Fill the ones that take a filling, and twist or roll the rest. Let the shaped pastries prove until visibly puffy, about an hour. Prove them somewhere cool rather than warm, since a warm room melts the fat out before they reach the oven. Do not overprove them, which collapses the layer structure.
6. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 200°C for fifteen to twenty minutes until deep golden. A hot oven is essential, since the fat must turn to steam quickly to push the layers apart.
7. Boil the sugar and water into a light syrup. Brush the sweet bizcochos with it the moment they come out of the oven. Brushing them hot lets the syrup set to a glaze rather than soaking in and going sticky. Serve them with mate, which is the point of them. They are best on the day they are made and they go soft by the next.

Technique

• They are a laminated yeasted dough, traditionally made with lard.
• Chilling between every fold is what keeps the layers distinct.
• The syrup glaze goes on while they are still hot from the oven.

Substitutions

• Butter in place of lard, for a richer more croissant-like pastry.
• Ready-made puff pastry, which is a considerable compromise.

Variations

• Cañones, filled with dulce de leche or pastry cream.
• Vigilantes, with quince paste.
• Savoury versions with ham and cheese.

History

Buttery bakery pastries bought by the dozen and eaten with mate at any hour of the day.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bizcochos?

Bizcochos is a bread & pastry from Uruguay: assorted small lard pastries taken with morning mate. Buttery bakery pastries bought by the dozen and eaten with mate at any hour of the day.

How long does Bizcochos take to make?

Bizcochos takes 1 hr plus 4 hr chilling of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 24. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Bizcochos?

Yes, within limits. Butter in place of lard, for a richer more croissant-like pastry. Ready-made puff pastry, which is a considerable compromise.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bizcochos?

Wrap the risen dough and refrigerate it for at least two hours. The dough must be cold before laminating, since a warm dough lets the fat melt into it rather than staying in layers. Take the fat out of the fridge and beat it into a flat rectangle before you start. Roll the dough into a rectangle about three times the size of the fat block.