Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gstrong white flour
- 10 ginstant yeast
- 60 gsugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1egg
- 200 mlwarm milk
- 80 gbutter, softened
Filling
- 350 gcooked ham, finely chopped
- 60 gbacon, chopped
- 2spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 tbspbutter
- black pepper
To glaze
- 1egg, beaten
Directions
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then add the egg and the warm milk and knead for 8 minutes.
- Work in the softened butter a piece at a time and knead for 5 minutes more, until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls cleanly from the bowl.
- Cover and prove for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until doubled.
- Chop the ham finely rather than dicing it. Large pieces tear the dough as you roll it up and leave gaps for the filling to escape through.
- Fry the bacon until its fat runs, add the spring onion and butter for a minute, then mix it all through the ham with plenty of black pepper and let it cool completely.
- Knock the dough back and roll it out into one large circle, then cut it into 12 wedges as you would a pizza.
- Lay a line of filling along the wide end of each wedge and roll it up towards the point, then curve the two ends inwards to make a crescent.
- Set them on lined trays with the point tucked underneath, so they cannot unroll as they prove, and leave them 45 minutes.
- Brush all over with beaten egg.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, until deep golden all over.
- Eat them warm for breakfast with a café con leche, which is how every Venezuelan panadería sells them.
Technique
- Point tucked under. It is a small thing and it is the difference between a crescent and an unrolled sheet of dough.
- The dough is enriched and soft rather than crisp. A cachito should tear, not shatter.
- They became a fixture through the Portuguese-run bakeries that multiplied in Caracas after Madeiran and Canarian migration in the mid-twentieth century.
Substitutions
- Mortadella in place of ham, which is the cheaper everyday filling.
- Milk powder whisked into the milk for a richer crumb.
Variations
- With cheese alongside the ham, sold as cachito mixto.
- Brushed with sugar syrup straight from the oven for a sweet finish.
- Made as one large loaf and cut into slices.
History
A staple of Venezuela’s Portuguese-run bakeries, which multiplied after Madeiran and Canarian migration to Caracas in the mid-20th century.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cachito?
Cachito is a bread & pastry from Venezuela: soft crescent roll stuffed with chopped ham, eaten at breakfast. A staple of Venezuela’s Portuguese-run bakeries, which multiplied after Madeiran and Canarian migration to Caracas in the mid-20th century.
How long does Cachito take to make?
Cachito takes 30 min plus 2 hr 15 min rising of preparation and 18 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 rolls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cachito?
Yes, within limits. Mortadella in place of ham, which is the cheaper everyday filling. Milk powder whisked into the milk for a richer crumb.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cachito?
Chop the ham finely rather than dicing it. Large pieces tear the dough as you roll it up and leave gaps for the filling to escape through.
