Marraquetas Chilean Bread or Pan Francés (French rolls) or Pan Batido (whipped bread) is the most classic Chilean bread.
Marraquetas are an everyday bread, not to be shared with guests, but always present on the family table. For breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Peter Reinhart: Baguettes published in his book “Crust and Crumb.” You need to start the day before, but the result is fantastic and authentic to the Chilean flavors.
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PinDescription
A fantastic yeasted bread.
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 2/3 cup cold water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- vegetable oil spray
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, brown sugar, and yeast in the bowl of the mixer or bread machine or mixer. Add water and mix until it forms a ball. Dump onto a floured counter and knead vigorously for 10 minutes. Place in a clean bowl, drizzle with vegetable oil and cover the bowl and let rise for 30 minutes. Knead gently into a ball and let rest 90 minutes or more in the bowl until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into six equal portions and make balls with them. Sprinkle lightly with vegetable oil spray, put them in a large Ziploc bag and let stand 30 minutes.
- Prepare two baking sheets, cover with parchment paper, spray with vegetable oil and cover with semolina or cornmeal.
- To shape the Marraquetas: Make a ball and stretch very gently by hand, trying to make an oblong shape. With a wooden or metal rod (the handle of wooden spoon works, for example) make a cross. Then again sprayed with vegetable oil spray and place in prepared sheet, put them in the plastic bag and let them grow for 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.
- The day after taking from the refrigerator must have grown between 50-75% of its original size, let it stand 1 hour at room temperature. Remove from the bag 15 minutes before placing them in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 475F or 245C with a pizza stone inside. Put an empty pie pan on the oven floor. Put 1 cup of hot water into the pie pan. Put the Marraquetas in the oven over the stone, leaving the parchment paper. Sprinkle the loaves of bread and the oven walls with water slightly. Repeat 2 minutes later. And then one minute later. Reduce oven temperature to 450F o230C.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan. Continue baking 10 minutes or until well browned. Turn off the oven and leave in for 5-10 minutes, until they look dark and seem to not stand another minute in the oven.
- Remove and let stand on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Eat!
Keywords: marraquetas, chilean bread
Thanks! I will try this recipe.
Thank you Pilar for sharing. Wow! this bread takes a loooong time to make. But I know it’s worth it. I have to make it one day.
Viva Chile!
Yes, is slow, but very delicious.
No sabes cuánto detesto el pan acá en usa! Apenas tenga tiempo lo hago! A mi marido le encanta la cocina así que lo voy a tener haciendo pan más seguido con tu receta! Gracias!
Excelente!!! Nosotros hacemos todo el pan en casa.
Hola, Pilar, from Phoenix, Arizona, USA, in the Sonoran Desert,
As a retired recent septuagenarian I regularly rise about 3am 1)to avoid the searing Sonoran heat 2)to watch the Tour de France and 3)most importantly, to bake bead three days per week.
I regularly keep a 750g to 850g of two to three day old batch of sourdough going in the refrigerator. This morning was a bread day, and just before going to shape today’s loaf, I scanned the NPR news site. And there was an article ‘In Chile, ‘Marraqueta’ Is The Daily Bread’, (http://www.enmicocinahoy.cl/chilean-bread-marraquetas/ ) that made my decision for today’s loaf of bread. American expat Eileen Smith featured your recipe, (if she wasn’t a friend before, she should be by now.)
The batch of dough that I had going was for a simple Rustic, so I shaped it for Marraquetas. Fantastic! I have a new ‘go to’ bread… with slight modifications. I occasionally give a few younger neighbors freshly baked bread on weekend mornings. They will be getting a surprise this weekend.
I know these tips will change the nature of Marraquetas, but I find that the finished flavor and texture in Rustic Breads to be preferble: a)If you have a large enough roasting pan of some type, pre-heat it on the baking stone, then remove it just before sliding the bread in, spritzing the loaf with water, then quickly cover the loaf with the inverted roasting pan (approximates the Dutch Oven method) for that toothsome, crackly crust that I can clearly see in your very scrumptious photograph, and promotes the custardy crumb development. b)Start the bake at 450F, ten minutes in drop the temperature to 375F, then 20 minutes in remove the roasting pan to finish the browning of the crust c)Add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid (sour salt) for additional tanginess in flavor… I know! Not authentic! But I have been a sourdough afficianado since my first visit to San Francisco in 1969. Diastatic Malt can also finishthe loaf with a gorgeous golden sheen…. more apostasy, I know; but it’s all in search of the Perfect Loaf.
Thank you for your blog and this post. I shall be revisiting for more South American delights.
Thanks Richard for sharing here. I love all breads and I will be trying your variations.
Gracias Pilar por tu receta ,hace mucho tiempo yo quería saber cómo hacerlas ,pero ahora voy a tratar,hago pan amasado pero mi favorito siempre ha sido y será la marraqueta chilena ,
Suerte!
I love Chile. After spending 5 months here, I am looking forward to having a resource for all the Chilean foods I can’t get in the US and must make on my own!
Un Abrazo
Absolutely, I learn to cook because how much I miss the traditional food of my country. Abrazos,