Marraqueta is a popular South American bread, similar to French bread, that is hard and crunchy on the outside but soft and airy on the inside. It is widely eaten in Chile and can be found in other South American countries. The bread is made from a simple mixture of flour, salt, sugar, water, yeast, and a little oil, and is often eaten with meals or dipped in a condiment called pebre. The process of making marraqueta requires precise measurements and procedures, but is not difficult.
A popular style of bread in South America is called marraqueta, which is a version of the French bread known as sous brot that comes from the Alsace region of France. Hard and crunchy on the outside but soft and airy on the inside, this bread is also known as pan Frances, French bread or pan batido, kneaded bread. It’s a simple mixture of flour, salt, sugar, water, yeast, and a little oil, though learning how to make distinctive-looking square sections correctly will require precision and perhaps some practice.
Marraqueta is a widely eaten bread in the country of Chile. It is eaten with meals, spread in butter or dipped in a condiment known as pebre, which is flavored with ingredients such as jalapeno and cilantro. This bread can also be found in other South American countries – from Argentina and Peru to Uruguay and Bolivia. A well-worn expression has even evolved around bread. According to the Cachando Chile website, when someone says “Nacio con la marraqueta bajo el brazo,” which means “born with a hard shot under their arm,” it means they have had a good life, similar to saying they were “born with a silver spoon in hand. ”
The process of making this bread isn’t difficult, but it does require precise measurements and procedures. For eight rolls, a common recipe uses a mixture of 4 cups (about 500 g) flour, 1 tsp. (about 5 g) of sugar, 1 tsp. (about 5 g) of salt, 1 tbsp. (about 15 ml) of oil, 1.25 cups (about 325 ml) of water and 1 tbsp. (about 15 g) of yeast. Before the dough can begin to take shape, using this recipe, the yeast and sugar should be mixed with 0.25 cup (about 60 mL) of water and set aside to ferment for at least five minutes.
The flour, oil, salt, yeast mixture and the rest of the water are then slowly combined in the bowl, using a mixer set to low speed. Without a mixer, cooks have to knead these ingredients together on a clean surface sprinkled with extra flour. After the ball of dough has rested and risen for an hour or more, it should be pressed flat and divided into 16 portions, for eight final pieces of four-section marraqueta.
The final preparations for the marraqueta take place on greased baking trays. By pressing two dough balls side by side, the pairs are flattened to create long flat loaves, which are set aside for another half hour to continue rising. With an oven heating to around 204°C, each roll is cut down the center of the two balls of dough, creating four even sections, which they then bake for at least 15 minutes.
Although French bread is similar to marraqueta, two main distinctions can be made. One is that French bread has egg in the dough. The other difference is that the marraqueta is quartered for easy dividing.
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