Bizcochos

Bizcochos are the Uruguayan take on laminated breakfast pastry, rooted in the great Italian and Spanish immigration of the late 19th and early 20th century. Every Uruguayan panadería (bakery) has a tray of bizcochos ready by 6 a.m., and the Sunday morning ritual is to walk to the bakery and buy a dozen — criollos (the basic flaky crescent made with lard or margarine), de grasa (slightly sweet), and de crema (filled with pastry cream). They are eaten with café con leche or mate, the Argentine-Uruguayan morning drink. The pastry is closer to a croissant in technique (laminated dough, layered fat) but distinct in shape and fat (lard, not butter, for the traditional criollos).

A small, pale-gold crescent, shattering into flakes at the first bite. The layers are distinct — dozens of them — laminated with lard (or butter in modern versions). The inside is soft and slightly hollow; the outside is crackly. Dunk it in café con leche; the pastry softens, the coffee stains it brown. Eat three; you cannot stop.

The dough is laminated (folded and rolled repeatedly with a fat layer between each fold), which creates the characteristic flaky layers — typically three folds, giving 27 layers. The fat must be cold when folded (otherwise it melts into the dough and the layers vanish). The pastries are baked hot (220°C) for maximum oven spring — the water in the dough turns to steam, separating the layers. A long, slow overnight proof in the fridge develops flavor.