Marraqueta, also known as pan batido, pan francés, or pan corriente, is a type of bread that is very popular in Chile. It is a traditional Chilean bread with a unique texture and flavor and is a staple in the Chilean diet.
You must start making them the day before, but the result is fantastic and authentic to Chilean flavors.
Marraqueta’s outer layer is usually golden brown and crispy, providing a satisfying crunch when you bite into it. The inside is soft, fluffy, and slightly chewy (la miga), making it perfect for various uses, such as making sandwiches or enjoying with butter and jam. They are typically elongated and have a characteristic split down the middle, allowing easy separation into two halves. This split is made with a unique technique that helps the bread rise while baking correctly.
Marraquetas are commonly enjoyed for breakfast or as a part of traditional Chilean meals. Pan Batido is often used to make a homey Completo, a popular Chilean hot dog with avocado, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, tomatoes, or Choripán
a famous Chilean sandwich consisting of a grilled chorizo sausage served on crusty bread.
In Chile, bakeries and supermarkets sell freshly made marraquetas daily or frozen par-bake to finish baking at home and enjoy fresh from the oven. Chilean marraquetas are an essential part of the country’s culinary culture, and their unique taste and texture make them mandatory at Once with family and friends.
Marraquetas is an everyday bread not shared with guests but is always on the family table for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner.
Marraquetas, Chilean Bread
A fantastic yeasted bread.
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6
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 mixer, bread machine, or mixer bowl. 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, cover the bowl, and let rise for 30 minutes. Knead gently into a ball and 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 for 30 minutes.
- Prepare two baking sheets, cover them with parchment paper, spray them with vegetable oil, and coat them with semolina or cornmeal.
- To shape the Maraquetas, Make a ball and stretch gently by hand, trying to make an oblong shape. Make a cross with a wooden or metal rod (the handle of a wooden spoon works, for example). Then again, spray them with vegetable oil and place them on the prepared sheet. Put them in a plastic bag and let them grow for 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.
- The day after taking it from the refrigerator, it must have grown 50-75% of its original size. Let it stand for 1 hour at room temperature. Remove it from the bag 15 minutes before placing it in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 475F or 245C with a pizza stone inside. Place an empty pie pan on the oven floor. Add 1 cup of hot water to the pie pan. Place 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. Then, one minute later, reduce the oven temperature to 450F or 230C.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan. Continue baking for 10 minutes or until well browned. Turn off the oven and leave in for 5-10 minutes until they look dark and cannot stand another minute in the oven.
- Remove and let stand on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Eat!
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Peter Reinhart’s baguette published in his book Crust and Crumb.
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Hi Pilar,
Between the tabs, the URL bar, and the buttons on my browser, plus your persistent header, and the quick links to popular recipes which drop down as soon as I scroll down, I’m forced to read your site on only the bottom half of my laptop screen. It feels like peering through a keyhole to watch TV.
You might want to think about this. It doesn’t make me want to return to your site. By the way, if you email me, I’ll happily send you a screenshot.
All that said, the rest of the site looks very nice. I found your site doing a web search for marraquetas.
Cheers,
Kim G
Roma Sur, CDMX
Thanks for your feedback. I’m always trying stuff, especially at the beginning of the year. I will consider it.
To be fair, 90% of your audience is seeing this on a cellphone.
I’d definitely ignore anyone who takes the time to complain about a non-issue.
This is a really good recipe, btw! A basic modified baguette that’s shaped differently, and so tasty.
Thanks for commenting! Glad you like the marraquetas.
Hi Pilar,
I made your recipe but I did something wrong… the bread came out dense and hard. Do you know what I could have done wrong? I don’t have a stand mixer, so I did it by hand. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Kathryn,
I’m sorry to hear that, my first thought is either the yeast got killed (too hot water), or the rising was not as expected, and need it (kitchen too cold). This bread is as difficult as a baguette, and all the details are important.
Also is very difficult to do the dough right by hand.
I spent two years in Chile and I loved the bread there. Especially marraqueta. I searched the recipe and found this one. I was all excited to make it and I looked at the prep time and total time and it said two hours and I thought sweet I can do this in time for dinner. Then later in the recipe it says to leave refrigerated overnight. I love the recipe and the bread but maybe make that quick “FYI” to readers that this recipe takes way longer than two hours. If you add up the times in the recipe minus the overnight part it is 4 1/4 hours of prep and cook. Thanks for the recipe. And the book!
Marraquetas do take a long time, like all yeasted loaves of bread. Total time, in general, is active time making the bread and cooking, which doesn’t account for downtime in recipes. I will put a note at the start. Thanks.
He tratado encontrar un receta para Marraquetas por 20 anos. Yo Vive en Chile hace 20 anos y extrano los sabores de Chile. Yo Compre su libro inmediatamente. Gracias para esto tesoro.
Thanks Nik for buying the book and welcome to the blog!
Hello, I have a few questions. Do you keep the bread on the baking sheets with the parchment paper on top of the stone or you do keep them on the parchment paper but remove the baking sheets and then place them on the stone? How do you keep the bag from sticking to the bread overnight in the refrigerator? While they are in the refrigerator overnight they rise ?
The baking sheet does NOT go into the oven. The parchment paper can go, and it’s helpful to place them there.
Lift the bag with something, the idea is to form a tent.
They rise very slowly in the fridge.