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Bizcochos de Cayambe
Twice-baked butter biscuits
Ecuador's twice-baked butter biscuits
Drive north from Quito towards the snow-capped Cayambe volcano and the roadside is lined with bakeries selling paper bags of bizcochos, small finger-shaped biscuits baked twice until they shatter. Families stop there on weekend trips and order them with a slab of soft, salty queso de hoja, a cup of hot chocolate and a spoonful of dulce de leche (manjar) for spreading. The dough is a lightly yeasted butter dough, rolled into thin sticks, baked once until pale gold and then dried slowly until crisp right through, with a flaky, crumbly bite. A sealed jar keeps them for weeks. Chef's tip: the second bake is about drying, not browning, so keep the oven low; a hot second bake is the usual mistake and leaves them dark outside and chewy inside.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast1 sachet
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 7 oz unsalted buttercold, cubed
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
To serve
- 7 oz queso de hoja or another fresh white cheese (optional)or a vegetarian fresh cheese
- 5 ½ oz dulce de leche (optional)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Rub in 7 oz unsalted butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized bits left.
6 minStep 2: Pour in ¾ cup whole milk and bring everything together into a soft dough. Knead on the worktop for 3–4 minutes only, just until smooth; overkneading makes the biscuits bready rather than crumbly.
5 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy (it will not double).
30 minStep 4: Line two large trays with baking paper. Pinch off pieces of about 15 g and roll each into a stick 12 cm long and as thick as your little finger. Lay them 2 cm apart.
15 minStep 5: Cover loosely and leave for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F (350°F fan).
15 minStep 6: Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the sticks are pale gold and firm, with lightly coloured bases.
16 minStep 7: Take them out and turn the oven down to 275°F (250°F fan). Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes; at this point they are still soft inside.
10 minStep 8: Return both trays and bake again for 35–40 minutes, swapping the trays halfway, until the bizcochos are light golden and snap cleanly with a dry, crumbly centre. Break one to check.
38 minStep 9: Cool completely on the trays, then store in an airtight jar for up to 3 weeks. Serve with 7 oz queso de hoja or another fresh white cheese and 5 ½ oz dulce de leche, if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 165 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bizcochos de Cayambe take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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