Medialunas (Argentinian Croissant) 

Medialunas or Argentinian croissants are very rich in flavor and delicious alternative to French croissants.

Main difference between medialunas and croissants is that medialunas have egg and honey in the dough while croissants do not. Another difference is in ingredients’ ratio – croissants have more butter and less sugar. 

Ingredients

Main Dough (for 12 medialunas)

• 500 g bread flour (protein 12-13%) 
• 235 g milk 
• 20 g water
• 75 g sugar 
• 10 g salt 
• 1 large egg
• 5 g instant yeast 
• 15 g honey
• 20g soft butter for the dough
• 225 g roll-in butter (pastry butter with 82% fat or more) + 25g flour

Sweet syrup 

• 50g sugar
• 100g water

Directions

Night before

• Dissolve the yeast in water and milk mixture, add sugar, honey, butter, egg, salt and all flour. Mix on a slow speed of your mixing machine on medium speed for 5-10 min until gluten development and windowpane.
• Cover the dough in plastic wrap, put in the fridge until next morning.

Next day

• Remove butter from fridge in advance to make it soft. Transfer butter and 25g flour into a bowl of your mixer. Mix with paddle attachment until butter will become creamy and all flour incorporated ( do stops if needed, to scrape the sides of the bowl)
• Scrape all butter on prepared parchment paper, roll it into a block, about 20cm/ 7.8 inches each side), transfer it to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before lamination.

• Note: the butter shouldn’t be too cold, or too warm: If its too cold, then during lamination, it will start to break into pieces. if it’s too warm it will melt in between the layers.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll it as a rectangle, big enough to place the butter block inside. (About 20cm x 40cm / 7.8 inches x 15.8 inches)
• Place butter block inside the dough, the way it showed on the picture.
• Seal the edges, to let butter stay inside.
• Start rolling by pushing the butter from 1 side to another (lengthwise).

• Cut the edges. Place on top of the dough. It will release the tension during rolling.
• Fold the dough as a letter ( by folding 1/3 of the dough to the center, and covering it with leftover part)
• Turn the dough 90 degrees, and continue rolling lengthwise. Cut the edges, put them aside, fold the dough as a letter. (See the picture)

• Note: work fast, and try not to touch the dough too much, to avoid overheating 
• Cover the dough , transfer it to the fridge for 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge. Repeat 1 more fold (as a letter)
• Note: you have to make 3 letter folds in total.
• Cover the dough , transfer it to the fridge for 1 hour.
• Roll it as a rectangle with a narrow side about 26-28 cm / 10-11 inches 
• Roll until the dough will become 5mm /0.1 inch thick.
• Trim all uneven edges.
• Cut the dough (the base of medialunas has to be 9cm).
• Shape medialunas as a crescent, pinch the edges together, they will relax during proofing and will create crescent shape. Cover medialunas.

• Note: at this point you can transfer covered shaped medialunas to refrigerator until 9-10pm, then you can take them out and let them proof overnight at 68-72C/20-22C. This way you’ll be able to bake fresh croissants for breakfast.

Or

• Cover medialunas and let them proof for about 4-5 hours at 74-78C / 24-26C  until they double in volume and become jiggly.
• Egg-wash (mix one egg with 2 tbs of water).
• Brush medialunas with egg mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Bake medialunas for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

• Meanwhile prepare sweet syrup by boiling sugar and water together.
• Remove baked medialunas from oven, and immediately generously brush them with sweet syrup.

Enjoy!

Medialunas (Argentinian Croissants)

3715kcal

5 from 2 votes

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Prep 1 hour hr

Cook 20 minutes mins

Overnight Dough Rest 8 hours hrs

Total 16 hours hrs

Richer, sweeter, and softer than French croissants, these traditional Argentinian pastries incorporate honey and egg directly into the dough. Brushed immediately upon exiting the oven with a warm sweet sugar syrup, they feature tender laminated butter layers with a sticky, glossy crust.

Servings 12 Medialunas

Cuisine Argentinian

Ingredients

1x2x3x

Enriched Main Dough (Detrempe)

• ▢ 500 g Bread flour 12–13% protein
• ▢ 235 g Milk
• ▢ 20 g Water
• ▢ 75 g Granulated sugar
• ▢ 10 g Salt
• ▢ 1 Large Egg
• ▢ 5 g Instant dry yeast
• ▢ 15 g Honey
• ▢ 20 g Softened butter

Butter Roll-In Block (Beurrage)

• ▢ 225 g Pastry butter cold, high-fat 82%+ butter
• ▢ 25 g Bread flour to stabilize roll-in butter

Sweet Syrup Glaze (Almibar)

• ▢ 50 g Sugar
• ▢ 100 g Water

Egg Wash

• ▢ 1 Large Egg
• ▢ 2 tbsp Water

Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scale
• ▢
  Stand Mixer fitted with paddle and dough hook attachments
• ▢
  Rolling Pin
• ▢
  Two Large Baking Sheet Pans
• ▢
  Pastry Brush
• ▢
  Small Saucepan for boiling sugar syrup
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

1. Night Before: Detrempe & Overnight Chill

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve 5 g instant yeast in 235 g milk and 20 g water.
2. Add 75 g sugar, 15 g honey, 20 g softened butter, 1 egg, 10 g salt, and 500 g bread flour.
3. Mix on slow to medium speed for 5–10 minutes until full gluten development and a smooth windowpane state is reached.
4. Shape dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

2. Day 2: Prepare Butter Block & Lamination

1. Butter Block: Remove roll-in butter from fridge. In mixer bowl with paddle attachment, cream 225 g butter with 25 g flour until smooth and uniform. Scrape onto parchment paper, shape into a 20×20 cm (7.8×7.8 inch) square block, and chill in fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Enclose Butter: Roll cold dough into a 20×40 cm (7.8×15.8 inch) rectangle. Place butter block in center, fold outer dough edges over to meet, and seal edges tightly.
3. Folds 1 & 2: Roll dough out lengthwise. Trim rough end edges and place trimmed pieces on top of dough to release tension. Fold into thirds like a letter. Turn dough 90 degrees, roll out again lengthwise, trim edges, and perform a 2nd letter fold. Cover and chill in fridge for 1 hour.
4. Fold 3: Remove dough, perform 3rd letter fold, cover, and chill in fridge for 1 hour.

3. Shaping, Proofing & Glazing

1. Roll chilled dough into a long rectangle 26–28 cm (10–11 inches) wide and 5 mm (0.1 inch) thick. Trim uneven edges.
2. Cut dough into triangles with a 9 cm base. Roll each triangle tightly from base to tip into a crescent shape, pinching edges together.
3. Proofing Options:
4. Standard: Proof covered for 4–5 hours at 74–78°F (24–26°C) until doubled and jiggly.
5. Overnight Breakfast: Chill shaped medialunas in fridge until 9–10 PM, then proof at 68–72°F (20–22°C) overnight to bake fresh in morning.
6. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Whisk 1 egg with 2 tbsp water and brush pastries lightly.
7. Bake for 20–25 minutes until deep golden brown.
8. While baking, boil 50 g sugar and 100 g water in a saucepan to make sweet syrup. Immediately brush hot medialunas generously with syrup upon removal from oven.
9. The video below shows how to laminate butter layers and roll tight crescent folds.

Nutrition

Calories3715kcalCarbohydrates485gProtein59gFat175gSaturated Fat107gPolyunsaturated Fat9gMonounsaturated Fat44gTrans Fat7gCholesterol448mgSodium3197mgPotassium743mgFiber11gSugar181gVitamin A5249IUVitamin C0.1mgCalcium304mgIron4mg

Notes

• The Slit-Base Rolling Technique: Making a tiny 1/4-inch cut in the center of the triangle’s base is a traditional Argentinian technique. When you begin rolling upward, this cut allows you to spread the feet of the triangle outward slightly, creating a longer crescent roll with more visible structural spirals, which prevents the center from expanding too quickly or bursting open during baking.
• Why the Medialunas Touch on the Pan: Traditional French croissants are baked with plenty of space between them to ensure an all-around crispy, flaky exterior. Authentic Argentinian medialunas are placed on the baking sheet close together so their tips touch. This grouping traps steam between the pastries as they bake, keeping the side crumb incredibly tender, soft, and pull-apart pillowy.
• Managing Temperature Mismatches: The single biggest challenge with lamination is keeping the butter and dough at the exact same consistency. If the butter is too cold, it will break into hard shards when rolled; if it is too warm, it will melt into the dough layers. If you see the butter tearing the dough, stop immediately, let the dough sit on the counter for 5 minutes to soften the butter slightly, then continue rolling with gentle pressure.
• Syrup and Pastry Heat Equilibrium: For a perfectly glossy, non-sticky finish that sinks into the layers without making the pastry soggy, both elements must be hot. Brush the boiling syrup onto the medialunas the exact second they are removed from the oven rack. The intense residual surface heat of the pastry cooks the syrup instantly, locking in a glassy, sweet shine.

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