Medialunas — Argentinian Sweet, Syrup-Glazed Mini Croissants

Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the lukewarm milk and eggs and knead for 8 minutes. Add the softened butter a little at a time and knead for 4 minutes more. Cover the smooth dough and leave it to rise.

Flatten the cold butter between two sheets of parchment into a 15 × 15 cm square. Roll the dough into a 30 × 30 cm square, place the butter in the center, and fold the edges over it like an envelope. Roll the dough into a 60 × 20 cm rectangle and fold it into thirds. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Do this roll-fold-chill cycle three times in total.

Roll the dough into a 25 × 60 cm rectangle, 3 mm thick. Cut long triangles with 8 cm bases. Make a 1 cm notch in the center of each base, roll tightly from the wide end toward the tip, and curve the tips inward slightly to form crescents. Arrange them spaced apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Once the medialunas have finished their final rise, brush them lightly with beaten egg; if egg runs onto the cut edges, the layers will stick together. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C / 390°F for 14–16 minutes, until deep golden on top.

Boil the sugar, water, and orange peel for 5 minutes to make a light syrup. Brush it over the hot medialunas as soon as they come out of the oven; the syrup dries on the hot pastry within seconds, leaving a glossy crust.