Destination
Arequipa
The story
Caramanducas are Cajamarca's morning bread rolls: small, slightly-sweet, tender rolls topped before baking with a scatter of crumbled queso fresco (Peruvian fresh cheese), pulled apart into batches like Parker House rolls, and eaten warm for breakfast with a smear of local mantequilla (fresh butter) and a spoon of fig jam. Sold at every Cajamarca bakery from 7am, and made in every highland household on weekend mornings. Cajamarca is Peru's dairy capital — the Andean highland climate produces some of the country's best milk, butter and cheese — and caramanducas are the town's most iconic bread, showcasing the local queso fresco.
Method
In a large bowl, whisk warm milk, warm water and 1 tbsp of the sugar. Sprinkle yeast over. Rest 5 minutes until foamy.
Whisk the remaining sugar, flour and salt in a separate bowl. Add the eggs and softened butter to the yeast mixture. Add the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon then knead by hand 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and rest in a warm spot 60 to 90 minutes until doubled.
Line a 22cm square baking tin (or a 22cm round tin) with baking paper. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal balls. Arrange the balls in the tin so they touch (3 rows of 4 for a square tin; a circle for round).
Cover the tin and rest 40 minutes until the balls have expanded and are touching each other.
Set the oven to 200C.
Brush the tops of the rolls with egg wash. In a small bowl, toss the crumbled cheese with the oil and salt (this helps it caramelise). Scatter the cheese generously across the tops of the rolls, pressing gently into the surface.
Bake 22 to 25 minutes until the tops are deep golden and the cheese is lightly caramelised. Cool 5 minutes in the tin, then transfer to a rack. Serve warm with butter, jam or manjar blanco.
Tips
- Queso fresco is the marker. This mild, slightly-salty Peruvian fresh cheese is what gives caramanducas their identity. A well-rinsed feta is the practical substitute. Do not use aged cheeses (parmesan, cheddar) — the flavour is wrong.
- Rolls touching in the tin. This is what gives caramanducas their pull-apart character. Space them so they're just kissing before the second rise — they'll expand into each other in the oven.
- Sweet dough, savoury topping. This is the classical northern Peruvian balance. The dough is subtly sweet (60g sugar per 500g flour); the topping is savoury cheese. Both are needed.
- Serve warm. Twenty minutes out of the oven is the target. Cold caramanducas are still good but the cheese loses its warm-melty character.
- Reheat on a dry pan. Split cold rolls and warm cut-side-down on a dry hot pan for 90 seconds. Restores the fresh-baked feel.
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