Llajua (Bolivian Tomato and Locoto Sauce)
A fresh Bolivian table sauce of tomato, locoto chilli and herbs, following the La Paz municipal formula. Regional preparations vary.
Modern adaptation
Marraqueta paceña
Marraqueta estilo paceño · pan de batalla
A Bolivian wheat roll shaped with a central slash, proofed twice, and baked with steam for a crisp crust; this measured version is identified as paceño style.
A paceño-style formula
A 2017 Bolivian training and recipe guide includes a measured marraqueta titled “Marraqueta estilo paceño.” It gives a kilogram of flour, a choice of dry or fresh yeast, sugar and salt measured by spoon, and approximately 600 millilitres of warm water. It describes two one-hour rises and an oven at 220°C with a pan of hot water for steam. The guide does not define the spoon size or give a room-temperature target for proofing.
The guide was prepared for a nutrition training connected to CETHA Caracollo. Its recipe is a documented home formula, not a claim that every paceño baker uses the same ingredient balance. A 2023 El Deber report describes marraqueta paceña as common in La Paz and El Alto and records a local baker’s different low-yeast account and the use of vaulted brick-and-clay ovens. These accounts preserve local practice without merging it with the Chilean recipe, whose shaping and baking method are separately documented.
History
The 2017 training guide records a measured recipe titled “Marraqueta estilo paceño.” El Deber reports the paceña bread as a La Paz and El Alto tradition, with local baker Dandy Mallea describing its production and vaulted brick-and-clay ovens. The sources do not establish a first attestation. The guide’s measured formula includes sugar and salt, while the local baker’s account in El Deber describes a minimal-yeast formula with fewer ingredients; this record follows the guide and does not claim one formula represents every baker.
Ingredients
Yield 17 pieces · Scaling: source batch only
1 kg
Dry baker's yeastDissolve in some of the warm water before mixing.
18 g
The guide gives 50 g fresh yeast as an alternative; use one form, not both.2½ spoons
The source says 2½ cucharas; spoon size is not defined.1 spoon
The source says 1 cuchara; spoon size is not defined.Warm waterUse some to dissolve the yeast, then add the rest gradually.
600 mL
Approximately 600 ml; the source says to add gradually until the dough is uniform.Water for steamPour into a heat-safe pan at the bottom of the oven.
Amount not stated
As needed; source gives no volume.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour in dough
Flour can carry harmful bacteria, and this method handles dough before baking.
Hazard sourceBake the loaves as directed; do not taste raw flour or dough, and clean hands, utensils and work surfaces after handling it.
Control sourceDo not taste raw flour or dough. Take care when adding or handling hot water for the steam pan.
- Put the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
- Mix the dry yeast with warm water in a cup. Add it to the flour mixture, then add the remaining water gradually until a uniform dough forms.
- Knead until the dough no longer sticks to the hands. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise for one hour.
- Divide the dough into about 17 pieces weighing 90–100 g each and shape them into balls. Leave to rise for one hour more.
- Shape each piece into the paceño-style marraqueta and make a central cut with a sharp knife. Place on floured baking trays and brush the tops with water. The guide repeats the instruction to cut before baking; make one central slash per loaf.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place a pan of hot water on the oven floor for steam.
- Bake for about 22 minutes. Transfer the bread to a rack to cool.
Conditions
Yield17 pieces
Fermentation2 h
Temperature controlAmbient, monitored
Places
La Paz
Traditional preparation · Region evidenceA paceño-style recipe in the 2017 guide and a locally documented bread of La Paz and El Alto. This does not claim an exact birthplace or describe the Chilean marraqueta.
Related
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Sources
Consorcio PROCOSI/CEMSEMethod · Geography · History
Guía de capacitación en nutrición: Nutrición y recetarioA 2017 guide for the CETHA Caracollo training records a recipe titled Marraqueta estilo paceño: 1 kg flour, 18 g dry or 50 g fresh yeast, 2½ spoons sugar, 1 spoon salt and approximately 600 ml warm water.
The guide specifies kneading until non-sticky, one-hour covered rise, about 17 balls of 90–100 g, another one-hour rise, central scoring, water brushing, a 220°C oven, a hot-water pan and about 22 minutes baking.
Cited in: A paceño-style formula
El DeberGeography · History
La marraqueta paceña tiene sus secretos, un experto dice cuáles sonThe report locates the paceña bread in La Paz and El Alto and describes its daily use, local baker testimony, low-yeast account, shaping, vaulted brick-and-clay ovens and baking practice.
Its account of the baker's minimal-ingredient formula differs from the 2017 guide's sugar-and-salt formula; this recipe follows the guide and does not treat either as universal.
Cited in: A paceño-style formula
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour can carry harmful bacteria; do not eat or taste raw flour, dough or batter; wash hands, utensils and surfaces after handling.