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What Is Hallulla?

A. Leverkuhn
A. Leverkuhn

Hallulla is a sort of bread that is popular in some Latin American countries. This type of round baked bread is particularly popular in Chile where it is used to make sandwiches. Bolivia and other Latin American countries also use this type of bread.

Commonly, hallulla is made up of very basic ingredients. The main ingredients are flour and water, along with elements like milk and butter. Salt and some leavening ingredient might also be added.

An interesting part of the background for this food is the way in which hallulla is made. Traditionally, the bread was made by hand. These days, cooks often use various machines to help in its production.

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Chef

One common way to make hallulla involves initially rolling out the dough with an automated roller. An alternative is to place that dough on a table and roll it with a rolling pin. In either case, the result should be a thin flat sheet of dough that is both long and wide.

In working with the whole sheet of dough, cooks typically stamp out circular patterns in the dough with some sort of cutter tool. Some of the more experienced cooks may stamp out these pieces extremely quickly, in an appealing rhythm, as part of an advanced presentation for bakeries where audiences may be present. These circular cutouts are placed in greased pans.

To cook the hallulla, workers slip these pans into ovens or heating conveyors. Many recipes call for this dish to be baked in about 10 minutes. Automated systems can also be used to make the bread, where an automatic conveyor may cut out the circular pieces and cook the dough according to preset automated temperatures and times.

One common kind of sandwich made with hallulla is called a chacarero or “farmer’s sandwich.” These types of sandwiches may include meat or vegetarian ingredients. Typically, cheese and hot pepper sauce are added. Lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables are common additions. Various sauces may be used to flavor the sandwich. These may be served whole or cut in half; chacareros are compact and easy to eat, making them a popular way to use this kind of bread.

In addition to chacareros, other kinds of sandwiches may also utilize hallulla. Some restaurants may use this to serve breakfast sandwiches. In other venues, the pan hallulla is an authentic part of a presentation of worldwide cuisine. Cooks everywhere are familiar with this as one of many ethnic varieties of bread around the world.

Discussion Comments

ysmina

We Latin Americans love our bread. I think many Latin American countries are on top of the list for world bread consumption.

I was in Latin America last summer and unfortunately, I think bread-making has changed a lot and for the worst. When I was a kid, all bread in Latin America was made by family owned bakeries and I have so many memories going to the bakery every morning and getting in line for hallulla. Every hallulla was handmade and you could see and taste the effort and love the baker put into the bread.

Now, there are almost no bakeries left. Breads, including hallullas, are made in bread factories with machinery. It's true that we don't have to wait in line anymore, but the bread doesn't taste the same as it used to. The only way to have great hallulla now is to make it at home.

serenesurface

@simrin-- I lived in Chile for many years and ate hallullas twice a day. We had a bread bakery in the same street and the smell of the fresh hallullas straight out of the oven would literally fill the street. It is the best bread I have tasted and completely irresistible.

Yes, they might look like pita bread and other round flatbreads, but when you bite into them, you will see the difference. I think hallulla is generally made thicker than pita breads, although the thickness does depend on the baker. But they are much denser than pita bread and if you break it into two, you will see that it has multiple layers unlike pita bread.

I think it's the addition of butter and lard that makes hallulla denser, more moist and so tasty!

I tried making hallullas at home several times since I came back. They weren't bad, but it's not the same as the ones I had in Chile.

SteamLouis

Hallulla sounds delicious. Unfortunately I've never had the chance to have any. I have had different South American tortilla breads and Indian roti and naan. Since I'm Middle Eastern in origin, I'm not a stranger to pita breads either.

Is hallulla anything like pita bread? It sounds as it would be similar, since they're both flat breads and round in shape.

Can anyone compare these two? And do you think I could make hallulla at home successfully?

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