My earliest memories of enjoying pan dulce, Mexican sweet bread, were those bright pink conchas! Then there was the marranitos, besos, elotes, polvorones and of course the fresh bollilos for Sunday menudo. After moving far away from home, there were no Mexican panaderias(bakeries) for hundreds and hundreds of miles. I had no choice but to teach myself how to prepare pan dulce(sweet bread).
Besos! Yoyos!
Besos(kisses) is the name given to this iconic pan dulce. The two halves come together with a layer of raspberry or strawberry filling. Brush the exterior with more jam and gently dredge in coconut. In some panaderias they are also called yoyos for obvious reasons. They resemble a yoyo! You can finish them in a variety of ways too. Brush with soft butter or white frosting and roll through sugar. Switch out the jam flavor on the inside. Definitely a fun pan dulce. This was dad’s favorite!
Muchos Besos!! This is not a sponsored post! I love this book!
A big shout out to chef Alex Peña for writing and sharing with us this most wonderful book!! The Mexican Bakery Book!! The attention to detail in every recipe is incredible. If you are wanting to learn how to prepare classic pan dulce recipes in your own kitchen, you need this book in your library. The Besos recipe is from his book. I cut it in half because it is a lot of pan dulce for two people, lol! The instruction for mixing the dough for the conchas made a huge difference in the results of my old concha recipe and for the rebanadas de mantequilla. There is so much more I still need to explore in his book. Highly recommended!
Besos! Besos!
Besos Pan Dulce
Soft cookie with raspberry jam sandwiched in between then rolled in coconut! This was my dad’s favorite!
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Course: Bread, Dessert, pan dulce
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Chill Dough: 29 minutes
Servings: 10 Servings
Equipment
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baking sheets
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parchment paper
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Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 c whole milk
- 1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
- 3/4 c sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 c unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 c vegetable shortening
- 12 oz Seedless raspberry jam
- 3 c shredded coconut
Instructions
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In a bowl whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, Set it aside. In a glass bowl, combine the milk and vanilla and keep chilled.
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In the stand mixer bowl add the sugar, eggs, butter and vegetable shortening. Mix on low for 1 minute. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla. Turn the speed up and mix for 2 minutes.
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Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Once all mixed in, turn speed up and mix for 2-4 minutes.
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Transfer the dough to a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
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Line baking sheets with parchment paper. When ready, using a larger cookie scoop or 2 spoons, add a mound of batter onto lined baking sheets. 1 added 10 small mounds per sheet. Make in preheated oven for 10-11 minutes rotating the cookies halfway through baking time.
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The bottoms should become golden in color. Remove from the oven and cool completely.,
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When ready use a silicone brush to cover the entire top surface of the cookies with jam. Wearing gloves, you will gently roll the cookies halfway through in the shredded coconut pressing gently. Place them flat side down back onto the parchment paper and let them dry for 20 minutes.
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When ready spread a light layer of jam on half of the flat sides of the besos. Sandwich together with the other half that has no jam. Ready!! Store in tightly covered storage container. They will soften more the next day.
Notes
Note: In the video I cut the ingredients in half and it makes 10 smaller Besos. The ingredients above is the full recipe
Pan de Feria!
This golden crust, traditional pan dulce goes by the names, pan de feria, pan de fiesta or pan de pulque! Yes pulque! It’s extra soft inside infused with the flavors of pecan, vanilla and orange zest. F*or today, grab your biggest cup of café con leche or chocolate! Let me take you on a quick step by step! It is common to find this traditional pan dulce at community fairs, patron saint festivals and religious celebrations. If you don’t know what pulque is, it’s a fermented alcoholic drink made from the maguey leaves. Fire!
Play by Play Pan de Feria!
Pan de Féria
A lightly sweetened yeast bread with pecans. Traditionally found through out Mexico during religous celebrations.
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Course: Dessert, pan dulce
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Proof time: 3 hours
Servings: 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2oz warm milk
- 1 1/2 tbsps all purpose flour
- 6 gr active dry yeast
- 70 gr of sugar
- 3 whole larg eggs reserve 1 egg for egg wash later in the recipe
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 tsps pecan extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of one orange
- 250 gr all purpose flour, 2 cups
- 50 gr unsalted butter at room temperature, 3 1/2 tbsps.
- 49 gr of crushed pecans, 1/2 cup
- 1 more egg whisked with 1 tbsp milk for egg wash.
- 2 tsps. sesame seeds
Instructions
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Mix the yeast with warm milk and 1 1/2 tbsps flour. Stir well to combine . Cover and let it activate for 30 minutes.
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When ready, in the stand mixer bowl, add the sugar, eggs, pecan extract, vanilla, orange,zest, and the active yeast from the bowl. Mix for 1 minute to combine.
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Gradually mix in the flour. Then mix in the salt. With the hook attachment mix at medium speed until the dough forms.
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Mix in the soft butter. You will continue needing until the butter has incorporated completely. You will continue mixing for 20 to 25 minutes or more until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Gently pull on the door with your fingers if it doesn’t tear and you can see a thin window pane then the dough is ready.
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Gently mix in the pecans. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let proof until doubles in size. 1-2 hours depending on how warm the room is.
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When ready you’re going to divide the dough into 6 equal dough balls9about 8 grams each).
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Roughly shaped like a bolillo bring the ends together as you are forming a cuernito, but the ends will come together overlapping.
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Transfer to a greased baking sheet and layer them so they are touching slightly flatten the ends slightly with your hands.
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Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds along the two sides.
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Cover and let proof until double in size
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Bake at 360 F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should read 200 degrees F.
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If desired, you can brush with butter while it’s still warm out of the oven. Let it set.
Rebanadas de Mantequilla!
Seriously, what kid did not love a soft sliced bread with soft butter abs sugar all over it? As an adult I feel guilty indulging in this tasty and traditional pan dulce! These rebanadas are typically wrapped gently in deli paper and placed at the top of the pile of sweet bread in the bag. Easy to reach!
Video!
Rebanadas de Mantequilla
What kid didn’t enjoy sliced soft pan dulce with butter and sugar on it?
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Course: Dessert, pan dulce
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Proof Time: 3 hours
Servings: 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 250 grams all purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups
- 7 gr. active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water or milk, 120 ml
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar, 60 grams
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 58gr. at room temperature
- Butter Spread
- 1/3 c unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/3 c powdered sugar sifted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 c granulated sugar for dusting
Instructions
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In a bowl, whisk the flour and yeast together. Set it aside.
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In the stand mixer add the water(or milk), 1 egg, sugar and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes.
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Gradually mix in the flour and yeast. Mix for 3 minutes.
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Add in the salt and cinnamon. Mix for 1 minute.
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At medium speed, gradually mix in the butter. Once the butter is mostly incorporated, turn speed up and mix for 8 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of bowl. Mix again for 8 minutes. Repeat until dough becomes elastic. It should start to pull away from the bowl and you should be able to gently stretch it to see a window pane without it tearing.
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Transfer to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let dough proof in a warm spot for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
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When ready, punch the air out of the dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly for 1 minute. Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
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After 10 minutes extend the dough into a thick rectangle shape. Roll away from you pinching down towards the front until you form a uniform log about 10 inches long. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Cover and let proof for 40-50 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tbsp of milk. Brush the entire surface of the proofed dough with egg wash. Transfer to preheated oven in the middle rack. Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and internal temperature reads 200-205 degrees F. Let the bread cool for 90 minutes.
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For butter spread, mix the soft butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Cover and set it aside.
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Once cool, slice the pan dulce into 8 equal slices. Spread sweetened butter on top side of each slice of pan dulce. Dust with granulated sugar
Milk Bread Conchas!
I had heard about milk bread recipes for several years before I attempted applying it to my concha recipe. How does it compare to the traditional recipe? It does yield a soft bread I will say. When I want my conchas to be extra special I will definitely be using this method. Yudane is a Japanese technique mixing equal parts boiling water and flour. Cooked low and slow this will yield a paste that is then added to the dough and it will result in a soft crumb! I owe you a video for this one!
Milk Bread Conchas
Extra soft conchas incorporating a milk bread technique for a classic concha pan dulce!
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Course: Dessert, pan dulce
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Proof Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 12 Conchas
Equipment
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Stand Mixer
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tortilla press
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Concha mold
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Baking sheet
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parchment paper
Ingredients
Water Roux
- 3 tbsps. bread flour
- 1/4 c milk, half n half or heavy cream
- 1 c water
Candy Paste Topping
- ¾ c shortening
- ¾ c granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ c ap flour
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder for baking
- pink or red food coloring
- 1 tsp fresh ground Mexican cinnamon those are the specs you see in the topping. It’s optional. Regular cinnamon won’t have the same look.
Concha Dough
- 2 ¾- 3 cups bread flour, 350 gr
- 2 tbsps. (14 gr) of whole milk powder for baking
- 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp. ground Mexican cinnamon
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 c whole milk warmed
- 2 tsps. vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
Variation
- For anise flavored pan dulce mix in 1 1/2 tsps. Anise seeds or 3/4 tsp ground anise
Instructions
Water Roux-Yudane
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Prepare water roux: In a small bowl whisk the ingredients for the roux until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan. Cook on low heat, whisk constantly until it becomes very thick. This will take several minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Topping
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In the stand mixer mix the sugar and shortening on high for 1 minute. Gradually mix in the flour on low speed. Once it is incorporated, mix on high for 2 minutes. If using the cinnamon, mix it it now. If it feels too sticky mix in a little more flour. The paste should be slightly tacky, but easy to handle with flour on your hands.
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Divide the paste into three equal portions. Leave one white. To the second one mix in a few drops of food coloring and mix well until the color looks even. To the last portion, mix in 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder. Mix until color looks even. Cover paste with plastic wrap until ready to use. Keep chilled if you are not going to use it right away.
Dough
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In the stand mixer bowl with hook attachment, mix cooled water roux from the saucepan with 350 gr of flour, the milk powder, sugar, salt, yeast, and cinnamon. Mix for 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and milk. Turn the speed to medium/ high and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough should come together and it will be sticky.
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Add the soft butter and continue mixing for 20-25 minutes. The dough should become elastic but will still be tacky. The dough should start to pull away from the sides of the stand mixer bowl. Gently pull the dough. You want to see a thin windowpane and it should not tear. With a light coat of oil on your hands, shape the dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it proof for 1-2 hour or until it doubles in size.
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Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead gently to release the air bubbles. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts for extra-large conchas or 12 parts for smaller. Cover and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
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Roll each section into a ball by cupping your hand over it as you rotate it on the flat surface. Transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has a light coat of shortening on it. Rub a light coat of shortening on top of the dough balls. Take a small but equal portion of each of the candy colored paste and roll each one into a small log. Place then colors side by side so they are touching. Using a little flour on your hands, shape or press out the candy topping gently on a lined tortilla press. Or you can shape with your hands. Firmly place on top of each dough ball. Using a concha press or a small knife score the candy topping gently. Cover again and let them proof for 35 minutes.
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After 25 minutes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When ready, bake for 22-25 minutes or until the pan(bread) is golden brown. Internal temperature of the bread should be at least 190-200 degrees F. Remove bread from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Store the cool bread loosely wrapped and covered with a kitchen towel.
Notes
After you add the candy paste topping you can opt to wait for 20 minutes before gently scoring or pressing the design. This will keep the topping from separating too mush during baking.
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