So Sweet it Can't be Beat: Pan Dulce

  

It was roughly 5 in the morning, and I stood in O’Hare International waiting for my flight back into the Orange Bubble with only a shoebox in hand. Inside this box was one thing my grandmother would not dare let me check into baggage, her pan dulcé.  

Pan dulce has roots back to the 1800’s, a time when French settlers occupied Mexico, bringing both their people and more importantly, their bread. After the French were gone, lingering dreams of crispy crusts and warm French rolls played and replayed in the minds of the Mexican people. All of this tantalizing the poor folk until one day, Juan Pablo De La Dulce says “Hey amigos, why wait for the French bread when we can make our own- and better!”

As much as I like to think this is how the story played out, that last part was pure fiction. But the French did leave a very important mark on Mexico; they sparked the trend of pan dulce.

This sweet bread comes in a variety of forms, from croissants covered in cinnamon-sugar to the classic concha. 

Recipe

Bread:

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F or 40-46 C for Akash and Victoria)

1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

3 1/2-4 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

^Mixed topping w/added cocoa!

1/4 c. butter (unsalted)

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. orange zest

1-1 1/3 tsp. ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

STEPS:

Bread

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl.
2. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg and 2 cups of the flour.
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
5. Turn on to a lightly floured surface.
6. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
7. Place in a large greased bowl, then turn greased side up
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours
9. The dough is ready if it leaves an indentation when touched.
10. Meanwhile, prepare Topping Dough.
11. Punch dough down; divide into 12 equal pieces.
12. Shape each piece into a ball; place on greased cookie sheet.

Topping

1. Beat sugar and margarine until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in flour until mixture is the consistency of thick paste.
3. Divide into 3 equal parts.
4. Stir cinnamon into one part, vanilla extract into one part and orange peel into one part.
5. Divide each part of dough into 4 equal pieces.
6. Pat each piece into a 3-inch circle.
7. Place 1 circle of Topping Dough on each ball of dough, shaping it down over the ball.
8. Make 5 or 6 cuts across the topping, using a table knife, to form a shell pattern.
9. Cover and let rise until double — about 40 minutes.
10. Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 celsius).
11. Bake buns until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Aside from actually seeing my family, this might be the one thing I missed most about being home. Midnight meriendas after coming home from 15-hour work shifts. Ever since I was a young child I remember going out and buying these. My mother and I would drive an hour just to go to our favorite panéderia at noon, when the bread was fresh out of the oven. Now that I've taken the opportunity to explore the process myself, I can assure you, reader, that I'll never turn back.

Hopefully your days are as sweet as these!

-Leea Marie :)