Pan Dulce : A Celebration of Mexican Sweet and Savory Breads, Pastries, Conchas, Empanadas, and More

Pan dulce, an integral part of Mexican and Mexican American food culture, brings people together in panaderías and at home as the breads are shared with generations of family for breakfast, at afternoon meriendas, during holidays, or anytime at all. Follow the smell of the sugars, spices, and freshly baked breads, and you’ll discover pan dulce’s development from indigenous origin to colonial fusion, from Aztec maize to French croissants. Explore the lives of the panaderos who create new and traditional baked goods and read about the naming customs that produced the tongue-in-cheek pedo de monja and the historical conde. Reference the entries of more than a thousand pan dulces, and peruse stories of popular sweet breads, from flaky, crunchy campechanas to brightly colored cortadillos. Take your reading into the kitchen with some twenty authentic recipes from Ellen Riojas Clark, beloved Mexican cookbook authors, and panaderos from Texas and Mexico.

Pan Dulce celebrates the traditions surrounding this vital culinary culture. In cataloging the names and histories of the different varieties, the compendium honors pan dulce’s journey to becoming an indispensable part of Mexican culture and a developing food in the United States, preserving this delicious custom in bread.