Pan Dulce

So yesterday, well late last night I attempted to make the Mexican sweet bread Pan Dulce. Pan Dulce is served with coffee, hot coco or milk for breakfast.

The bread is light enough you swear it will float away like a helium balloon. The topping is sweet and is suppose to crack if you don’t cut a design into it. I did not get the topping thin enough on the batch I made. I chock it up to an hour past bedtime and rushing to get them finished. One of the first rules of baking is you cannot rush.

The recipe I used came from Chelsie Kenyon a writer at about.com

The shape of these is the conch. When you place the topping, if you wish it too look like a shell, carefully slice the topping into a shell pattern. I decided to cut a diamond pattern in mine.

Ingredients:

·         1 tablespoon or one package dry yeast

·         1 tablespoon sugar

·         1/3 cup sugar

·         2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 cup lukewarm water

·         3 1/2 cups flour

·         4 eggs, beaten and at room temperature

·         Topping (please see below)

Preparation:

Mix 1 tablespoon of sugar and yeast into lukewarm water. Let it rest for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Slowly add in eggs, salt, and the yeast in the water. Add flour in, 1 cup at a time until incorporated. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.

Divide dough into 16 pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet with plenty of space between each dough ball. Press each ball slightly to flatten it. Let the dough rise for an hour. After the dough is on it's way to rising, see to the topping.

TOPPING:

·         1/2 cup shortening

·         1/2 cup powdered sugar

·         1/2 cup granulated sugar

·         1 cup flour

·         3 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         optional- food coloring

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

With your hands, divide the topping into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface until it is large enough to cover each piece of dough, about 5 inches in diameter. Lightly press topping onto dough and use a knife to cut a pattern into the topping, but not into the dough.

You can do something as simple as lines across the top, or a criss-cross pattern. If you do nothing, the topping will create it's own cracks, which is also interesting looking.

After you add the topping, bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until bread is lightly golden