History
Pan dulce arrived with Mexican baking traditions and became a fixture of San Antonio's West Side panaderias and Market Square. Mi Tierra has baked it around the clock since 1941, and family bakeries across the city keep the conchas, marranitos, and seasonal pan de muerto coming. The self-serve tray-and-tongs ritual is a daily part of Mexican-American life in the city.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 7g instant yeast
- 80g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 120ml warm milk
- 80g soft butter
- Half teaspoon salt
- For the topping: 100g icing sugar, 100g butter, 100g flour, with cocoa or cinnamon to flavour
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, and warm milk into a dough, then knead in the soft butter until smooth.
- Cover and prove until doubled, about 90 minutes.
- Make the topping by creaming the butter and icing sugar, then working in the flour and flavouring into a soft paste.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls. Flatten a disc of topping over each, then score the shell pattern with a knife.
- Prove 45 minutes, then bake at 180C for 18 to 20 minutes until the bread is golden and the topping is set.
Tip from the editors. Score the topping deeply so the cracks open into the classic shell shape as the conchas rise and bake.
Where to eat pan dulce (mexican sweet bread)
Pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) in San Antonio
Mi Tierra Panaderia ★ 4.2
Mi Tierra's 24-hour panaderia at Market Square turns out traditional pan dulce around the clock, from everyday conchas to Day of the Dead pan de muerto.
Worth the queueConchas and Day of the Dead pan de muerto
TipOpen 24 hours, so pan dulce is available any time. The conchas and seasonal pan de muerto are the classics.
Panifico Bake Shop ★ 4.1
Panifico Bake Shop on the West Side makes scratch Mexican pan dulce, with pig-shaped marranitos and raisin-topped piedras the picks; go early for the bake.
Worth the queueMarranitos and piedras
TipThe marranitos (pig-shaped cookies) and raisin-topped piedras are the picks. Go early for the freshest bake.
Bedoy's Bakery ★ 4.0
Bedoy's Bakery is a long-running Tobin Hill family panaderia where conchas and empanadas are the staples, cash-friendly and busy through the morning rush.
Worth the queueConchas and empanadas
TipA long-running family panaderia; the conchas and empanadas are the staples. Cash-friendly and busy in the morning.
La Panaderia ★ 4.1
La Panaderia's downtown cafe does a Mexican-bakery brunch of chilaquiles and breakfast tacos with a cafe con leche; finish with a concha from the counter.
OrderChilaquiles, breakfast tacos and a concha.
TipThe chilaquiles and a cafe con leche make the brunch; finish with a concha. A walkable downtown brunch stop.
Pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) in Tucson
La Estrella Bakery ★ 4.5
La Estrella Bakery at Mercado San Agustin in Tucson sells the city's canonical pan dulce since 1986: conchas, empanadas and a strong cafe de olla under $5.
TryConcha and cafe de olla
La Estrella Bakery 12th Avenue ★ 4.5
La Estrella Bakery 12th Avenue (Mexican) in Tucson: Visit early on Sundays for the freshest conchas and empanadas de pina. Cash or card both work fine.
Why locals go1986 Jalisco-style panaderia hidden inside the South 12th Avenue Mexican grocery corridor, the city's best pan dulce since 1986.
TipVisit early on Sundays for the freshest conchas and empanadas de pina. Cash or card both work fine.
More cities are in research. Want pan dulce (mexican sweet bread) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.