Mexican bread refers to bread or bread variants which are typical to Mexico. The Mexicans love to have a piece of sweet bread during breakfast and dinner. Bread is the second most eaten dish in Mexico after the tortillas. Some of the recognized names of Mexican breads are bigotes, conchas, Pan Dulce polvoron, tostada, picon and many more. The breads are mostly baked in the oven or open fire and are sold at Panaderias. The flavor and taste of bread variants differ from place to place. The Mexicans also bake breads for special occasions and special festivities. There is a special type of bread called Rosca de Reyes i.e Three Kings Bread, which is only baked in Mexico on January 6, and it is baked in the memory of the 'Three Wise Men' (also called Three Kings or the Magi). Most of the Mexican breads are partnered with sauces and butter.
Mexican Bread Recipe Variants
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Pan Dulce – This is a typical Mexican sweet bread and it is prepared using ingredients like active dry yeast, granulated sugar, lukewarm water, salt, flour, vegetable shortening and eggs. The bread is topped with vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, salt, flour and egg yolk. This bread is baked year around in Mexico and it can be easily found in most of the Panaderias (Mexican bakeries). They are also during potluck, party and family meals.
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Raised Mexican Cornbread: This is the most popular variant of Mexican bread which is baked and served regularly in most of the Mexican homes. This bread can be baked using ingredients like white sugar, butter, eggs, corn flour, cream –style corn, cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. Other than that, green chili pepper, salt, baking powder and all-purpose are also added to the dough. During special days, this corn bread is baked in different shapes than the regular and served after topping it with sesame seeds.
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Conchas: These are the coiled sweet bread. The concha in Mexican means conch shell. This sweet bread is mostly served as a snack with hot chocolate. The conchas are baked using the ingredients like sugar, flour, honey, dry yeast, salt, margarine, or butter, eggs, and tepid water. The conch shaped bread is mostly flavored with different types of dry fruits and nuts like almonds, etc. Sometimes a condiment like cinnamon is added along with other ingredients like lemon or orange zest, vanilla extract, and butter to the dough for flavoring the plain bread. During special occasions, this bread is baked in different colors and flavors.
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Pan de Muertos: This is indeed a very special Mexican bread variant which is baked and served on the All Saints and All Souls day. This soft, sweetened Mexican bread is dedicated to the dead and it is decorated with edible bone like pieces before serving. The Pan de Muertos follows the recipe of a simple, sweet bread but it is heavily flavored using the anise seeds.