In most cultures, bread plays an important role in the national cuisine, as well as in the diets of the citizens. Bread is usually more affordable than meat and vegetables, so bulking up a family’s weekly meals is an affordable way for everyone to get plenty to eat. Mexican bread is versatile and delicious.
When it comes to your favorite Mexican bread recipe, you may think of the humble flour tortilla (or corn tortilla), which is definitely the most well-known Hispanic bread.
Mexican bread, or pan Mexicano, exhibits a rich variety of flavors, textures, and forms that reflect centuries of culinary and cultural influences. For home cooks and aspiring bakers, learning to create these vibrant breads can offer a delicious window into the storied history and diverse traditions of Mexican cuisine. In this article, we will delve into the vast world of Mexican bread recipes, exploring essential ingredients and techniques that promise to elevate your bread-making skills.
From sweet conchas and spicy empanadas to pillowy tortillas and hearty bolillos, Mexican bread can completely transform a meal, offering warm comfort and surprising flavor with each bite. To get started on your journey through authentic Mexican bread making, we’ll introduce you to some of the most beloved traditional recipes, as well as inventive twists on classic favorites. With a little patience and practice, you’ll soon be impressing family and friends with your newfound culinary prowess.
Key Takeaways
Discover the rich variety of flavors and textures in traditional Mexican bread recipes.
Master essential ingredients and techniques for crafting the perfect loaf.
Learn the cultural significance of bread in Mexico and its role in festive and everyday meals.
However, there are so many different types of Mexican bread you can make.
From Mexican sweet bread made with sugar (such as conchas Mexican bread or pan dulce) to savory Mexican garlic toast and Mexican pastries, there is something for everyone in this list of Mexican bread names list.
Are you ready to learn all about how to make Mexican bread? Let’s dive into the Mexican breads list!
Telera bread is Mexican bread (white bread) to make if you want something similar to American yeast rolls, challah, or French bread.
This recipe for Telera rolls includes both step-by-step instructions and a video, so this is an easy Mexican bread to make.
To make this Mexican bread recipe, you need all-purpose flour (or wheat flour), salt, active dry yeast, warm water, softened butter, sugar, and some grease or oil for greasing the bowl.
You need plastic wrap and a baking sheet to make this telera bread recipe, along with a pastry brush and parchment paper. This bread will need to sit in a warm place to rise.
Orejas are delicious little cookies that are made with puff pastry. These cookies are also called palmiers and they’re crunch sweet treats that are topped with sugar that’s been caramelized. Yum!
You can serve orejas with afternoon (or morning) tea for a sweet treat.
Want to know what makes this recipe for orejas even better? This cookie dough recipe calls for just three ingredients: sugar, puff pastry, and ground cinnamon.
The sugar mixture is pressed into the dough and that’s what makes these little cookies crunchy. This recipe also includes a video for how to make these delicious little Mexican cookies.
Are you serving hamburgers but want to add some Mexican food to your dinner? These Mexican cemita buns are the perfect bread to use as hamburger buns (or buns for any sandwich).
In the Puebla region of Mexico, cemita buns are used to make the beloved Cemitas Poblana, a sandwich that’s full of meat, sliced avocado, onions, papalo, red chipotle sauce, and cheese.
The original recipe for these buns is made with butter or lard, along with heavy cream.
Other ingredients in cemita buns are sesame seeds, milk, sugar, instant yeast, all-purpose flour, and an egg.
Of all of the Mexican breads, one of the most well-known of the Mexican sweet bread names is the concha.
Children in Mexico recognize the wonderful concha sweet bread in the same way that American children recognize donuts: a concha is a yummy breakfast treat!
Concha dough is made with whole milk, active dry yeast, all-purpose flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, eggs, vanilla paste (or vanilla extract), and unsalted butter.
The glaze for a concha, or streusel topping, is made with powder sugar, flour, baking powder, kosher salt (or sea salt), vanilla extract, and vegetable shortening.
You can enjoy a concha with your afternoon tea or eat a concha for brunch.
Do you love garlic bread? Well, Mexico has garlic lovers covered!
To make this Mexican toasted bread, you don’t have to actually bake homemade bread. Just buy a loaf of French bread and cut it in half.
The topping for this Mexican bread is made with shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, melted butter, chopped onion, garlic, chopped black olives, and chopped jalapeno peppers. This yummy mixture is spread on the bread slice.
You can make this Mexican bread to serve with a big bowl of chili, Mexican stew, or serve it as a delicious vegetarian meal by itself.
One of the most interesting Mexican bread recipe ideas to make is pan de muerto, or dead bread (a wheat bread). Mexican people have a long tradition of honoring and celebrating their deceased ancestors, and this bread reflects that tradition.
To make this bread, you need orange zest, granulated sugar, instant yeast, wheat flour, warm water, milk, and unsalted butter. Fresh orange juice is used to make the glaze.
Are you looking for a Mexican cookie recipe? Cookies are popular in Mexico, but since this article is mostly about bread (not cookies), we’re not focused on cookies (except for a couple recipes we sneaked in).
If you’re looking for Mexican cookies, you may love elotes because this is a sweet bread that is more similar to cookies than it is to bread.
The ingredients for making elotes are all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, butter, egg yolk, cinnamon, orange zest, and yellow food coloring. But that’s just for the filling.
The bread also needs active dry yeast, hot water, sugar, cinnamon, anise seeds, salt, and eggs.
Every culture has some version of bread pudding (it’s an excellent way to use up stale bread!), and Mexico has its own version called capirotada, or Mexican bread pudding.
If you have some bread cubes made from stale bolillos (or any type of yeast bread), you can use them to make capirotada.
This Mexican bread pudding is made with a syrup that’s made from a type of brown sugar called piloncillo. The bread is layered with Mexican cheese and soaked in the syrup, and it creates a traditional authentic feast for Lent.
Other ingredients in this recipe include a cinnamon stick, vanilla extract, queso Oaxaca, raisins, chopped almonds, butter, and eggs.
Pink pan dulce is much more than just gorgeous and colorful. This Mexican bread is also super tasty and addictive.
If you’ve ever visited a Mexican bakery or Mexican grocery store, you’ve definitely seen pink pan dulce on the shelves full of beautiful bread.
To make pink pan dulce, you need bread flour (which is different from regular flour), all-purpose flour, butter, evaporated milk, active dry yeast, granulated sugar, eggs, and salt.
Pink pan dulce is perfect for parties, or just as a quick and easy treat for breakfast or brunch.
In the southern states of Mexico and Central Mexico, children eagerly await January 6th because that’s the day that they believe that the three wise men arrived to visit Baby Jesus bringing gifts.
This traditional Mexican holiday is celebrated with hot chocolate and the beloved Three Kings Bread, also known as Rosca de Reyes.
Typically, this is a super busy time for Mexican families, so they usually buy Rosca de Reyes from a Mexican bakery. However, you can try making this delicious Mexican bread at home.
There is always a baby baked inside the bread, which represents the Baby Jesus. In this way, Rosca de Reyes is similar to the King Cake that is traditional at Mardi Gras.
Do you want to learn how to make pan dulce from scratch? Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions.
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
