Randy, the closest I have come to finding a recipe for the Mexican Pan
dulce is actually a Cuban version of it........
PAN SUAVE - PAN DULCE
The Portuguese make a sweet bread they call Pao Duce. The Mexicans make
their version, and call it Pan Dulce.
We Cubans also make Pan Dulce, except it is usually called Pan Suave. You
can find it in most Cuban Bakeries and its' the bread roll used for the
Cuban Medianoche Sandwich.
I live in Hawaii, where there is a large concentration of Portuguese who
came to the Islands about a 100 years ago to work in the sugar cane fields.
Sometimes their Pan Duce (pronounced deuce) is called Hawaiian Bread here.
This recipe appears in the Steven Raichlen "Miami Spice" cookbook:
PAN SUAVE (Cuban Sweet Rolls)
Makes 12/ 5-inch rolls
2 envelopes active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp each)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tsp salt, plus a little bit more for egg glaze
4 to 5 cups bread or all-purpose flour, or more, as needed
2 Tbsp sesame seeds (**)
1 Tbsp melted butter
Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 3 tablespoons warm water in a
large mixing bowl. When mixture foams (about 5-10 minutes), stir in
remaining water, sugar, the oil and all but 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs.
Beat the remaining egg with a pinch of salt to make egg glaze and store in
refrigerator until needed.
Stir the 2 tablespoons salt and the flour, 1 cup at a time, into the liquid
ingredients, to obtain a dough that is stiff enough to pull away from the
sides of the bowl, but soft enough to knead. The dough can also be kneaded
in a mixer fitted with a dough hook or in a food processor with the dough
blade.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 6 to 8
minutes, adding flour as necessary to obtain a soft dough that is pliable
but not sticky. It will be a little moister than regular bread dough.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in warm,
draft-free spot until doubled in bulk- 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch down.
Form the rolls, dividing into 12 equal pieces. Roll each on the work
surface with the palm of your hand to form a tube 5 inches long with
tapered ends. Transfer the rolls to a lightly greased baking sheet leaving
3 inches between each.
Cover with a dampened cotton dish towel and let rise in warm, draft-free
spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. You can let them rise in the
refrigerator if you want, but it will take 3 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 F
Brush the rolls with the reserved egg glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake until golden brown and hollow sounding when lightly tapped, 20 to 30
minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Brush tops with melted
butter. Serve warm or cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
(**) I don't remember ever using sesame seeds on ours in Cuba.
I also have a recipe for the Mexican "Pan de Muertos" used for November
2nd.....el dia de los muertos (day of the dead) when they honor their
dearly departed. If you would like that one, let me know.......I usually
bake it for Halloween.
Happy Baking!!!!!!!!
Sonia