I’m always fascinated with the history that comes with each sweet bread that I find. I can honestly say that I never really knew how many more sweet breads there were. Growing up I knew what conchas, empanadas, buñuelos and a cortadillos were. Those were the basics for me. I never was really introduced to the many other sweet breads, even living in South Texas. The town I grew up in didn’t have an authentic Panadería, the closest thing we had was the HEB bakery and we had to drive fifteen minutes just to get there. But as a kid when I’d visit family members in San Antonio, I have a vague memory of walking in this small Panadería. I can still remember the smell.
As an adult I have had the pleasure of visiting Panaderías, small ones and big ones. To be honest, I have yet to visit some in Mexico, but it’s on my bucket list. Nonetheless, I became very intrigued by it all, particularly the history of how it became to be.
Pan Tabasqueña originates from Tobasco, Mexico. It’s a traditional sweet bread inspired by the local ingredients and culture. Tobasco, Mexico is known for its rich culinary traditions, even breads like Pan Tabasqueña. It is like a cinnamon and sugar tostada with a caramelized sugar on top, making it a good balance of soft and crunchy. The bread is punctured with holes to prevent the dough from rising, the holes keep it flat like a cookie.
You can add things like nuts to the bread or even add different toppings. I just went with cinnamon and sugar, and it was delicious.
Pan Tabasqueña
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer optional
- 2 baking sheets
- parchment paper
- 1 pastry cutter
- 1 food thermometer
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 495 g All purpose flour 3 1/2 Cups
- 60 g Granulated sugar 1/4 Cup
- 45 g Brown sugar 1/4 Cup
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Star Anise optional
- 2 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
- 1/2 Cup Milk warmed 100-110℉
- 1/4 Cup Water warmed 100-110℉
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted butter softened
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Turbinado sugar optional
Instructions
- In a mixer bowl combine: APF, sugars, salt, cinnamon, anise. Whisk together well and set aside. Combine milk and water together and warm up to 100-110℉ in microwave. Add yeast, stir and let sit for 10 minutes. It should look frothy. If you're using a stand mixer, use dough hook and set speed to low. Add softened butter, eggs and vanilla extract one at a time. One the dough comes together, let it knead on low for about 10 minutes. The dough should be soft and elastic. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and form into a ball. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic cling wrap and a towel. Rest in a warm oven for 1-1 1/2 hours. Dough should be doubled. Preheat oven to 350℉.Punch air out of dough and form into a ball. Separate the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a 5-inch diameter disk. Place the disk onto a plate of granulated sugar and press down until covered with sugar. Only one side. Continue with the rest. Place each disk sugar side up on parchment lined or silicone lined baking sheet. Using fingertips, make indentions into each disk. (Optional: Dust Turbinado sugar). Let the dough rest again for 30 minutes. Bake for 15-20 minutes. They're best to eat the day of making them. But you can store in an airtight container for a couple of days.
Video
Notes
You can don’t have to use brown sugar; you can just use granulated sugar.
Sometimes anise is used in this recipe, but I only had Star Anise. Star anise is a little stronger than anise, so you have to cut it down to half. You can actually just omit this spice if you prefer.
Make sure the milk and water are at least 1oo-110F. If the liquids are too hot it will kill the yeast. The yeast needs to activate for the bread to rise.
I used plastic cling wrap to cover dough with the first rest, then I place a kitchen towel on top and bottom of the bowl.
I warm up the oven for a few seconds and turn it off, that way the dough can rest in a warm oven. Rise time can vary, I had to let mine rest for an hour and half.
This sweet bread is best eaten on the same day you make it. But you can store it in an airtight container for a couple of days. 
