Love conchas? Here’s your guide to pan dulce to help you order like a pro

Almost every country has an iconic baked good. France has the croissant. Spain has churros. Italy has tiramisu. And Mexican sweets were inspired by them all, yet utterly distinct.

Mexican pan dulce, or sweet bread, is not your regular brioche, doughnut or toasted bread with some jam on top. Pan dulce is a choose-your-own adventure array of baked treats. Influenced by French, Spanish and Indigenous techniques, the baked goods category of pan dulce is uniquely Mexican, with dozens of varieties from chocolatey to cakey to seemingly simple cookies.

While almost any sweet Mexican baked good can be a pan dulce, there are some classics you’ll almost always find in the bakery case at your local panadería.

Here’s your guide to the most iconic pan dulce.

What to order at a Mexican bakery: 9 must-try Pan dulce

Empanada

Unlike the common half-moon shape, pan dulce empanadas often come in a triangle form with their dough folded neatly over fruity fillings. They are soft, slightly crumbly and dusted or coated with sugar. Inside you’ll find fruit jams and pastes from tangy pineapple and strawberry to pumpkin, fig or even custard.

Conchas

Conchas are perhaps the most beloved and recognizable type of pan dulce, instantly identifiable by their round, pillowy shape and signature sugar shell topping. Like a brioche, it’s soft, airy and lightly sweet. The topping is a crumbly sweet paste made from sugar, flour and butter and is colored pink, white, yellow and chocolate brown.

Mantecada

Often described as the Mexican version of a muffin, mantecadas are simple and indulgent with a buttery flavor. They are made with flour, eggs, sugar, butter or lard, and then baked into a golden yellow hue. What makes them so recognizable is their bright red paper liners. There are variations with chocolate chips, pecans, orange zest or even topped with sprinkles.

Orejas

Orejas are the Mexican version of the classic French palmiers. The difference is… well, there is no difference, they look, taste and have the same texture. These pastries are made from laminated dough, rolled thin, sprinkled with sugar and baked until crisp, golden and flaky. The name orejas comes from their distinctive ear-like shape. Some bakeries also offer orejas dipped in chocolate.

Puerquito

Puerquito, also known as marranitos or cochinitos, are soft-baked cookies that are in the shape of a pig. They are made with piloncillo, which is unrefined cane sugar and seasoned with cinnamon and cloves, which give them a rich, slightly spiced sweetness and a dark color. The texture is soft, more like a dense cake or a soft, chewy cookie.

Galleta

Galletas in the world of pan dulce are the giant cookies you’ll always spot, often catching the eyes of kids first. These oversized cookies are usually topped with sprinkles, M&Ms, jam or chocolate chips. The texture usually lands between a shortbread and a sugar cookie, making them buttery, crumbly and just sweet enough without being overwhelming. While adults reach for conchas, galletas are the pan dulce most kids beg for.

Elote

This playful pastry is shaped like an ear of corn, complete with ridges that look like kernels. But it doesn’t taste like corn. The elote cookie is soft and crumbly and filled with the same sugar topping you’d find on a concha or sometimes with cajeta, a Mexican caramel. The outside is dusted with sugar.

Niño Envuelto

Niño envuelto is the Mexican version of a jelly roll. The sponge cake is rolled up and filled with strawberry jam in the center and coated with shredded coconut. Its name means “wrapped child,” and there are other variations of this pan dulce, like “besos” (kisses). Besos are two small, round sponge cakes sandwiched together with jam and rolled in coconut or sugar.

Cuernito

Move over France, the cuernito is Mexico’s take on the croissant. Its name means “little horn” and unlike the buttery, flaky French croissant, cuernitos are a bit denser and less layered with a slightly sweet flavor. You’ll find them plain or dusted with sugar.

Why do Mexicans eat pan dulce?

Mexicans eat pan dulce because it has become a cultural staple that blends history, tradition and everyday life. Its roots trace back to the Spanish colonization of Mexico in the 16th century, when wheat was introduced to the Americas.

Spanish bakers brought European bread-making techniques, which were later influenced by French baking during the 19th century under Emperor Maximilian and the French occupation.

Mexican bakers took these methods and added their own creativity using local flavors, shapes and bright designs to transform bread into the dozens of pan dulce styles we know today.

What is pan dulce made of?

Think of pan dulce as your average pastry that typically consists of flour, sugar, milk, eggs, butter and yeast, depending on the type of pan dulce.

What is pan dulce called in English?

Pan dulce translates to “sweet bread.”

What does a pan dulce taste like?

Pan dulce tastes like comfort in pastry form. But in all seriousness, the flavor depends on the type you grab from the bakery case and the options are endless. Some are light and fluffy, others are buttery and flaky. You’ll also find fruity versions filled with jam or topped with dried fruit, as well as crispy caramelized pastries.

Some pan dulces are rich and decadent, while others are mild and perfect for dunking into coffee or hot chocolate.

Can you eat pan dulce for breakfast?

You can absolutely eat pan dulce for breakfast; in fact, that’s what it’s typically meant for. But pan dulce isn’t only for the early hours. Many people enjoy it in the evening too, often with a late-night cup of coffee or atole, a Mexican beverage made from corn flour. Others grab a piece in the middle of the day as a sweet pick-me-up snack.

What do you eat pan dulce with?

Pan dulce is often eaten with coffee, atole, which is a Mexican beverage made from corn flour, champurrado, a chocolatey version of atole, or milk.

Is pan dulce baked or fried?

Pan dulce is typically always baked. That said, not every Mexican sweet bread is pan dulce. Some fried pastries like buñuelos or churros fall into the broader category of Mexican desserts.

What is the difference between pan dulce and conchas?

All conchas are pan dulce. Pan dulce is the broad category that includes all types of Mexican sweet breads. Conchas are just the most famous and iconic of pan dulce.

Try pan dulce at these metro Phoenix Mexican bakeries

For the best Mexican bakeries to try pan dulce, head to these panaderias around the Valley.

La Purisima Bakery

Being in the Valley for over two decades, La Purisima Bakery has grown to be one of Arizona‘s most well-known panaderias with three locations serving pan dulce, tamales, tortillas and burritos.

Details: Multiple Valley locations, purisimabakery.com.

Antigua Bakery

Antigua Bakery is a go-to spot to buy cakes for birthday parties and pan dulce. Show up early on the weekends, many favorites sell out early Saturday mornings.

Details: Multiple Valley locations, antiguabakery.com.

Carniceria Panaderia Guerrero

Carniceria Panaderia Guerrero is a popular spot to buy pan dulce for its convenience. It’s very common to see customers buy a few groceries while also picking up warm pan dulce.

Details: 2829 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. 602-381-3778. carniceriaphoenixguerrero.weebly.com.

Panaderia El Guero

Almost all panaderias are the same, baking up the classics like conchas and cuernitos, but at Panaderia El Guero, they are known specifically for their empanadas. Make sure to pick up a few early in the morning to get them freshly baked.

Details: 2535 E. Bell Road, Phoenix. 602-364-9015. facebook.com/PanaderiaElGuero1.

Panaderia los Jarochos

Panaderia los Jarochos may be a small bakery, but they don’t skimp on the portions. Owned by a family from Veracruz, the bakery reflects the traditional bread-making styles of their hometown.

Details: 2822 N. 32nd St., Phoenix. 480-479-5446. facebook.com/panaderialosjarochos.

Got a story you want to share? Reach out at [email protected]. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.

Looking for the best things to do in Arizona? Sign up for our newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Love conchas? Here’s your guide to pan dulce to help you order like a pro

Reporting by Tiffany Acosta, Arizona Republic / Arizona Republic

MORE: Snack your way into autumn with the state fair’s Food Flight Pass