Chocolate-filled Pan Dulce

Way way back, after high school, my mom sent my sister and I on an amaxzing adventure to Mexico. We got to spend a bit more than a month, taking Spanish lessons, living with a family, discovering all the amazing things about Mexico that we didn't even know we didn't know. It was an amazing experience for many many reasons but one of the things that we were able to bring home was a love of the traditional pan dulce (sweet bread) of Mexico. My sister and I decided we just had to figure out how to make this yummy treat. Mind you, this was well before the internet, so we had to do a bit of sleuthing. Turns out, my mom's well-worn Sunset Breads cookbook had just the recipe we were looking for (or at least to springboard off from).

I'm sharing this with you today, on my Mom's birthday because she was an a m a z i n g baker, and she always inspired us to have fun making and baking in the kitchen. I hope this Pan Dulce inspires you too!

This is my recently updated version. Dairy is not my friend, so I make this with almond milk and coconut oil. Feel free to swap in regular cow milk and butter, if you'd like. If using regular milk, be sure to scald it before adding it to the mixture. How to: bring 2 cups of milk to just under a simmer over medium-low heat (or nuke it for about 1 minute). Also, if you don't feel like the chocolate filling, feel free to add other filling options. Maybe some sweetened cottage cheese, or jam, or Nutella. Sky is the limit!

Note: I make this using my stand mixer. You could definitely make this by hand, too. It's a quite easy-to-master dough!

The shaping part is super fun to do with your kiddos, especially because the dough is very easy to work with, and they will love seeing (and eating!) the beautiful rolls they helped make!

Chocolate-filled Pan Dulce

Yield: 22 - 24 rolls

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups milk (I used almond milk; you could use dairy milk, but scald it first)

7 T coconut oil (you could use butter if you are not worried about keeping it dairy-free)

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1/3 cup sugar

7 - 8 cups flour (sub in 2 cups of whole wheat flour, if you'd like)

2 tsp salt

3 eggs

Streusel

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 T cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

7 T coconut oil

2 egg yolks (reserve egg whites for egg wash before baking)

1 egg

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 egg whites

Instructions

Make the dough

Heat milk and coconut oil until warm to the touch. Combine milk mixture, yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until starting to foam. With mixer on low using the dough hook, add 2 cups of flour, mixing until combined. Turn off the mixer, cover with a towel, and let sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add salt, eggs, and mix well with the hook, on low. Add flour, one cup at a time, mixing well each addition, until a soft dough comes together. You may not need all 8 cups of flour; add it in slowly so as to not add too much. Once the dough starts to clean the sides of the bowl, and is a lovely soft stretchy texture -- about 5 to 7 minutes of kneading on medium-low speed -- turn off the mixer, and round the sough into a smooth ball. Lightly oil a large bowl (or the bowl of the mixer), turning the dough to coat both sides. Cover with an airtight lid, and set aside to rise in a warmish place for 3 hours.

While dough is raising, make filling.

Combine brown sugar, cocoa, salt and coconut oil in a small bowl. Mix until well blended. Add egg yolks one at a time, and then egg, mixing well after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour, and then the last of the flour until you have a thick chocolatey smooshy streusel. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

To shape:

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly to deflate and smooth surface. Divide the ball of dough into 4 roughly equal pieces. Then, divide each of the 4 first into half and then each half into thirds. For each roll, take one piece of dough, and smooth it into a round, about 5 inches in diameter. Keep pressing it flat until you have a nice smooth round. Take a small scoop of filling (I use a small cookie scoop), and using your fingers, spread the filling in a strip in the center of the dough. Ruling from one side, make a tube (sort of like a cinnamon roll), rolling in the sides as you go, to cover the side and keep the filling from spilling out either end. Pinch the end to seal. Place the filled roll on lined baking pan. Using a sharp knife, give a few decorative slits on the top, to allow for even rising. Repeat with remaining dough. Once one pan is filled, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and then a towel. Let rise for 45 minutes or until roughly doubled.

Once both pans are risen, preheat the oven to 375.

Pull off the plastic wrap and discard. Whisk the egg whites to loosen, and using a pastry brush, lightly paint each roll with egg white to all for baking into a glossy finish. If you'd like, very lightly sprinkle with fine salt.

Bake each pan for 25 - 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 5 - 10 minutes. Enjoy!