Lent may be a time for fasting and sober thought, especially in this corona virus epoch. On the positive side, it's also the season to eat a buttery rich, syrupy sweet and totally fabulous dessert, the Mexican bread pudding called capirotada.
Alex Peña (above) is an expert in making capirotada, and in all Mexican breads. His capirotada is on the right. On the left is another of his bread-based desserts, budín.
Peña grew up with Mexican baking at his family's panadería and market, La Morenita in Cypress Park, California. Now, he's director of development for Pak Group, producer of Bellarise yeast and other commercial baking supplies. In his lab in Pasadena, California, he tests and fine-tunes everything to do with bread baking.
For capirotada, Peña bakes his own bread, often using round, sweet picones (above).
Or else he makes bolillos (above). At home, you can use store-bought bolillos, which you then cut up and dry in the oven.
Many Latino supermarkets provide ready made dried bolillos for capirotada such as these displayed at a Northgate Gonzalez market in Los Angeles.
I even found them at AA Marketplace in Garden Grove, a pan Asian market that also carries Mexican ingredients.
Some Latino markets and bakeries sell readymade capirotada such as this version in the prepared foods counter at Northgate Gonzalez.
Assembling the pudding is easy. Once the bread is prepared, you place it in a baking dish, then add melted butter, raisins, roasted peanuts, grated cheese, candies and a syrup spiced with cinnamon and cloves.
Special ingredients such as piloncillo, fat cinnamon sticks and colaciones (at left in front) are available in Latino markets.
Here, Peña sprinkles grated cheese over the pudding--yes, cheese is an essential component of capirotada. His Guadalajara style capirotada is topped with Jack cheese. In northern Mexico, cooks might use sharp Cheddar.
Peña pretties up the pudding with candies--fat round Mexican colaciones and multi-colored candy sprinkles. You can eat capirotada warm after baking or refrigerated and cold. It's good either way, he says.
And if it's too hard to shop for the ingredients now, capirotada will be good anytime, not just during Lent.
To see more of Peña's Mexican breads, go to his Instagram site, Baking Evolution.
ALEX PEÑA'S CAPIROTADA
Mexican Bread Pudding
6 cups sliced or cubed bolillos, from 4 bolillos, about 3 1/2 ounces each
2 quarts water
2 pounds piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar cones)
2 large whole cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), melted
1 cup raisins
1 cup roasted peanuts
3 cups shredded Jack cheese
Decorative Mexican candies such as colaciones or candy sprinkles
The bolillos can be prepared a day ahead. Spread the slices or cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until dry.
The syrup can also be prepared a day ahead. Combine the water, piloncillo, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 quarts. If storing overnight, you can leave the spices in the syrup. Before baking, strain the syrup to remove the spices.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the dried bolillos in a 10-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the butter, raisins, peanuts, cheese and candies. Sprinkle the syrup over all. Cover with a lid or foil. Bake for 1 hour.
Serve warm or cold. Makes 20 (3-ounce) servings or 12 (5-ounce) servings. Additional cheese and sprinkles can be added after baking or when reheating for an attractive presentation.
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