Welcome to the Chicano Bakes Resource Page! This is a live resource that will be constantly updated to answer any questions you might have as you bake your way through the book.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I primarily use OXO for most of my kitchen tools! Everything tends to be great in quality, and is so durable. This is the OXO good grips 5-lb food scale I use when I bake.
Does weighing out ingredients really make a difference?
Absolutely! Using a scale to weigh your ingredients ensures that the recipe will turn out the same every single time.
I included a table in the first chapter with all of the weights I used to develop my recipes. The weight of 1 cup of flour varies by baker (my “1 cup of flour” weighs 125g), so for my recipes make sure to go by the weights in the book! When I wasn’t weighing out my flour properly and was just scooping out 1 cup of flour and leveling it off, I weighed it and noticed that I was packing an extra 30 grams in my cup which is about an extra 1/4 cup. This can greatly affect a recipe, especially if the recipe calls for multiple cups of flour! It’s a bit of a learning curve but after a while it starts to become second nature.
I love the OXO Good Grips 8 piece Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set, All-Clad also makes a really great set of stainless steel measuring cups and spoons, but they are way too expensive! As a coupon queen, I like being able to buy most of the OXO products at Bed Bath & Beyond with their coupons!
This is a really complicated topic, but King Arthur Baking has a really great comprehensive resource that details all of the adjustments you need to make for high-altitude baking! Find their guide here.
Yes, of course! Feel free to use unsalted butter if you’d like. Just be aware that in certain recipes, using shortening plays an important part. In the case of Polvorones, shortening gives these cookies that melt in your mouth experience they are known for, and using butter in place will result in a snappy cookie instead.
Never! That is where all of the toasty flavor lives. I like to use a firm silicone spatula to get every single bit out of browned butter bits from the bottom of the pan for maximum flavor.
Carefully push down on the topping to flatten out the bread dough then use a sharp paring knife to score a design onto the topping, then let the buns proof for a final rise. Using a sharp pairing knife will you give the best control and precision.
13 Comments
Josephine Murray
May 3, 2023 at 12:10 pmWhen making the Polvorones can you refrigerate the dough longer than an hour?
Esteban
May 4, 2023 at 9:28 pmHi Josephine, Yes you can refrigerate the dough for longer than an hour! Just make sure to keep it sealed to prevent it from drying out.
Ivonne
May 25, 2023 at 7:20 amHello! I can’t find Maseca at my grocery stores. I did find Goya masarepa. It says it can be used for tamales, arepas, tortilla, etc. Can I use this instead of Maseca?
Esteban
May 28, 2023 at 5:38 pmHi Ivonne,
I haven’t worked with Masarepa before but I do know it is going to be more coarse since it’s corn meal. If there’s any recipes on the package, I would follow those because it won’t be a 1 to 1 swap for corn flour!
Tyani
October 12, 2023 at 9:00 pmHi! I am so so excited to own your book! I want to make conchas. Does it make a difference if I use plain vegetable shortening instead of butter flavored shortening? Also, do you have a recipe for to make the topping chocolate? Thank you!
Esteban
October 13, 2023 at 8:10 amIt doesn’t make a difference, I just prefer to use butter flavored shortening to give the topping more flavor! For chocolate, I usually add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon into the topping dough. The vanilla flavored topping is going to be a little under hydrated to allow some room for food coloring, but you can always just add extra vanilla extract to get it to the right consistency.
Jennifer
November 6, 2023 at 6:27 pmHola Esteban! Do you have any additional tips or essential steps to keep in mind when making your bolillo recipe?
Esteban
November 6, 2023 at 7:58 pmHi Jen! I just made them this week for a reel I’m posting soon and here’s a few things I’d keep in mind. Like I mention in the book, use a scale to weigh your ingredients, weighing your ingredients will always give you a consistent end result. If you aren’t weighing them and you happen to be packing extra flour in your cups, the dough will be on the dry side!
The dough will be slightly sticky to the touch, and that’s exactly how it should be! I usually add a little bit of oil to my hands to keep the dough from sticking, but don’t add any extra flour.
When the bolillos are finally formed and proofing for their final time, I like to prep the water bath and I like to start preheating the oven, so that in 30 minutes, when the bolillos are done proofing, the oven is hot and steamy. For this, using a regular 9×13 cake pan works great and if you fill it with 6-7 cups of water, you shouldn’t need to replenish it at all!
Making sure you create a steamy environment is going to be the biggest deal here because it’s what’s going to give you that crunchy outer shell. I’ll be posting my reel on Friday, and I’ll be updating this page with videos too so you can see how I shape them!
ROSIE
November 13, 2023 at 5:08 pmJust received my own copy of Chicano Bakes and I am sharing it with my boys so they can learn along side me of baking some of those traditional pan dulce I grew up with. They are 9 and 8 year old and this is how they arw actually getting introduced into mexican bread instead of asking for donuts. I also have a 2 year old who loves to help in the kitchen he is my little Chéf Adrian.
Monserrat
January 26, 2024 at 12:07 pmHello! I’m trying to make the cajeta from the book and want some recommendations for some rum.
Esteban
January 29, 2024 at 2:08 pmHi Monse! I personally love to use Bourbon, but any silver or gold rum is perfect for the cajeta envinada. Spiced rum usually has a bit of a licorice taste to me, so I tend to avoid it for cajeta.
Erica
February 9, 2024 at 9:40 amHi! Love, love your book! For the conchas, how or what modifications are needed if I want them seasonal? Like pumpkin or horchata flavored.
Thank you❣️
Esteban
February 21, 2024 at 3:57 pmHi Erika! Unfortunately with bread recipes, there’s a bit of a formula that needs to be followed so making swaps isn’t always easy! I haven’t made horchata flavored conchas before, but I did share a recipe for pumpkin conchas last year. You can find the recipe here: https://chicanoeats.com/pumpkin-conchas-conchas-de-calabaza/
I hope you try them!
-Esteban