Guatemalan Breads Once Again

In my previous post, I mentioned that I have been creating a breads cookbook, just for myself; a way of getting together all my bread recipes. As I was collecting  all the recipes I had made to date under the chapter for Guatemalan Breads, I started looking around the internet once again and found some more to try. The recipes I am posting here are, in the main, from a YouTube video by Recetas y Pasteles Lili. The whole video is in Spanish, and it is long, but very thorough. My recipe has minimal changes, and less steps, plus, it's in English, but my gratitude to "Lili" for the recipes and instructions.

Gusanitos, Gallinitas and Besitos, Guatemalan Breads

These breads, all three of them, are made from the same dough, and the same batch of sugar paste. They are fairly sweet, sweeter than most of the Guatemalan breads. But, they are really cute breads. One shape is called Gallinitas, or "Little Hens." So called, because they supposedly represent the coxcomb (wrong sex, but hey!) with their little floppy looking tops. Another of these breads is called Besitos, or "Little Kisses," as they have an "X" cut into the top. The third of these breads are called Gusanitos, or "Little Worms," so called because of the segmented-looking bodies. If these don't sound inviting, just wait.

Since they are all made from the same dough(s), once the dough is made and ready, they simply need to be shaped. There is an interesting little trick to forming each of them, and only for the Besitos did I change the method, as Lili's method seemed cumbersome. These breads are just delightful with a cup of coffee, be it for breakfast or afternoon snack. Once trying out the methods they do become very easy. I hope you'll give them a try.

Pan Dulce (Gallinitas, Besitos and Gusanitos)

Makes 18 sweet rolls

Make the SUGAR PASTE: with hands or a small mixer, beat together the flour, sugar and lard or shortening until it is cohesive. Add in a tablespoon of water. It should have the consistency of dough. If not, add a tiny bit more water at a time until it can be formed easily, rolling out or making into a ball. Divide the Sugar Paste into 3 equal portions, by weight, form each into a ball and set back in the bowl, Cover the bowl to prevent drying and set aside.

MAKE THE DOUGH: Place all ingredients for “dough” except the water into a heavy duty stand mixer or into a large bowl if mixing by hand. Run the mixer with paddle until the lard had dispersed well. Add in most (not all) of the water and begin mixing with the dough hook, or by hand. The dough should be very soft, but not so soft it cannot be handled. Add the remaining water if needed, to achieve this soft consistency. Knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes, then allow it to rest for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Turn the dough out onto a greased surface and divide the dough into 3 equal portions, by weight. Each portion will make 6 rolls. Set two portions aside, covered. Divide the last portion of dough into 6 equal pieces by weight.

To make “GALLINITAS:” Make each of the 6 pieces of dough into a log about 6 to 7-inches long. Take one of the balls of sugar paste and equally divide the ball into 6 pieces. Take one of these pieces of the sugar paste almost, but not quite, as big as the piece of dough and roll it into a similar length log. Set the sugar paste log on top of the dough log. Flatten the two pieces together, to a width of about 1.5 inches. No need to lengthen the log. Now, using a small knife or a metal bench scraper, slice through the stack, from the center to the wide edge, repeating these cuts about every quarter-inch.

From one short end, begin to roll up this piece, until you come to the end of the length. The bread is formed sideways, so turn the dough so the floppy ends are now the top and set on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat this process for the remaining five pieces of the dough,  setting them well-spaced, on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Gallinitas, or Little Hens

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To make “BESITOS:” Take the second portion of the dough and further divide it into 6 equal pieces by weight. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten the ball with hands to about 3½  to 4-inches in diameter. Take the second of the balls of sugar paste, further divide this ball into 6 equal pieces. Take one small ball of the sugar paste and set it in the center of the dough circle, photo 1. Bring the dough up and around the sugar paste to completely encase it, pinching the ends so they stay closed. Turn the ball over so the seam is on the bottom, photo 2, and set this onto a parchment lined baking sheet. With clean scissors, snip across the top of the ball, photo 3. Now snip the top in the opposite direction, across the first cut, photo 4, and forming an “X in the dough, having cut through so the sugar paste is exposed, photo 5. Repeat this process with the remaining 5 balls of dough from this group, setting them well apart onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg wash, avoiding the open, cut surfaces.

Besitos, or Little Kisses

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make “GUSANITOS:” With the last of the 3 portions of dough, divide this into 6 equal pieces by weight. Take one piece and form a ball. Set the ball onto the oiled surface and flatten to a large, long oval, approximately 5 x 8”. With the last remaining sugar paste ball, divide into 6 equal pieces. Take one piece of the sugar paste and flatten as much as possible between the hands, then set this piece onto one end of the long oval of dough, leaving about ½-inch of dough exposed at the end, photo 1, below, ensuring that the paste just reaches the side edges. Make slices through the sugar paste and dough, starting about a third of the way up the dough, cutting into strips downward about every quarter to one-third inch apart, photo 2. Begin rolling the dough from the short end without the sugar paste, pressing each side to seal as you roll, photos 3, 4, 5. Once the roll is complete, photo 6, the cuts will reveal the sugary insides and the segments will somewhat resemble a worm, or “gusanito.” Repeat this process with the remaining 5 pieces of dough and sugar paste. Set each Gusanito onto parchment lined baking sheets, well apart. Brush the dough with egg wash, but avoid getting the egg into the cut surfaces. Set aside, covered, and proof for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake all the breads for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 10 minutes more, for a total of 25 minutes. If breads are on separate pans, bake one tray at a time.

Gusanitos or Little Worms

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Guatemalan Pan Frances

Maybe I should say "Guatemalan Style" Pan Francés. I never actually learned to make this bread in Guatemala, and from this remove of 40 years, it was only after watching a few Guatemalan videos and reading lots of recipes that I went and created my own version. 

Guatemalan Pan Frances

Everyone has their own style, their own methods; the things that work best for them, based on how they have done things over time, past experience. This is how it was for me. Making all the various Guatemalan style breads, which I truly only went into with some dedication last November, as I had been craving Shecas for ages! I watched videos to see the various styles for forming the breads, and then I did what worked best for me. My methods may or may not actually be "true," And then again, no two bakers make things exactly the same. While any professional baker will have their methods, tried and true, and teach these methods to students, there will always, always be variations. I say all this, because when anyone reads my methods, but might see something elsewhere that works better, then go for it. Comfort in your own methods is highly important in baking and cooking. This is where enjoyment starts.

Pan Frances Just Baked

French Bread, and Pan Francés

Okay, so when things actually come down to the fine brass tacks, there are not many ingredients in any French bread. True French bread needs nothing more than flour, yeast, salt and water. Additions, such as lard or shortening, if used, should be kept to a minimum. Sugar truly has no place in French bread, but most recipes I read for Guatemalan Pan Francés has at least a little of both of these latter ingredients.

Forming the Dough

When I lived in Guatemala, I was married to a Guatemalan man, and for a brief moment in time, he owned a bakery. Once, when he took me through it, my memory of what I saw was of a baker forming Pan Francés. He already had a line or "set" of the breads formed, with the deep "dent" down the center. He had a heavily floured baker's "couche" set at one side, with a deep pleat upwards. He flipped the line of formed breads so that the pleat in the couche was poking into the line down the center of the breads and there it would rise. I know the reasoning for this - the bread just wants to rise and fill that deep dent, and if allowed to do this, then the bread no longer looks like the Guatemalan Pan Francés, but instead becomes a single blob. Not Good. And not everyone has a handy baker's couche.

Pressing the center of one set

For a home baker, with less experience of making these breads, I was determined to get them right, and after seeing on many videos how very important it was to make that center in the line of breads is deep enough to stay open, I worked at it. Most videos show that once the line of usually 6 "sets" of breads (6 is easier for the home baker to manipulate). Once the set is formed and that center line pressed wide and flat, entire set of breads is lifted and flipped over onto a good bed of flour. The set is flipped back upright to rise, but even then, if the center line starts puffing, flatten it again with the side of the hand or a rolling pin and sprinkle more flour into the crease. This center crease has to be much wider than one would think. Make sure it is at least 1½-inches wide, minimum. 

Pan Francés

Makes about 4+ "sets" of 6 Pan Francés

In a bowl, mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt together. Add in the lard and the water, reserving some of the water aside in case it is not needed. Begin stirring with wooden spoon or hands, incorporating the dry ingredients and lard together. Once dough comes together, turn out onto a clean, floured surface and begin kneading. Adjust the dough with more flour or more water if needed. The dough should be tacky, but not outright sticky after a few minutes of kneading. Knead the dough until it forms a windowpane: take a piece of the dough and stretch it wide between the hands. It should be able to hold without tearing and stretch thinly enough to show light through it. For me, this took 16 minutes. 

Grease a clean bowl and set the dough into the bowl, turning over once to grease both sides. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside to rise until nearly doubled. This can take 40 minutes to 1+ hours, depending on the ambient temperature. 

Grease two or more baking sheets, or line them with parchment. 

Two sets of 6 breads set to rise

Begin breaking off portions of dough from 1.5 to 1.75 ounces each. Each of these portions will be one "set" of breads. Take one portion and form it into a tight ball, then set on the work space and using the side of your hand, press and roll back and forth in the center, to form two conjoined lumps. Ensure there is plenty of space between the lumps, but without breaking the balls apart. Set aside, then begin again with another piece of dough, form a tight ball and roll with side of hand to make two nicely separate, conjoined lumps. Set this second set against the first. Repeat until you have 6 sets of dough, lined up with the centers aligned. Use a rolling pin and rock it slightly down the center length to ensure good separation. Create a heavily floured area the size of the dough set and lift the entire set of 6 and flip it upside down onto the heavy flour. Flip it back over, right side upwards. press the center again, with hands or rolling pin, and then sprinkle flour down the center line. Place the set of Pan Francés onto one of the prepared pans, to one side.

Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls. There should be a minimum of 4 sets of 6 breads, though there could be an off-number set left. 

Cover the heavily flour dusted breads with plastic film and set aside to rise for about 40 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a rack at the top of the oven, set an oven safe pan for steam-water.

Once oven is ready, have one cup of boiling water ready at hand. Set one tray of bread into the oven on center or lower rack. Quickly, pour the cup of boiling water into the steam pan on upper rack. Close the oven door and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. 

With more trays, repeat adding boiling water to the steam pan on upper rack, then bake additional trays for the same amount of time. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.