Pan Fino Masterclass

Friday, February, 2024 | 10:00AM - 4:00PM (Includes Lunch)

$349.00

Join Chef Alex Peña, a California native, a former Marine, a passionate Master Baker, trained culinary chef, and a professional bread scientist for his second day of masterclasses- Pan Fino!

Pan Fino, a specialty sweet bread that to me, represents an exclusive category of the pan dulce variety. The Pan Fino sweet dough is taken a step further by adding the combination of different leavening systems and a higher level of shortening to the recipe.

The yeast-raised dough contains additional chemical leavening to provide not only a unique texture, but also a darker color and flavor. The alkaline notes from the chemical leavening systems provide a subtle balance to the high level of cinnamon. In addition, the shortening in the sweet dough lends itself to creating a variety of figures that require optimum pliability when rolled out using a wooden dowel. The dough does not require a floured bench and is best handled cold or well fermented under refrigeration. Ultimately, the rich ingredients create a cinnamon cookie-like bread like no other.

The students will learn about the process and technique behind the iconic Elotes (corn on the cob), Chamucos (Demons (chamuscar – seared or branded)), Cuernitos (bull horns), Troncos (tree trunks), Alamares (knots), Empanadas de Calabaza (pumpkin filled turnovers). Every sweet bread will include a different sugar topping that will be produced during the class. Some of the old-world breads will also require rock sugar, a simple decoration that can be applied to many applications in the pan dulce category. During this class students will learn about the Calabaza filling used in the empanadas and how the sweet dough can be used as a universal platform for many other custard and fruit fillings.
The students will take home a total of seven recipes, and a few boxes topped with these amazing sweet breads and pastries.