Aguacatas de Tinguindin

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide mixing bowl or wooden artesa
• •Rolling pin
• •Sharp knife or clean razor for scoring
• •Baking stone or heavy sheet pan
• •Long wooden peel if baking on a stone

Instructions

1. 1

   Make piloncillo miel

   Combine the piloncillo, water, cinnamon stick, and crushed anise in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the piloncillo dissolves and the liquid smells dark and warm, about 8 minutes. Strain and cool until just warm. Do not pour hot syrup into dough unless you want to kill the yeast. The syrup should feel like bath water.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   In a wide bowl, mix the harina de trigo, yeast, and salt. Rub in the softened manteca de cerdo with your fingers until the flour feels sandy and rich. Add the eggs, 3/4 cup of the warm piloncillo miel, and the warm milk. Mix until a rough dough forms. It should be soft, a little tacky, and fragrant with anise. La manteca es el sabor.

3. 3

   Knead until smooth

   Knead the dough on a lightly floured table for 8 to 10 minutes, pushing it forward with the heel of your hand and folding it back. If it tears dry, add milk one tablespoon at a time. If it sticks like paste, dust with a little flour, not a handful. The finished dough should be elastic and heavy from the lard, not fluffy like a bolillo.

   Aguacatas are flat sweet breads, not conchas. Do not chase a high rise. You want a tender bite with a tight crumb and a browned, scored surface.
4. 4

   Proof the dough

   Set the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean cloth, and let it rise at room temperature until it looks swollen and relaxed, about 2 hours. In Tinguindin, the old panaderias work with the rhythm of the horno de leña before dawn. If your kitchen is cold, give it time. Bread does not care about your schedule.

5. 5

   Shape the leaves

   Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an oval, then press and stretch it into a flat avocado-leaf shape, about 7 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Taper one end slightly. Set the pieces on parchment-lined baking sheets or a floured wooden peel if you are using a baking stone.

6. 6

   Score by hand

   Use the back of a knife or a clean razor to mark one long center vein and angled side veins across each bread. Do not cut all the way through. The scoring is not decoration for a photograph. It controls how the bread opens and gives the aguacata its Purépecha hand. Press firmly enough that the lines remain after the final proof.

7. 7

   Proof again

   Cover the shaped breads with a cloth and let them rest 45 to 60 minutes, until slightly puffed but still flat. Heat the oven to 400F with a baking stone or heavy sheet pan inside. A horno de leña gives better bottom heat and a deeper crust. At home, a hot stone is the honest compromise.

8. 8

   Glaze and bake

   Brush each aguacata lightly with egg wash and scatter a few sesame seeds over the surface if using. Bake 18 to 25 minutes, rotating once, until the tops are deep golden, the scored veins are visible, and the bottoms sound firm when tapped. The lard and piloncillo should leave the crust glossy, not pale.

9. 9

   Cool and serve

   Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before eating. The crumb needs time to settle. Serve in a woven basket lined with cloth, with cafe de olla or atole. These keep well because the lard protects the crumb. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh manteca de cerdo from a carniceria or a Mexican market. If it smells rancid or dusty, leave it there. Bad lard ruins bread faster than bad technique.
• •The dough can ferment overnight in the refrigerator after the first rise. Cover it well, chill it, then let it warm until pliable before shaping. A slow rest gives better flavor, and the lard keeps the dough forgiving.
• •Do not call this birote or picon. Birote is a sourdough bread from Jalisco, built with a starter some bakers call pata. Picon is a western pan dulce with its own scored sugar crust. Aguacatas belong to Tinguindin. This is a 32-state cuisine.
• •If you have access to a horno de leña, bake the aguacatas after the strongest heat has passed, when the oven floor browns bread without scorching it. In a home oven, use a preheated baking stone and do not crowd the pans.

Advance Preparation

• •The piloncillo miel can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently before mixing the dough.
• •The dough can be made the night before and refrigerated after the first rise. Shape and proof the aguacatas the next morning.
• •Baked aguacatas keep 3 days wrapped in a cotton cloth at room temperature. Rewarm briefly on a comal or in a low oven to soften the crumb.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 100g)