The Guzman siblings used to knead and bake sweet, nutty pan de fiesta to sell at festivals in their home town of Tlaxcala, Mexico.
When they moved to New Haven, they brought the party to Grand Avenue.
Yolanda Guzman brought the traditional bread recipe to Mi Lupita Bakery, which she opened after moving from Mexico to the United States 15 years ago.
Pan de fiesta or pan de feria—which means party bread or festival bread—is traditional to Tlaxcala, normally sold at annual patronage festivals honoring specific saints or virgins. Yolanda used to make the bread to sell from her home and at festivals. Now she sells the bread from her store and at regional fiestas patronales.
Yolanda and her brothers Alberto and Adolfo Guzman formed a family assembly line throughout the process, each one moving to a new station after finishing a task. Alberto used the industrial mixer to whisk together the ingredients: flour, sugar, “grasa” or fat, yeast, cream, eggs, and trocitos de nuez or little pieces of nuts.
When asked what type of nut they use in the dough, Alberto and Yolanda both responded matter of factly: “Regular.” The half-full package they pointed to indicated pecans.
photo: New Haven Independent
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