Pulque bread, a mestizo recipe that was born with the Tlaxcaltecs, ferments with pulque and preserves centuries of history, flavor, and Mexican tradition.
In Mexico, pulque bread is the result of a meeting between indigenous traditions, local ingredients, and colonial creativity. Its aroma of piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), cinnamon, and walnut continues to delight palates, but behind its flavor lies a story that began more than four centuries ago.
Origins of Pulque Bread
The history of pulque bread began around 1591, when Captain Francisco de Urdiñola and about 70 Tlaxcaltec families founded San Esteban de Nueva Tlaxcala, next to the village of Santiago del Saltillo. Those fields, which had served only for grazing, were transformed into farmland with cereals, cotton, vegetables, and even vineyards producing local wines.
The bread traveled on donkeys from the bakeries to markets and neighboring towns, hence it was also called “donkey bread.” This artisanal craft was in the hands of indigenous workers who, with ingenuity, replaced European yeast with pulque, which fermented the dough and gave it body.
Pulque bread owes its existence to the fermentation produced by pulque, a drink the Mexica (Aztecs) considered sacred and made from the aguamiel (honey water) of the maguey plant. When the Tlaxcaltecs arrived in the Saltillo region, they brought this ancestral drink, which was not only consumed as a beverage but also became an essential ingredient to leaven the dough.
This special pulque, known as tlachique, fermented naturally, replacing the yeast that was expensive and difficult to import from Spain. Thanks to this, colonial bakeries began to produce soft, fluffy bread with a unique flavor.
Ingredients and Recipe for Pulque Bread
Pulque bread is one of the delicacies enjoyed also in Querétaro and other central Mexican states. It symbolizes family togetherness and is a treat especially enjoyed in cold seasons, accompanied by a good atole or pot coffee.
To prepare pulque bread you need the following ingredients:
Yield: 20 servings
- 625 g wheat flour
- 125 g refined or brown sugar
- 15 g dry yeast
- 250 ml pulque
- 2 eggs
- 140 g vegetable shortening
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preparation of pulque breads:
- Make a mound with the flour, yeast, and sugar.
- Add the eggs in the center and knead vigorously for 10 minutes.
- Incorporate the cinnamon and vegetable shortening.
- Knead again vigorously for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 50 g portions.
- Grease a baking tray.
- Round the portions and place them on the tray, keeping 5 cm between each.
- Brush the portions with shortening.
- Let rest again to double in size.
- Bake at 200ºC (392ºF) for 20 minutes.
- Serve the rolls and enjoy with pulque.
Originally, pulque bread recipes included wheat flour, butter, water, milk, and sweet pulque. Over time, each region of the country added its own touch: some fill it with cajeta (caramel), pumpkin, walnut, or chocolate. Even today, bakers from Saltillo and other northern Mexican areas continue using fresh pulque to keep the recipe alive.
The bread, initially more savory, changed to a sweet version thanks to piloncillo and cinnamon. Thus was born a bread that not only nourishes the body but also the collective memory.
Festive Bread, Mestizo Bread, Bread of Identity
Pulque bread is also known as festive bread or mestizo bread because it represents the union of two worlds: the indigenous pulque tradition and the European wheat bread technique. Its origin is linked to community celebrations, religious festivities, and local fairs, where it is always offered as a symbol of hospitality.
With every bite, it recalls the times when donkeys carried bundles of freshly baked bread, and the aromas blended with conversations in town squares and markets.
It is true that pulque bread continues to be baked in colonial bakeries that preserve the original recipe, but it also is reborn in new versions reinvented without losing the pulque touch. Its flavor, which comes from natural fermentation, connects us with the land, history, and creativity of those who imagined it centuries ago.
Each piece tells the story of women and men who, with ingenuity and tradition, transformed the elixir of the gods into one of Mexico’s most beloved gastronomic treasures.
This translation maintains the original meaning, including cultural and technical details about pulque bread and its heritage.
