Jimenez Bakery takes pride in preparing pan for Dia de Los Muertos

said Jimenez recalling the words of his father.







He explained that when there was an interest he too would teach his sons and nephews the timeless art of making pan de dulce.







As he reminisced about his father he worked unceasingly, gently giving the dough a final egg wash before popping it into the oven. This he says will give the pan de dulce a beautiful glaze.







Quickly the scents of fresh cake and bread fill the kitchen and carry out into the street drawing those passing by. The aromas and the colorful array of pan de dulce displayed in the glass case greet customers and continue to entice them as they make their selections.







The Jimenez family has been in the restaurant and bakery business for 36 years; 25 of those years have been in downtown Lubbock, next door to La Famosa bridal shop, another historical Latino-owned business in downtown Lubbock.







“The mornings are very busy… people come to have coffee and some pan de dulce,” he says as he showcases over 30 varieties of Mexican bread prepared using the family’s recipes.







He pulls out a tray with the pan de muerto and huesitos explaining that the bread signifies someone who is dead, but rather then making the event sad the bread is a comical way to make it happy.







“El pan es chistoso,” he says as he talks about how it is used as part of an ofrenda.







He holds up a round pastry that looks like a skull and points at the two bones formed out of ...