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Turn your kitchen into a Mexican panaderia with these Pineapple Brocas

The shape of this delicious pan dulce is inspired their name, “brocas”, which means drill bit in Spanish. It’s twisted, screw-like shape holds a delicious filling inside. I chose pineapple preserves for mine but you can use others such as hazelnut spread, pan dulce paste — the flaky, sweet topping used for conchas, other varieties of fruit jams, marmalades or preserves. The filling can be homemade or store bought if you’re pressed for time.

Related recipe: Garibaldis

The dough is a buttery, flaky, puff pastry that can easily be rolled out, filled and shaped in just a few minutes. On the outside, this treat is covered by two types of sugar: granulated and confectioners to give it a gritty but sweet taste, just like those delicious pastries in a Mexican panaderia. Other toppings include cinnamon sugar for that churro effect or melted chocolate for a richer, decadent option.

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pineapple brocas

Pineapple Brocas

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  • Author: Ericka Sanchez
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 75 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 14 1x
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Description

Brocas meaning “drill bits” in Spanish get their name from their twisted shape. Made with puff pastry and your favorite filling which could include fruit preserves, hazelnut spread, chocolate spread or a pan dulce topping paste. In this case, I prepared a deliciously sweet pineapple preserved that paired perfectly with the flaky and sweet puff pastry.

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredients for pineapple preserves

  • 1 pineapple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups Imperial Sugar granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

    Ingredients for brocas

  • All-purpose flour for dusting
  • 2 (9×12) puff pastry sheets
  • 3 tablespoons Imperial Sugar granulated sugar, divided
  • Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions

Instructions for pineapple preserves

Makes 2 ½ cups

  1. Add pineapple pieces to a blender. Blend until a chunky consistency forms. Do not puree.
  2. Combine pineapple, water sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring frequently, for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a large jar with lid to store.

    Instructions for brocas

  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.
  4. Sprinkle some flour on a working surface. Roll out puff pastry sheets to 11×14 rectangles. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar evenly on the bottom half of the pastry sheets. Press sugar into dough with your hand. Add 1/3 cup of pineapple preserves on each half of each sheet and spread evenly. Fold over the top half of the sheets to cover the side with the preserves. Trim any uneven edges with knife or pizza cutter.
  5. Slice 1 ½” strips of the folded dough and twist loosely. The dough should look like a corkscrew. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips. Sprinkle remaining granulated sugar over dough twists. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
  6. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve.