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How to Make Pan de Anis

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Pan de anis is a type of Mexican pan dulce that comes in various shapes, but always has anise seed to give it its flavor.

My favorite version of these sweet, pillowy anise rolls known as pan de anis are a staple at the famous El Cardenal restaurant in Mexico City, which has been serving traditional Mexican dishes in the capital since 1969 and has an extraordinary bread and pastry service. If you’ve ever eaten breakfast at El Cardenal, then it’s possible you’ve passed over this pan dulce for a concha or other sweet bread you recognize. And while their conchas are amazing, you’ve been missing out if you’ve never ordered these anise rolls!

Mexican anise rolls in a square baking pan, topped with sugar
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Sugar Crunch Rosca de Reyes

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This modern version of Rosca de Reyes has only one topping: everyone’s favorite crunchy sugar crust!

If your family is anything like mine, certain family members clamor for the piece of rosca with the sugar crunch topping every Día de Reyes. There’s never enough pieces for all the people who want that addictive crunch, and somebody is inevitably disappointed they had to eat a piece without it.

Mexican rosca de reyes with sugar crust on a baking disc over parchment paper and a piece cut and served on a blue and white Mexican talavera pottery dish. There is a knife to the left of the cake.
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Polvorones

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Mexican wedding cookies known as polvorones on a blue and white talavera pottery plate

These crumbly, buttery shortbread cookies known as polvorones or Mexican wedding cookies melt in your mouth. This particular recipe was passed down from my grandmother and one that my family enjoys every year between Christmas and Día de los Reyes Magos. I especially love to eat them alongside a mug of ponche navideño, champurrado, or spicy Mexican hot chocolate. These are also delicious to eat with rompope, the Mexican version of eggnog!

The origin and many names of Mexican wedding cookies

These cookies, in general, are often referred to as having European origins, and many versions exist.

The Moors brought a type of these cookies to Spain when they occupied the country from the 700s through the 1400s. When Spaniards settled in Mexico, nuns who traveled to the new world brought their knowledge of these cookies as well, and that’s how polvorones became known in Mexico as beloved convent sweets.

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Atole de nuez

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Atole de nuez is a traditional milk and masa-based beverage flavored with toasted pecans and piloncillo.

Served hot, this creamy beverage is the perfect way to warm up on cold fall or winter mornings. Atole is often served for breakfast, but can also be served throughout the day or after dinner, too. My father-in-law always had a mug of atole with his coyotas, a Sonoran pastry, after dinner at a restaurant he loved in Coyoacan.

a mug of atole de nuez served on mexican talavera pottery with pan dulce

Atoles come in many flavors; most are thickened with corn masa. When it comes to the main liquid, most are made with water, milk, or a combination of the two. Champurrado and vanilla atole are the most typical flavors, but others, such as pumpkin atole, strawberry atole, as well as grain (such as amaranth), fruit and nut flavors, also exist. There are even some types of atole that are savory rather than sweet.

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Roles de canela

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This content has been sponsored by Inmar Intelligence and Midwest Dairy. All opinions are mine alone. #UndeniablyDairy #gotmilkrecipe​

Roles de canela are one of the most common types of pan dulce you’ll see in a Mexican bakery. These fluffy cinnamon rolls have a dough base made from masa bizcocho, the same dough that’s used to make conchas and other popular types of pan dulce.

I love making these cinnamon rolls around the holidays, especially when I’m visiting family or they’re visiting me. Cooking for my family is my love language, so a breakfast spread with fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls hot from the oven, served with milk, hot chocolate or coffee on the side is an extra special way to let them know how much I love them. In fact, some of my happiest family holiday memories are of sitting around the table together, enjoying a meal and each other’s company.

mexican cinnamon rolls drizzled with icing

If you’re a pan dulce-lover you should check out my Guide to Mexican Pan Dulce with photos and descriptions of dozens of types of Mexican sweet bread! Some of my other favorite types of pan dulce to make at home include conchas, pan de muerto, orejas, garibaldi.

It’s important that when baking for my family that I use traditional recipes that taste just like they always have, which means no skimping or substituting ingredients. It’s got to taste like it came from abuelita’s kitchen!

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe

It’s easier to make your own roles de canela than you might think! The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise twice. You can also make this dough the night before and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.

There are 12 ingredients in this recipe, most of which you should have in your pantry or refrigerator if you bake regularly. I bought all my ingredients at Jewel-Osco.

Click below to get the ingredients for this recipe added to your shopping cart!


There are three key ingredients to making the dough that you should not substitute.

Whole milk: Many baking recipes call for whole milk because it provides structure, flavor and moisture. The fat in whole milk also contributes to the tenderness of the bread.

Dairy provides a powerful nutrient package including vitamin A, vitamin D and protein—all of which are essential for a healthy immune function. Did you know dairy foods are also linked to health benefits such as reduced inflammation and digestive health, too?

Whole milk not only serves as a crucial structural ingredient to this recipe, but also helps achieve that perfectly browned color on top, while keeping the inside moist and fluffy.

milk in a pitcher in the foreground in front of a pan of mexican cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven

Bread flour: You want to use this because it contains more protein and therefore can absorb the milk and other liquid in this high-hydration dough in order to give it its elasticity and make it both light and chewy.

Fast-rise or instant yeast: This type of yeast does not need to be activated before you use it, so it makes the recipe quicker and easier. You’ll throw the yeast in the mixing bowl with the other dry ingredients and save a couple steps and a little time in prep work.

You’ll also need:

  • Granulated sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • Unsalted butter
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Kosher Salt
  • Dark brown sugar
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Pecans
  • Powdered sugar

Kitchen tools you’ll need

For perfect pan dulce every time, I recommend the following tools:

  • A kitchen scale to ensure your ingredient measurements are precise
  • A bench scraper to help you make more precise cuts in the dough
  • A greased 6-quart clear food container or large glass bowl to give the dough room to proof properly
  • A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment

Note: While you CAN knead this dough by hand, it is absolutely tedious to do so and takes a lot longer. I highly recommend using a stand mixer to do the hard work for you.

How to make roles de canela

Make your dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment following the directions below in the recipe. Add ingredients in the order listed.

This is a high-hydration dough, meaning it will be sticky. The dough is ready to come out of the mixer when it mostly pulls away from the sides and sticks to the hook. Do not add extra flour to the dough, as the bread flour will absorb the liquid as the dough rises. Allow dough to rise undisturbed until it’s doubled in size, about two hours.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the filling and glaze. Add room temperature unsalted butter, ground cinnamon, dark brown sugar, pure vanilla extract and salt to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and combine on medium speed until the filling looks like a paste.

To prepare the glaze, mix powdered sugar and whole milk in a small bowl and set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in size, sprinkle all-purpose flour on your work surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Turn the dough out onto the surface and gently roll into a 9×13 rectangle shape. Be sure not to roll the dough too thin, as this will prevent it from rising properly during the second rise, and absorbing sugar during the baking process.

Use a spoon or offset spatula to gently spread the filling over the rectangle-shaped dough, leaving 1/2 inch around the edges.

spreading cinnamon roll filling on the dough

Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the filling.

Cinnamon roll dough spread with cinnamon sugar butter filling and sprinkled with chopped pecans

Roll from the long side inward and tuck the dough seam underneath.

Use your bench scraper to cut 6-12 equally sized rolls and place in a 9×9 parchment-paper lined pan and cover with a lightweight kitchen towel. Allow to rise again, undisturbed, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until rolls have doubled in size.

After the second rise, the rolls should look like this:

cinnamon roll dough after second rise

Bake in a 350 degree F preheated oven for 15 minutes, until the top of the rolls are sufficiently browned but not burned. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then drizzle glaze over the top of the rolls in a diagonal pattern. Allow the glaze to set for 10 minutes before serving.

What to serve with roles de canela

At home, I love to pair my pan dulce with warm beverages, especially on chilly fall and winter mornings. Here are some of my favorite drinks with milk you can either use to drink or dunk your pan dulce:

For more milk recipes, click here!

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Roles de canela

  • Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes active, 4 hours inactive
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
  • Yield: 9 rolls 1x
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Mexican
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Description

Roles de canela are Mexico’s answer to the cinnamon roll and are one of the most common types of pan dulce seen in a panadería.

Scale

Ingredients

For the bread:

  • 200 grams bread flour
  • 36 grams granulated sugar
  • 5 grams fast-rise instant yeast
  • 100 grams whole milk
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 40 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 3 grams kosher salt

For the filling:

  • 113 grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup raw pecans, chopped

For the glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk

 

For greasing the container where you’ll proof the dough:

  • Cooking spray

For flouring your work surface:

  • All-purpose flour, as needed

Instructions

  1. Add bread flour, sugar, and fast-rise instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the dough hook attachment, turn mixer to speed 2 to combine dry ingredients.
  2. Add warm milk, 1 large egg, and butter to the bowl and increase speed to 4 for 5 minutes.
  3. Add pure vanilla extract and kosher salt to the bowl and continue to mix on speed 4 for about another 10 minutes, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and mostly gathers around the hook. You may need to stop the mixer partway through to scrape down the sides with a spatula so no dough is wasted.
  4. Prepare a large glass bowl or a 6-quart food container with lid for proofing the dough by spraying the inside with cooking spray so the dough won’t stick to the sides.
  5. Turn the dough out from the stand mixer bowl into the bowl or container to proof and cover. Allow dough to rise undisturbed for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
  6. Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface (use all-purpose flour for this part, just enough so the dough doesn’t stick to your work surface). Gently roll out to 9×13 with a floured rolling pin. It’s OK if your dough isn’t a perfect rectangle.
  7. In a stand mixer, make the filling with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar first, then add ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract and kosher salt. Mix on speed 4 until well combined.
  8. Using a spoon or offset spatula, spread the filling mixture on your rolled out dough, leaving about 1/2 inch around the edges.
  9. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the filling and gently roll starting with the long side inward. Tuck the dough seam underneath the roll.
  10. Using a bench scraper or very sharp knife, divide the dough into 9 equal pieces. Arrange them in a 9×9 parchment paper-lined pan and cover with a kitchen towel for the second rise, until doubled in size. This should take about an hour and a half to two hours.
  11. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, until the tops and sides are sufficiently browned but not burned. 
  12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling the icing. Allow icing to set for 10 minutes and serve immediately.

Notes

TO MAKE THE DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME: Make the dough the night before and allow it to rise overnight in the refrigerator. Keep the bowl or container covered so the dough does not lose moisture. The cold temperature of the refrigerator will slow the growth of the yeast, but overnight will be plenty of time for the dough to double in size. It’s OK if it rises a bit more. If it hasn’t risen enough, allow it to rise for about 30 minutes on your countertop undisturbed.

Keywords: roles de canela, cinnamon rolls, pan dulce