Continue Your Baking Journey with The Mexican Bakery Masterclass Series:
The Mexican Bakery Masterclass Series
Chapter 6: Capote Masterclass
Chef Alex Peña guides you through creating the varieties of capote that weave two iconic doughs into five nostalgic Mexican breads. Learn how to bring the bizcocho and pan fino together using signature shaping techniques to create tortugas, ojos, nueces, herraduras, and panaderos. Chef Pena shares the why behind every mix, fold, and shaping decision, so you can master this recipe in any kitchen environment.
Here's What’s Covered - Timeline
Note: References to page numbers in the masterclass do not correlate to the book’s recipes. See recipes starting on page 127 in The Mexican Bakery.
01:00 - What "capote" means and introducing the five varieties: tortugas, ojos, nueces, herraduras, and panaderos
02:06 - Essential equipment & ingredients: stand mixers, paddle and dough hook attachments, digital scale, concha stamps, and the wooden dowel
08:53 - Chef Alex mixes the bizcocho dough as the base for all recipes in this chapter
19:33 - Mixing the pan fino dough and covering yeast types, chemical leaveners, and substituting flours
34:13 - Dividing and scaling the dough pieces ahead of the intermediate fermentation
53:30 - Reviewing the topping recipes for each variety
56:52 - First demo: shaping the tortugas, ojos, herraduras, nueces, and panaderos
1:12:07 - Rolling and scoring the cookie-style topping with the wooden dowel for the tortugas and nueces
1:20:25 - Understanding the capote technique
1:26:55 - Scaling and refrigerating the second batch of bizcocho dough
1:33:08 - Preparing the first batch for the oven
1:43:40 - A step-by-step demo on rolling and rounding dough pieces using shortening as an adhesive
1:58:11 - Second demo: shaping the panaderos, nueces, ojos, herraduras, and tortugas
2:13:07 - Tossing the finished breads in sugar
2:18:54 - The showcase platters for final presentation and notes