pan dulce

The bakery inside a small Johnson City gas station sells delicious pan dulce. Pam LeBlanc photo

Every time I pass through Johnson City, I stop at the Dixie Quick Stop.

I don’t go for the gas, although sometimes I do fill the tank. I go for the little Mexican bakery tucked inside the worn-out Valero station at 500 U.S. 281. It sells the best pan dulce, or Mexican sweet bread, this side of the Rio Grande.

I discovered it six or seven years ago on a fluke. While gassing up, I noticed a sign on a support pillar beneath the awning over the gas pumps. “Bakery Inside” is all it said, and that’s all the prompting I needed.

pan dulce

A bakery tucked inside the Dixie Quick Stop in Johnson City sells pan dulce. Pam LeBlanc photo

Racks of pink, yellow, and golden-brown pastries fill cases nestled between displays of Pabst Blue Ribbon and bags of Fritos. Customers grab a pair of tongs and bag up what they want, then tell the clerk behind the counter what they’ve got.

The price never seems to be the same, but it’s always a bargain.

My favorite? The little hojarascas. They’re shaped like mini hockey pucks and taste like butter and cinnamon had a love child. My husband loves the long dough twists. I also love the big sugar cookies, especially the ones with a dollop of strawberry jam pressed into the center. There’s something I can only describe as two palm-sized bowls of yellow cake sealed together with a layer of red jam that makes me swoon.

I dropped by yesterday, on my way to stay at a cabin in Fredericksburg. I left with a bag of about a dozen pastries for less than $10.

pan dulce

These cinnamon cookies are my favorite. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

Where is Pam?

Click to open a larger map

Follow Pam