Traditional New Mexico Panocha

I watched Pat Varela's video titled "La Madre Making New Mexico Panocha", where he documents his mom's method of making panocha, a porridge-like dessert often served during Holy Week, between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday.  Click here to watch his video.

His mom is so sweet and kind as she talks us through the process, explaining where she got the recipe and giving preparation tips along the way.  I took notes and was able to acquire some panocha flour so I could make it, too.

La Madre's Panocha Recipe

4 cups panocha flour

2 cups whole wheat flour (plus a little more later)

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 cups warm water

1 piloncillo, shaved

1/2 cup brown sugar (she added more after she tasted it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift the flours and salt together and place in a large baking pan.  Add water, a little at a time, stirring well and smashing dry flour lumps.  Once this is all well mixed, add the piloncillo and brown sugar, again stirring well.  Add more water if needed in order to make a very moist batter; add a little more whole wheat flour if the batter is too wet.  Taste for sweetness and add more brown sugar if desired.

Cover pan and bake for 2 1/2 hours.  The result should be a golden brown, thick, and very moist looking.

My Version

I had only one bag of panocha flour, so I made about 1/2 of La Madre's recipe.  

2 1/2 cups panocha flour

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups warm water

1 piloncillo

1/2 cup brown sugar (this includes the little extra I added to make it taste sweet)

That dark brown cone is the piloncillo.  The brown sugar is not in the picture.

I used my large Dutch oven, which comes with a lid.  I mixed it with a whisk instead of a spoon, which worked well to get rid of lumps.  I just had to push some dry flour out of the inside of the whisk when I was nearly done mixing.  

I pounded the piloncillo in a mortar; the pieces needed to sit in the wet batter for a few minutes to fully dissolve.  A rubber spatula was helpful in mixing the sugars into the batter completely.

Pounded piloncillo.  I think it should have been pounded more.

Nearly ready to be baked.

When I tasted it for sweetness, I thought it needed a little more.  This is how I got to 1/2 cup brown sugar.

I wasn't sure if my batter was wet enough, but I didn't want to add any more water at that point.

It smelled good -- almost toasty -- while baking and was done in 1 hour, although I think it could have baked for less time.  See The Verdict below.

My Notes

Panocha flour is made from wheat that is sprouted and dried before it is ground into flour.  This is different from whole wheat flour, which is not sprouted at all.  An article from FlavorInsider.com states that spouted wheat flour is more nutritious than whole wheat flour because it has a higher fiber content and offers more vitamins and antioxidants.

The article also points out that whole wheat flour's flavor is slightly nutty whereas sprouted wheat flour is decidedly sweeter.  I suspect this is why both were chosen for this recipe in the first place.  

A piloncillo is a solid, dark brown cone made from unrefined cane sugar that is boiled, thickened, and poured into a mold.  Sometimes it has spices such as cinnamon or cloves mixed in.  It is different from brown sugar which is a mixture of white sugar and molasses.

The Verdict

I tried it hot out of my oven and then took the rest to a social gathering where I knew people were willing to try something different.

I felt I might have overbaked it because it had an almost bread-like crust over the entire surface, whereas I saw only a little of that around the edges in La Madre's result.  It was very moist underneath the crust, though.

Right out of the oven.  I worried it was bread!

Not bread!

The taste was lightly sweet, making me glad I added the extra brown sugar.  It was thick, sticky, and made me feel like I was eating oatmeal for breakfast, but sweeter.  I think it was the chewy wheat bits and its granular texture gave me that impression.  Instead of a smooth porridge or pudding, it had a more robust mouthfeel.

I enjoyed it as it was, as did my usual guest taster.

It was refrigerated before going to the gathering, so once I was there, I microwaved it for three minutes to get it hot again.  It was very thick, so I also added boiling water and stirred it until it was thin enough to drop off the serving spoon but not so wet that it would slump all over a plate.

The reactions I received were mostly positive.  A few people did not like it at all; the impression I got was that they disliked either the texture or the sweetness.  Some said they liked it as it was and one thought she had tasted it before somewhere.  Others had suggestions for improving it.

For example, one person who loves to cook described it as "softly sweet" and he liked it, but he would add chiles to it -- powdered or flaked -- just a little to bring the flavor over the top.  Others thought cinnamon or vanilla or both would be good.  I kept wishing to add sliced almonds and raisins.

One said it was good, but it was mostly sugar that he tasted, so after a few bites, he would not want to eat any more.  He wanted something else to make it "complete" but could not determine what that would be.

Another said he thought it was made with masa, that he liked the taste and the flavor of it.  One non-carb eater liked it in small amounts and said it had a rich flavor.

The next day I tried small amounts with other ingredients added.  It was good with cinnamon.  I liked a little vanilla in it.  I tried a little more salt but that wasn't right.  

I also tried it with raisins and some peanuts (I didn't have sliced almonds available).  That was good, too, although I'm not sure I would use peanuts again.  The raisins were a good addition.

I think, though, that my favorite combination was with cardamom and raisins.  

Success!

I realized that my wish for almonds and raisins was based on how much it felt like eating oatmeal for breakfast.  I believe that panocha is a form of comfort food -- that if you were raised on it and your memories are of your mother or grandmother making it, then eating it brings back those warm and comforting feelings.  

I found other versions of this recipe which include cinnamon and/or vanilla, but were still called "traditional."  That is probably what the recipe author grew up with or even made on their own.  Wonderful!  I would not want to mess with someone's beloved tradition, but if it makes it an even better experience for you and your family, I encourage you to try it.

One final note.  Pat Varela mentions that "[i]n days of old, it was made in an old lard tin and later it [the tin] was thrown away because it is hard to clean", which doesn't surprise me.  Cooked starches tend to be sticky like glue and become rock solid when dried.  I kept this in mind once the panocha was baked.  When the Dutch oven was empty and the panocha in a serving bowl, I immediately started soaking the Dutch oven in soapy, hot water, as were the utensils that had touched the panocha.  

Even with occasional scrapings, it took soaking the Dutch oven overnight before I could get all the baked panocha off the sides and bottom of the pan.  Don't let it get cold or dry!  Start cleaning it right away!