Stop by Balcazar Bakery in Raleigh, NC, for a Colombian treat! If you are looking for something different and a taste of Latin America, get the roscon guava or roscon de guayaba. This is a yeasted, sweet-bread baked with a guava paste filling. Unlike jelly filled pastries, the guava paste lends a gentle deliciousness to this donut-like bread. The bread is rolled out and shaped into a ring, then scored with a knife to form a design reminiscent of a Christmas wreath. It's twice the diameter of a large bagel, the perfect snack to share with friends! By the way, roscon guava is baked not fried…..so, all the more to enjoy it!
You should also try the pastel gloria! It is a round of puff pastry with guava and caramel fillings. Though the puff pastry was baked a shade darker than typical of puff pastries, the guava and caramel filling were FANTASTICALLY FABULOUS with this bread! The butter and sugar darkened perfectly to enrich the filling. If you get two pastel glorias, you will surely eat both. It's inevitable!
Is this a fancy bakery inside and out? No. Do not be fooled! Balcazar Bakery is reminiscent of island bakeries found all along the roads on Guam and Hawaii. They provide a variety of offerings not only of Colombian influence, but also from Mexican, French, and North American roots. The bakery has so many choices for the young and young at heart. Their cookie selection would make every kid jump for joy! They are quite playful and pretty. There lots of different goodies to try! This examiner cannot wait to go back for more: guava empanadas, Colombian cheese bread (pandebono), tres leches cake (it is said to be totally awesome) and Mexican conchas!
Master Pastry Chef Jaime Balcazar was very helpful in answering questions, doing so with smiles. Chef Balcazar and his wife, Jasmith, opened the bakery over six years ago.
For more info: Balcazar Bakery, 4020 Capital Blvd., Suite 104, Ashton International Plaza, Raleigh, NC 27604 / 919-878-5120
Hours: Mon. 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tues. - Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Nearby businesses: El Mandado Latino Supermarket Burlington Coat Factory RBC Bank
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