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About this Workshop

Description

In this Workshop we will create the delicious Guaguas de pan, a traditional girl-figured sweet bread.  You will prepare the sweet dough beforehand and then sculpt, bake and decorate the Guaguas, a symbolic flour bread filled with sweet blackberry jam and decorated with colorful icing in this Workshop. 

This sweet bread has a huge significance in the Ecuadorian people's rituals to go through the pain of the death of dear ones, celebrated annually on the Day of the Dead.  Every November 2nd Ecuadorians go to the cemeteries to visit their dead relatives. By representing the body of the dead in a loaf of bread, and by eating it with a drink called colada morada, people join their relatives again in the mix of two worlds, while sharing the sweets with the community.  

I have participated in making Guaguas with my family since long before I can even remember and it taught me to appreciate the cycles of life while remembering my ancestors.  We use this food to honor the ones that left us, while we taste the sweetness of paradise.  This Workshop is a perfect way to bake, remember, share stories, and make new memories with your loved ones.  

 

What You'll Need

GLOkit What's a GLOkit?

This Workshop does not require a GLOkit.

Additional Supplies

IMPORTANT: This recipe requires the dough to be prepared a day in advance with adult helping hands-directions will be sent in an e-mail once you book the Workshop. Adult supervision is also needed for use of oven.  Please allow at least 2 hour to prepare the dough mixture, and at least an additional 4 hours (or overnight) for the dough to rise and double in size in advance.  During the Workshop you will be sculpting, filling, baking and decorating.  Directions are provided for both hand mixing the dough or using a food processor or mixer. 

INGREDIENTS

Dough Ingredients

  • 1 ½ teaspoon of active dry yeast 
  • 1/2 cup warm milk + additional in case needed
  • 1/2 cup granular sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 4 cups White All-purpose Flour + additional if needed (Whole Wheat may not rise well)
  • 4 oz. butter, unsalted, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Icing and Filling Ingredients

  • 8 oz. Blackberry jam 
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 cups of powdered sugar 
  • Water (as needed)
  • Food coloring: 3 basic colors red, blue, and yellow

COOKING EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES

  • Oven
  • 4 Pastry bags or small plastic sandwich bags
  • Measuring cups
  • Measuring spoon 
  • Spoons
  • 4 Small bowls for icing
  • Bowls
  • Pastry brush
  • Whisk
  • Rolling pin
  • Baking Sheet
  • Cooking scissors
  • Optional: *Food Processor or Mixer
  • Optional: *Baking thermometer for milk temperature

 

Technical Requirements

You will need a device (computer or tablet) that is equipped with a camera, microphone, and speakers. For more information, please check out our Technical Requirements page.

Meet the Instructor

instructor headshot

Angela ViveroView Profile

Hello there!  I am Angela Vivero-Social Studies, English and Art Teacher, Plastic Artist, and the year 2000 Ecuadorian Figure Skating National Champion.  I graduated in Multimedia Design and Communication from The Universidad de Los Hemisferios here in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. I am passionate about both education and culture, and my students call me Dear Teacher Ange around my city.  I am excited to have this chance through GLOMADO to share my country's culture with students from across the world! 

Ecuador is truly a magical paradise.  Since we have the Andes mountain range crossing right through the country, and close to the Pacific Ocean, we have what we call microclimates.  If you travel 20 minutes by car, you will come to a completely different climate. You can literally take a picture of a snow-covered volcano on the beach!  Also, we have the most unimaginable shades of green, because we have rain throughout most of the year.  You can find the most colorful birds, and the most exotic plants, just by taking a walk. 

As an artist, my favorite materials to work with are the materials that responsibly come from nature.  Thankfully, Ecuador is a very rich country in material diversity.  Since we are a mostly agricultural country, we plant and reap everything we need, especially the crafts materials.  We get Cabuya from the Pencos trees, and we get thread from sheep when the heat is too much for them. The examples are endless. 

 My favorite thing about Ecuador is that there is always something fun to do.  We have many festivals, and they are all associated with some form of craft.  Each holiday has its own piece of music, a parade, traditional dishes, games, rituals, colors, and forms.  There is always culture to be experienced and great times to be had.  Whether it be a museum to visit, a dish to try, a festivity to dance in, a costume to celebrate, or a snow-covered volcano to take photos of, there will always be a kind person there to share it with you. 

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Requires expedited shipping

NOTE: You can choose any available date on the calendar and rest assured that your GLOkit(s) WILL arrive before your workshop time! We only display dates/times that allow time to ship.

Workshop Reviews

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Beautiful, meaningful, fun and sweet!!

by Belen on

As a Latino family living in the US we don’t find that many opportunities to do workshops like these. After practicing the colorful designs for the Guaguas on the PDF that Angela provides, my son was so excited that it was hard for him to fall sleep lol (the night before the workshop). Angela is amazing with kids! She was patient, positive, was in tune with my son’s progress, and was super encouraging throughout! She also was flexible and problem solved on the fly as we didn’t have the powder sugar at home. They turned out delicious!! I do recommend a parent to help with preparing the dough the night before (as Angela suggests) and to make sure you read the full list of ingredients. It’s all easy stuff to find at your grocery store and it was so worth it! (Baking powder, food coloring, etc). We can’t wait till Dia de Los Muertos to bake and share with family and friends in Los Angeles. Our son feels confident in making them again and knows the story behind the tradition. Totally recommended!!

workshop poster

Guaguas de Pan from Ecuador