Just over 25 kilometres from Albacete city, a small village hides a very big slice of Spanish Roscón history. In Pozo Cañada, Panadería Jesús has been baking bread and traditional sweets for more than two centuries.
It is the oldest family run bakery in Spain, and it is still going strong.
The story began in 1802, when Santiago López and Mercedes Vázquez opened a modest bakery on Calle Cristóbal Colón. They called it Horno de Eliecer y Ester and used it to sell bread made from wheat they had grown and milled themselves.
In the early days, the oven was used to make hornazo, a simple sweet bun made with flour and eggs. For many families, it was a treat saved for special moments.
That familiar aroma has survived everything history has thrown at it. Wars, economic crises and even changes in currency have not stopped the ovens. Today, the sixth generation of the López family, led by Jesús López, works alongside the seventh generation, his sons Rubén and Jesús. The eighth generation is already waiting in the wings.
200 years of Roscón history.
When January arrives, attention naturally turns to the Roscón de Reyes. Like everything else they make, it follows the same simple rule, quality first and no shortcuts. The dough is prepared just as it always has been, using natural ingredients, sourdough and long fermentation times.
During the busiest days of the season, the bakery sells between 500 and 600 Roscones in a single day. They could make more, but the family chooses not to. Keeping production limited allows them to stay true to their local roots and fully artesanal way of working.
