Valley woman carrying on grandmother's legacy with pan de leche recipe

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The smells of freshly baked bread and cafesito greet you when visiting Rosa Sanchez's home.

It's where she perfects Carmelita's Pan Casero, or Abuelitas Pan, as it all started with her grandmother's recipe for pan de leche.

"A lot of the recipes were born from that recipe," Sanchez said.

Her abuelita may not have written down the recipe, but the love that went into their time making pan de leche stayed with Rosa, something she's passing on to her children and theirs.

You can do a custom order or buy twin packs, singles or loaves. Top sellers are the pan de leche, banana and a happy accident she calls "orange holiday bread."

"I thought this was banana batter -- I threw walnuts in and it was orange," Sanchez said. "I don't like to have anything go to waste, so I added cranberries and it ended up being a hit."

You can find the bread at 51 locations, including gas stations and convenience stores, in 11 cities.

The first -- Nayarit Grocery in Mendota.

"At first, she was kinda iffy about it," Sanchez said. "I thanked her and gave her a bread. Before I got to the car she came after me and was like, 'This is Carmelitas bread! How did you get this bread?'

It turns out the owner was one of many who would frequent Rosa's grandmother's home in Mendota for a taste of the original, decades ago.

Rosa built a customer base in her hometown and surrounding Dos Palos and Firebaugh, allowing her to put herself through school before going full-time to support her family.

Now she mentors youth wanting to get their start in business, while always appreciating the abuelita who did that for her.

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