There’s no better time to sample the sweet delights of La Panaderia, particularly their rosca de reyes.

A shoo-in for any “Best in Texas” list, the family-owned San Antonio bakery offers a must-try alternative to the purple, green and gold-style kings cake. Rosca de reyes is a Spanish and Latin American king’s cake traditionally eaten on January 6 to celebrate Epiphany.

While versions of the pastry vary across the different Latin American countries, the Mexican take on rosca de reyes consists of a large, round pan dulce base decorated with a variety of candied fruits. The pan dulce also contains a hidden miniature baby to symbolize newborn Jesus. It is tradition that the person who finds the hidden baby inside then hosts the Candlemas gathering on February 2.

The sweet bread flies off the shelves the first week of January. In fact, at La Panaderia, they’ll sell around 5,000 miniature and family-sized rosca de reyes this time of year. (Truth be told, they serve their miniature take on rosca de reyes year round, so all is not lost if you miss out this weekend.)

Brothers José and David Cáceres started their journey in Mexico City, selling their mother’s coveted bread on the streets. Fast forward to 2014, the baking duo opened their first La Panadería location, specializing in handmade bread and pastries inspired by Mexico’s Golden Era with influences from French, Italian and American bread making.

The trendy bakery design coupled with the wide variety of scratch made food easily sets La Panadería apart from your average Mexican bakery. The Cáceres brothers are now in the heart of downtown San Antonio, just minutes away from the Riverwalk, boutique hotels and the historic Majestic Theater.

La Panadería’s unique approach to breadmaking includes a 48-hour fermentation process that results in artisan bread and pastries unlike any other. The bakery is known across San Antonio and beyond for its innovative menu items, like the bestselling Tequila Almond Croissant, and the brothers’ unique Pan Dulce made with La Panadería’s prized 20-year-old sourdough starter.

In addition to offering a wide selection of artisan baked goods, the Cáceres brothers recently worked with renowned pastry consultant and instructor, Amaury Guichon, to develop a world-class pastry program for La Panadería. Highlights from La Panadería’s new specialty pastries include beautifully glazed raspberry tarts, gold-dusted blueberry “cupcakes”, dark chocolate layered cakes and more.

Watch for much more coverage of San Antonio during their tricentennial year. All photos Jenna Benty.