Sylvia Gallegos has owned the small restaurant Sylvia’s Sabor Latino in downtown Brentwood for seven years, and while she’s gained a group of followers who adore her authentic Mexican cuisine, she’s hoping to attract new customers by offering baked goods as well.

But not just any baked goods. Gallegos is serving up fresh Mexican sweet bread, which she says is hard to come by in East County.

“You won’t find this at the grocery store,” Gallegos said. “This is good homemade baking that you won’t find anywhere else. Most people have to bake this at home or go out to the city to find Mexican bread, but now I’m bringing it to Brentwood.

“Latin people love this bread. It’s what you grow up with at home, and my customers got so excited when they saw that I was selling it because they can’t find bread like this anywhere else. Hopefully, other people will try it and like it, too.”

Gallegos said she’s been thinking about selling baked goods for a while, but needed to find the right people first. She spent more than a year tracking down local bakers who knew how to make the Mexican sweet breads in a way that met her standards. She settled on three bakers, who use their own family recipes. However, their family secrets are so well guarded that they refuse to work in the kitchen together at the same time, so they work in shifts. This not only preserves each baker’s family secrets, but ensures that Gallegos has fresh bread to offer all day long.

“I tried to put them in the kitchen at the same time, and it didn’t work,” Gallegos said with a laugh. “They get along just fine, but they don’t want to share their recipes. These recipes have been passed down from generation to generation from their great-great-grandparents, and that is too precious for them share.”

The result is a variety of breads representing different regions of Mexico. Some breads are simple and look like dinner rolls, though they have a donut-like texture, while others are coated with coconut flakes, jellies or sprinkles.

While the variety of bread changes every day, the one constant is the traditional Mexican sweet bread known as conchas. Gallegos said this is the most popular type of sweet bread – so popular that people eat it with any meal. Conchas can be used as a roll, a breakfast pastry or the outer layer of a sandwich. According to Gallegos, the options are endless and the breads are so good that some customers stop by several times a week to buy bread to enjoy with dinner.

The breads are also popular because they’re healthy. It might be called sweet bread, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad for you if you’re on a diet and watching your weight. Most sweet breads are made with brown sugar, wheat flour and fresh ground cinnamon, and all the breads are baked – never fried. Some are even sugar free.

“These breads are great with anything,” Gallegos said. “You can butter it like a roll or you can dip it in hot chocolate. It tastes good no matter how you have it.”

Gallegos continues to serve up her Mexican lunches and dinners, but hopes she can make a new name for herself by serving fresh-baked goods. She’s so confident in the quality of her breads that she’s offering a special this month: you get two pieces of bread for $1.

“I have brownies, cakes and cookies, but I really think people will like this bread,” Gallegos said. “That’s why I’m offering the special. Come in and give it a try. I don’t think many people in town have tried anything like this before, so I hope that at this price they’re willing to try something new.

“I’m so happy and excited to offer this to the people. It’s all handmade and homemade. There’s a lot of love that goes into these breads.”

Sylvia’s Sabor Latino, located at 313 Oak St. in Brentwood, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 925-250-1609.