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Cloud-Like Conchas: The Fluffiest Sweet Bread You'll Ever Taste

Without a shadow of a doubt, conchas are the crown jewel of Mexican pan dulce (sweet breads). A comforting sweet treat that is deeply embedded within Mexican and Mexican American culture, conchas are often sold in Mexican panaderias (bakeries), grocery stores like La Vallarta , and even inside delis in New York City (where I currently live). They were and continue to be a staple in my house. There is just nothing like them. I have many fond memories of hearing about my Tio Jorge making them in his bakery in Mexico, and my nino luis and Tia luli bringing them on carne asada Sunday, which was a weekly gathering where all the tias (aunts), tios (uncles), and grandparents would come together to make delicious food and spend time together before the start of a new week.

Mexican conchas are slightly sweet, incredibly fluffy, and brilliantly vibrant; you'll often see them in the colors white, pink, and dark brown (for chocolate). Their texture is what makes them so special. Soft, moist, and fluffy, the interior resembles challah or brioche. The outside is topped with a sweet streusel-like topping that is draped over the bun and scored in the traditional concha pattern, which gives it its iconic shell-like look. They are delicious on their own, dipped in a cup of chocolate Abuelita (a nostalgic hot chocolate brand often found in Mexican grocery stores or bodegas lightly spiced with cinnamon and other flavors) or cafe de olla (black coffee brewed together with pilloncillo and cinnamon). These delectable buns are unmistakable - and let me be the one to say they make for the perfect ice cream vessel (think: a concha ice cream sandwich). So whether you grew up with them or are trying them on your own for the first time, these sweet buns are not to be missed.

Why You'll Love It

  • So light and fluffy. Proofing the dough twice helps create the light and airy texture that conchas are known for.
  • The crumb topping is delightfully sweet. While conchas aren't known for being sweet, the topping adds the perfect amount of sweetness to contrast the rich, fluffy bread.

Key Ingredients in Conchas

  • Bread flour: Helps with the structural integrity of the conchas, letting them maintain their dome-like shape. Otherwise, the concha would slightly dip in the center from the weight of streusel topping.
  • Unsalted butter: Contributes enough fat content to ensure a soft, rich taste, while also helping maintain moisture, as conchas are susceptible to drying out.
  • Vanilla paste: While conchas can be a variation of colors, the two most common flavors are vanilla and chocolate. Vanilla bean paste provides an intense vanilla flavor and leaves behind a beautiful speckled look.

How to Make Conchas

Make the dough:

  1. Activate your yeast and prepare your wet ingredients. Stir warm whole milk, active dry yeast, and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer. Let sit until foamy and bubbles begin to form. Meanwhile, whisk large eggs and vanilla bean paste together in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
  2. Add dry and wet ingredients. Add bread flour, the remaining granulated sugar, and kosher salt to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment and turn on to low speed. Slowly pour in the egg mixture.
  3. Begin to mix dough and add butter. Increase the speed to medium. Mix until a dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides. Mix in unsalted room-temperature butter, one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each tablespoon is completely incorporated before adding the next.
  4. Mix until a smooth dough ball forms. Once all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium-high. Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl again and is smooth. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray.
  5. Shape dough and transfer to a greased bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl, and turn to coat in the cooking spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Meanwhile, make the topping.

Make the topping:

  1. Make the dough for the topping. Beat all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, diced vegetable shortening, and vanilla bean paste together in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until a paste-like dough forms.
  2. Divide dough and wrap vanilla base. Remove half of the dough from the bowl, shape into a long cylinder, and wrap up in plastic wrap.
  3. Make remaining dough pink . To make half of the conchas pink, beat pink gel food coloring into the remaining dough in the mixer on medium speed until the desired color is reached. Beat in remaining tablespoons of all-purpose flour on medium speed until the dough is smooth and combined. Remove from the bowl, shape into a cylinder, and wrap up in plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Assemble and bake the conchas:

Breakfast Potatoes

  1. Divide the dough . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 portions. Form each piece into a smooth ball and place onto the baking sheets seam-side down.
  2. Coat each with vegetable shortening. Coat your hands in the remaining vegetable shortening and gently rub the surface of each dough ball to coat; this will help the topping stick to the dough. Cover the dough balls lightly with plastic wrap.
  3. Cut topping. Divide the toppings into 8 equal pieces each, and stretch each piece out using your hands until it's wide enough to cover the concha bun. Drape onto the dough balls.
  4. Score the topping. Once all the topping has been placed, gently score each dough ball either with a concha cutter dusted with flour or the back of a paring knife to create a shell-like pattern (concha means shell in Spanish).
  5. Lightly cover and let rise. Lightly cover the conchas in plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size.
  6. Uncover and bake. Bake at 350ºF until the conchas look light golden-brown through the cracks of the topping.
  7. Let cool and enjoy. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool before serving. If eaten while warm, the concha topping will be a little pasty. For a crisp topping, let cool completely.

Helpful Swaps

  • Oftentimes the butter and vegetable shortening can be substituted for lard, as lard is considered a traditional ingredient in Mexico.
  • All-purpose flour can be substituted for the bread flour, but the baked conchas may sink a little bit in the center.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

  • Conchas can be stored at room temperature on a baking sheet wrapped tightly in plastic, or in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • The concha topping can be made up to 4 days in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic and stored at room temperature.

What to Serve with Conchas

  • Champurrado
  • Mexican-Spiced Hot Chocolate
  • Rompope
  • Tres Leches Cake
  • Pozole Rojo
  • Sopa de Lima

Conchas Recipe

Delicious on their own, dipped in coffee, or with ice cream.

Prep time 1 hour

Cook time 25 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces and at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup warm whole or 2% milk (100ºF to110ºF)
  • 1 tablespoon active dry or instant yeast
  • 8 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Cooking spray

For the topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for your hands
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) plus 1 teaspoon diced room temperature vegetable shortening, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

For making half of the concha topping pink (optional):

  • Pink gel food coloring
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

Make the dough:

  1. Stir 3/4 cup warm whole milk, 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar together in a stand mixer. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If it does not foam, start over with new yeast.) Meanwhile, whisk 3 room temperature large eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste together in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl.

  2. Add the remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 1/2 cups bread flour, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the yeast mixture. Fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment and turn on to low speed. Slowly pour in the egg mixture.

  3. Increase the speed to medium. Mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a sticky dough forms and begins to pull away from the sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in 10 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each tablespoon is completely incorporated before adding the next scraping down the sides and hook attachment as needed, about 3 minutes.

  4. Increase the speed to medium high. Mix, scraping the bowl as needed, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is smooth, about 5 minutes. Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Shape the dough into a ball, place in the greased bowl, and turn to coat in the cooking spray.

  5. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, make the topping.

Make the topping:

  1. Wash and dry the stand mixer bowl. Beat 1 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 cup of the diced vegetable shortening, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste together in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until a paste-like dough forms, about 1 1/2 minutes.

  2. Remove half of the dough (about 3/4 cup or 6 3/4 ounces) from the bowl. Using floured hands, shape into a 6-inch long cylinder. Wrap up in plastic wrap. (If you'd like to keep all the conchas white, repeat shaping the remaining dough into a 6-inch cylinder and wrap up in plastic wrap.)

  3. To make half of the conchas pink: Beat pink gel food coloring 1 drop at a time into the remaining dough in the mixer on medium speed until the desired color is reached. Beat in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour on medium speed until the dough is smooth and combined, about 3 minutes. Remove from the bowl, shape into a 6-inch long cylinder with floured hands, and wrap up in plastic wrap. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Assemble and bake the conchas:

  1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly coat with cooking spray.

  2. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into 12 portions (about 84 grams each). (Alternatively, gently pat the dough down into a 9x11-inch rectangle with a longer side closer to you. Cut into 12 pieces by making 2 horizontal and 3 vertical cuts.)

  3. Form each piece into a smooth ball: Tuck the edges underneath to form a plump little package, then roll the dough against the counter or between your palms until round. Place onto the baking sheets seam-side down, spacing them at least 3 inches apart, 6 per sheet.

  4. Coat your hands in the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening and gently rub the surface of each dough ball to coat (this will help the topping adhere). Cover lightly with plastic wrap.

  5. Wash and dry your hands. Unwrap and cut each topping cylinder crosswise into 8 (3/4-inch thick) pieces (16 total). Using generously floured hands and topping one concha at a time, roll a piece of topping into a ball, then pat down with your fingertips to flatten out into a disc. Slap and pat it back and forth between your hands until the topping stretches out into a round about 4 inches wide. (There will be 4 pieces of topping leftover; they are back up just in case things get a little sticky.) Drape onto one of the dough balls and gently press the edges down to wrap around the dough balls smoothly.

  6. If using a concha cutter, generously flour the cutter and use it to gently press the pattern into the topping. If scoring the pattern by hand, use the back of a floured paring knife (flour it often) to create a shell-like pattern onto the topping, with the lines meeting towards the bottom center of each round.

  7. Cover again and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. About 20 minutes before they are ready, arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat the oven to 350ºF.

  8. Uncover and bake, rotating the baking sheets between racks and from front to back halfway through, until the conchas are light golden brown through the cracks of the topping, 20 to 22 minutes total.

  9. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 45 at least minutes before serving. If eaten while warm, the concha topping will be a little pasty. For a crisp topping, let cool completely.

Recipe Notes

Chocolate conchas: To make half the conchas chocolate, prepare the topping through Step 2. Beat 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon hot water into the remaining topping dough in the mixer on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Remove from the bowl, shape into a 6-inch long cylinder, and wrap up in plastic wrap. When shaping to drape onto the dough, dust your hands with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.

Ingredient/Equipment Variations: All-purpose flour can be substituted for the bread flour, but the baked conchas may sink a little bit in the center.

Make ahead:

  • The concha topping can be made up to 4 days in advance, shaped into the cylinders, wrapped, and stored at cool room temperature.
  • The dough can be made up to 1 day ahead. Make the dough through Step 4, cover, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to use, let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before proceeding with the recipe.

Storage: Store baked conchas in an airtight container or tightly wrapped on a baking sheet at room temperature for up to 4 days.

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