Pumpkin Conchas

 RECIPE

Pumpkin Conchas

Ready in 4  hours

Yields 12-14 conchas

Ingredients

Concha Dough:

• 525 g. all-purpose flour (3 ½ - 4 cups)

• 100 g. sugar (½ cup)

• 50 g. light brown sugar (¼ cup)

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tsp. instant coffee powder (optional)

• 1 TB. mexican vanilla

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast

• 6 oz. whole milk, lukewarm (¾ cup, 100-110 degrees)

• 1 large egg, room temp. 

• 113 g. unsalted butter (½ cup), softened

• 8 oz. caramelized pumpkin puree* (about 1 cup, cooked down from a 15 oz. can)

Concha Topping:

• 200 g. powdered sugar (1 ½ c.)

• 200 g. all-purpose flour (1 ½ c.)

• 200 g. shortening (or butter) (1 c.)

• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

*Caramelized Pumpkin is an easy process that requires no oven, and can be made with canned pumpkin puree. If you do not wish to caramelize the pumpkin, skip the caramelization step and proceed on with the recipe. Please note the dough will be wetter if you do not caramelize the pumpkin.

Caramelizing pumpkin before baking ensures a deeper, stronger flavor. You remove all the excess moisture and have nothing but gutsy pumpkin remaining, which is what you want when baking anything pumpkin!

Preparation

Caramelize the Pumpkin

1. To a saucepan, add 15 oz. of canned pumpkin puree. Make sure there are no additives or spices, just pure pumpkin. 

2. Cook the pumpkin puree for about 10-15 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Continuously stir so it does not burn. 

3. The pumpkin will become slightly caramelized, dry and darker in color, but will remain spreadable. It should smell like a strong pumpkin!

4. You will know the pumpkin is ready when steam stops rolling off as you cook it. The steam should slow down tremendously. 

5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.  

6. You should now have about 8 oz. of caramelized pumpkin puree, or close to 1 cup. 

The Dough

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the all-purpose flour, sugars, salt, spices, instant coffee (if using) and yeast. 

2. Whisk the ingredients together. Using your hands, create a well at the center of your flour mixture. 

3. To the well, add the warm milk, egg, vanilla extract, softened butter and the caramelized pumpkin. 

4. Using a rubber spatula, combine the ingredients and mix until a shaggy dough forms, or a “sponge”. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the bowl to get all the flour incorporated.

5. Attach your bowl to your stand mixer, and begin kneading your dough using the hook attachment on low (speed 4). 

6. Your dough can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to come together using a stand mixer.  If mixing by hand, sometimes 30 minutes. Hang in there! Oil your hands and surface, and set aside ¼ cup of flour to add if mixing by hand. 

7. You’ll know your dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and is soft and elastic. It should no longer be sticky to the touch. 

8. Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled. It can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours depending on how warm your space is.  

Prepare The Concha Topping

1. To prepare your concha topping, add the flour, shortening or butter, pumpkin spice and powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix well with either your clean hands or a rubber spatula. Add in the vanilla extract gradually while mixing, and continue to combine until a soft cookie dough consistency is achieved. 

2. The consistency needs to be like a soft sugar cookie dough. This will ensure an even bake. There should be no visible lumps or traces of flour or powdered sugar. 

3. If your topping is too dry, add another tablespoon or two of shortening.

4. Set aside until ready to assemble the conchas.

Assembling and Baking

Shaping the Dough

1. Prepare the surface you will be using to shape your dough. Lightly oil your surface, and oil your hands. This will prevent sticking.

2. Release your dough out onto the lightly oiled surface, and separate into 12-14 equal pieces (typically 95 grams each if weighing).

3. Roll each dough ball using your hand. You can roll the dough gently over the surface of your workspace, placing your hand gently over the dough piece and rotating the dough using your palm. Your hand should look like a claw hovering over your piece of dough, creating gentle but quick circular motions. Use the surface tension of your workspace to create a tight ball. 

4. After you’ve rolled each piece of dough, place them gently onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper. 6 dough balls per sheet pan works well, and allows enough space for the dough to expand when baking. 

5. Cover the dough balls with a tea towel and allow to rise for another 30-45 minutes. 

Topping the Dough

1. Take the concha topping, and separate it into 12-14 equal sized pieces (30-35 grams if weighing). Roll each piece in your hand until a smooth ball forms. 

2. To top your conchas, take a piece of topping and place it on a flat surface between two pieces of plastic wrap. 

3. Using the bottom of a cake pan or pie plate (or tortilla press), flatten the concha topping until it’s roughly 5 inches in diameter (it definitely does not need to be exact, just make sure the size is not too small). 

4. Remove one side of the plastic wrap and gently place the concha topping on top of your dough ball. Give the dough ball a gentle press to ensure the topping is secured to the top of the dough. 

5. Repeat until every dough ball is covered. 

6. Using a concha stamp or a knife, create a seashell design for each concha, gently cutting into the topping. Press gently so you only penetrate the topping and not the dough.

7. Allow the conchas to rise with the topping for another 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 F. (I like to place my conchas on top of the stove as the oven preheats for an ensured rise.)

8. Bake your conchas (one tray at a time) for 22-24 minutes (rotate every 11-12 minutes). Your conchas are done when you can see the dough at the bottom has turned a golden brown color.

9. Allow your conchas to cool, and then enjoy with cafecita or milk. 

I really hope y’all enjoy this recipe! -Chanel 

Tips

Try to gauge the temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer. If your oven runs too hot or cold, this will affect how your conchas bake. 

Concha topping can be prepared a couple of days ahead of time. Be sure to wrap in plastic and set aside at room temperature until ready to use.