Conchas Recipe

 RECIPE

Conchas Recipe

Ready in 4-5 hours

Yields 12 large conchas or 24 mini conchas

Ingredients

Concha Dough:

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

• 30 g. Milk powder (optional)

• 50 g. sugar (¼ cup)

• 50 g. light brown sugar (¼ cup)

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1 tbs. mexican vanilla

• 1 tsp. kosher salt

• 2 ¼ tsp. active dry yeast

• 8 oz. whole milk, lukewarm (1 cup)

• good ‘ol squeeze of honey (for the milk)

• 1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks

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

Concha Topping:

• 200 g. powdered sugar (1 ½ cups)

• 200 g. all-purpose flour (1 ½ cups)

• 200 g. shortening (or butter, softened) (1 cup)

• 1 tsp. Pure vanilla extract 

Preparation

Tools Needed:

• 1 stand mixer with hook attachment (optional but recommended)

• 1 Concha stamp or a smooth, sharp knife

• Food color (optional)

• 2 large mixing bowl and a rubber spatula

• Plastic wrap

• Cake pan, pie plate or tortilla press for flattening

• 2 sheet pans 

• Parchment paper or silpats

The Concha Dough

1. Heat your whole milk until just warm (100-110 F). If microwaving, heat cold milk for about 45 seconds. If it’s too hot, wait until it’s cooled down until it’s just warm to the touch. 

2. Add a teaspoon of honey (or sugar) to your warm milk and stir. Add your yeast and whisk until just combined. 

3. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes until foamy. If the mixture does not foam, your yeast is either bad, or was killed due to the milk being too hot. 

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine your all-purpose flour, sugars, salt, milk powder (if using), and cinnamon. 

5. Whisk the ingredients together. 

6. Using your hand, create a well at the center of your flour mixture. 

7. To the well, add your warm milk and yeast mixture, your egg and egg yolks, vanilla extract and softened butter. 

8. 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.

9. Attach your bowl to your stand mixer, and begin mixing with the hook attachment on medium speed (speed 4 to 6 on stand mixer). 

10. Your dough can take anywhere from 25-35 minutes to come together.  If mixing by hand, sometimes 40 minutes. Hang in there! Oil your hands and surface, and set aside ¼ c. of flour to add if mixing by hand. 

11. You’ll know your dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl, and it is soft and elastic. Your dough should pass the windowpane test. 

12. Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled. It should take about 1.5-2 hours. 

The Topping

1. To prepare your concha topping, add the flour, shortening or butter, and powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix well with either your clean hands or a rubber spatula. The consistency needs to be like a soft sugar cookie dough. Next, add your vanilla and thoroughly mix.  This will ensure an even bake. There should be no visible lumps or traces of flour or powdered sugar. If your topping is too dry, add another tablespoon or two of shortening. 

2. Now is the time to incorporate any flavors with powders or extracts. For chocolate, mix in 3-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder. If your topping becomes too dry, add a little more shortening. For cinnamon, add  2 teaspoons. Add in extracts 1 teaspoon at a time since they tend to be stronger - such as strawberry or orange. Massage the dough between your hands to ensure everything is evenly mixed and fully incorporated. 

3. If using food color, separate out your concha topping dough and incorporate whatever colors you like. Massage each piece between your hands after adding the food coloring to ensure it's evenly distributed. If your topping becomes too soft or warm as you mix, place it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to firmen up. 

4. Wrap the concha topping in plastic and set aside. 

Assembling and Baking

Shaping the Dough

1. After your dough has risen, give it a good punch to knock out any air. 

2. Release your dough onto a clean surface or baking mat, and separate it into 12 pieces (about 95 grams) for large conchas, or 24 pieces (about 45 grams) for mini conchas.  

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 it 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 for large conchas, and 12 for mini conchas. 

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

Topping the Dough

1. Separate your concha topping into 12 or 24 (whatever amount you are baking) equal sized pieces. Roll each piece in your hand until a smooth ball forms. You can combine colors at this time - take small pieces of 2-3 different colors and roll in between your palms until a cool blended effect is achieved. 

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,  pie plate or tortilla press, flatten the concha topping until it’s about 5 inches in diameter (2.5-3 inches for mini). 

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. Be sure to not cut too deep into the dough. Press gently so you only penetrate the topping. 

7. Repeat with each remaining concha. This step takes time, be patient with yourself. 

8. 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).

9. Bake your conchas (one tray at a time) for 22-24 minutes (rotate tray every 11-12 minutes). Your conchas are done when you can see the dough at the bottom has turned a golden brown color, and the golden brown color is peeking through the shell design as well.

10. Allow your conchas to cool for at least 15 minutes, and then enjoy warm 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.