Conchas Recipe : Mexican pan Dulce
I have a hard time passing up a Mexican panadería without going in and buying a concha. For 5 pesos or so, I feel like I can judge the quality of the panadería’s product simply by taking a bite out of one of their conchas.
I have searched high and low for a concha recipe that captures everything I know and imagine a good concha to be–fluffy, yet moist, and slightly sweet with a sufficient amount of crunchy topping. After years of searching and testing, I am happy to offer this recipe as a faithful representation of everything I feel a concha should be.
While this recipe does take some time, the results are celebratory, and there is nothing like enjoying a sweet concha with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate. There’s that Sugar Plum fairy working her magic again!
Happy concha making! Please let me know if you decide to make these. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
WHAT ARE CONCHAS?
Conchas are a popular type of pan dulce (or Mexican sweet bread) that’s commonly sold in panaderias (or bakeries) across the U.S. and Mexico.
The word ‘concha’ translates to ‘shell’ in English, which describes their fun seashell-like appearance. The bread is lightly sweet, fluffy and airy and the topping is perfectly crunchy and oh-so satisfying.
While this recipe is easy to make, it does require some patience because you have to let the dough rise. But I promise the end result is so worth it!
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of flour
- 120 grams of sugar
- 115 gr of icing sugar
- 4 eggs
- A teaspoon of salt
- 120 grams of butter
- Half a tablespoon of baking powder
- Sunflower oil
- 100 ml of water
Preparation:
Sift 500 gr of flour together with 60 gr. sugar and baking powder.
With the help of a mixer we mix everything with 60 gr. of butter. Work the dough until it is homogeneous.
Then we add another 60 gr of sugar and another 60 gr. butter, and mix again.
We beat the eggs together with the water and the powdered milk, and add it to the mixture that we have previously obtained, and all this with the sifted flour.
We work the dough until we get an elastic texture. Then, we sprinkle flour on the counter and knead.
Make a ball with the dough, paint it with a little oil and put it in a container. Then, cover with a cloth and let rest for an hour.
Then, we knead again, cover the dough with film and reserve it in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Take the dough out of the fridge, let it warm up and then make balls with the dough and flatten them.
Place the shells on a baking tray lined with baking paper. If we want, we can use a shell marker or make the grooves with a fork or knife.
