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Conchas are soft and yummy Mexican sweet breads with a shell-shaped sugar topping.
In Spanish, “concha” means “shell” which is where this dessert bread gets its name.
White is the most common topping color, but you will also find other colors like pink or chocolate.
They are easily found everywhere in Mexico from bakeries to pharmacies and consumed at all hours of the morning, day, or night.
How to Make the Dough:
- Add warm water to the yeast.
- Mix slightly. Set is aside.
Don’t use hot water to the yeast, or you will kill the beast. You can also use milk instead of water.
Yeast is also used when making Rosca de Reyes, Pan de Muerto, and other traditional Mexican breads.
Very Important! Look at the expiration date on the yeast package. If it is expired, you can’t use it. Test the yeast by adding some to warm water. It should start to bubble after 5 minutes and good to use.
Important Notes:
- Unsalted butter ONLY! Don’t use salted butter as it will kill the yeast, and the bread won’t rise.
- The butter has to be either room temperature or melted. Cold gets old, and it won’t fold when mixing.
- Use bread flour for a softer texture.
- You might need more or less milk, depending on the flour used. Some flour absorbs more milk. Other flours absorb less milk.
- Instead of evaporated milk, you can substitute for regular milk.
- Add all of the ingredients to a mixer EXCEPT for the flour.
- Mix on a low-medium speed.
- Slowly add a little bit of the flour and mix.
You can use a regular hand mixer too.
Pro Tip: Start early in the day so the dough has plenty of time to proof. You can also make the dough a day before. Simply store in your fridge, then bake the next day.
I usually start with the paddle attachment. As the dough gets thicker, I switch to the hook attachment.
Stop every so often and scrape the sides of the bowl.
Be sure not to turn on the Kitchen Aid mixer or the hand mixer on high. Flour will go everywhere!
This dough is needy. Wink. Wink.
Be patient. It can take up to 15 minutes (sometimes 20 minutes) for the dough to come together.
At first, it might look like it will never come together, and you will be tempted to add more flour.
DON’T ADD FLOUR, or your conchas will be more dense.
If after 15 minutes, you don’t see the dough come together, add a little bit of flour. Little by little, until it comes together.
The dough should be elastic, soft, and should NOT stick to your hands.
Place the dough in a greased bowl. Turn it around so you can grease the bottom side too.
Cover with plastic or a kitchen towel. If you don’t cover the dough, it will form a crust.
Leave the dough in a warm place. It will take roughly 2 hours for the dough to rise. It will double in size. In this case, size does matter. 😉
How to Make the Sugar Topping:
Any good authentic Mexican conchas recipe starts with the vanilla topping.
From there you can change it to whatever you like: strawberry, chocolate, purple, etc.
Here, we are doing two types of toppings – chocolate and vanilla.
How to Change the Color of the Toppings:
- For yellow conchas, add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the sugar topping.
- For pink conchas, add a few drops of red food coloring.
- Add softened butter to the mixer.
- Mix for 1 minute.
- Add powdered sugar and flour to the mixer.
- Blend until smooth.
Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. You want to mix everything well.
After you add the flour, the topping mixture will look like wet sand. This is exactly what you want. By itself, this conchas topping tastes really, really good.
- Divide the sugar topping into two balls.
- Set one aside in a bowl, and the other in another bowl.
If you are only making white conchas (or as some people know them “Conchas de Novia”), then skip this next step.
To one of the topping balls, add the cocoa powder. Mix well.
If you are making the topping using food coloring, use gloves. It tends to stain your hands.
- Take the sugar topping and roll out 6 chocolate balls and 6 vanilla balls.
- Place one of the balls between two pieces of wax papers.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the topping wide enough to cover the dough balls.
Use your judgement here. Eyeball the size you need.
See how thick this is?
Do not roll this out too thin or it will crumble before you are able to place it on the dough.
- Remove the plastic wrap or kitchen towel, and place on a wooden surface.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces, a little smaller than the size of a tennis balls.
- Roll out until smooth.
Make sure they are the same size, or they will not cook evenly. Place each of the dough balls on a greased sheet pan.
Separate them about 3 inches apart.
They will expand when they are baking in the oven.
Pat them down with the back of your hand to flatten them out slightly.
- Grease the top of the balls with shortening or melted butter. It will help the sugar topping stick to the dough.
- Take the rolled out topping and gently place it on top of the dough balls.
I am using a serrated knife to create the pattern. If you use a knife, dip it in flour after each use.That way the knife will not stick to the topping.
You can also buy a conchas cutter online. Same thing, dip the cutter in flour after each use. It will make things easier.
Cover the conchas and proof for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then bake for 20 minutes.
You can even freeze the dough. Thaw and bake later.
HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?
Do NOT store conchas (or Mexican Sweet Bread) in the refrigerator. They will go stale faster.
Best way to store pan dulce (or conchas) is at room temperature for 1-2 days in a plastic, sealable bag.
You can freeze them for longer storage, but they won’t be the same. If you are making conchas bread pudding, you can use frozen conchas.
More Pan Dulce Recipes:
Pan Dulce, or Mexican Sweet Bread, can make strong men weep and children smile. Serve these soft and fluffy Mexican Conchas with coffee or milk for dunking.
They are a lot of work, but totally worth it. You can taste the love baked into every bite.
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Conchas + VIDEO
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter or margarine softened or melted
- 1 egg
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Topping:
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder if using
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In a large bowl, stir together the yeast and warm water.
- Mix and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add the evaporated milk, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, 1/3 cup butter, egg and 2 cups of the flour.
- Mix everything on medium speed.
- Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Gradually add in the remaining flour and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Knead with the hook attachment for 10-15 minutes.
- Do not add more flour.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured counter.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl.
- Turn the dough to coat the bottom.
- Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel.
- Let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. About 2 hours.
For the Topping:
- In a bowl, beat 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 cup butter until light and fluffy.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl, making sure to mix everything.
- Stir in the flour, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Mix until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste. It will look like wet sand.
- Divide into two parts, and place one part in a separate bowl.
- If making chocolate conchas, add cocoa powder to one of the bowls, and mix until fully incorporated.
- When the dough is done rising, divide into 12 pieces.
- Make sure the dough pieces are the same size, or they will not bake evenly.
- Shape the dough into balls.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet.
- Space the dough pieces out about 3 inches apart.
- Gently press them down with the back of your hand.
- Make 6 balls of the chocolate topping mixture and 6 balls of the white topping mixture.
- Place each ball between wax paper.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the balls enough to cover the dough balls.
- Grease the top of the dough with melted butter, oil, or shortening.
- Place the rolled out topping on top of the dough balls.
- Pat down lightly.
- Use a knife to cut the grooves in the topping like a shell or criss cross.
- Cover and let rise until doubled. About 45 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Thank You Very Much!!!
Glad you liked it!
The Conchas look amazing, I’ve made Conchas before but every time I make the topping and then bake them the topping looks like its melting away and doesn’t hold its shape. I will try your recipe.
Hope you try it! this recipe is one of my favorites.
This is just the best recipe for conchas! They really took me back to my time living in Texas. These came out perfectly soft and fluffy — so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your talent.
I think so too delicious. Glad you liked it!
Taste is amazing! But my conchas are too dense how would I make them fluffier? I did everything…but my yeast didn’t bloom.
It sounds like you might have added more flour than needed when making the dough. The dough doesn’t look like it will come together, and people will add flour. Have faith in the dough. It will come together. You just need to knead and knead and knead until it’s not sticky anymore, and your hands don’t stick to the dough.
I love trying out new yeast bread recipes and I’ve seen pictures of these before but haven’t given it a try yet. Can’t wait..and your step by step photos are so helpful..thank you!
Glad you enjoyed this! Hope you try it!
So cool! I’ve never heard of this sweet bread. So excited to make it, they look like little turtles haha
This bread it’s amazing! Hope you try it
I’ve been obsessed with making new types of bread lately and have never heard of conchas. Just added to my list of breads to try – sounds delish!
So glad you enjoyed this!
I love a good sweet bread recipe! This one looks exceptional. Drooling over your topping!
It’s so yummy! Hope you try it
I love trying new bread recipes since bred is one of my favourite things to make! I have heard of conchas but never made them before. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will definitely be trying this out!
Glad you enjoyed this
I’ve never had conchas but I’m totally intrigued. Love the idea of the chocolate ones. Definitely on my to make list! Pinning for later!
Hope you try it! This recipe it’s amazing
I’m from California and very accustomed to conchas. The pink ones were always my favorite! But now that I’m in the south, I can never find these vibrant buns anywhere. I will definitely be trying your recipe, I bet they are even better than the ones I’d get. Also, your note about not turning the mixer on high made me chuckle. Having done this in the past and had flour fly all over the kitchen, ha ha!
Hope you try this recipe! It’s delicious
These Conchas are absolutely beaitiful. I love Mexican sweet bread. I am always fearful of making bread, but like anything have to walk through this fear, or bake through it! Thanks for sharing, and making it sound so easy!
So glad you enjoyed this Loreto!
I haven’t been able to find conchas since i moved, so this recipe was a true treat. They tasted just as good as my favorite bakery back in california!
That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed this!
Great recipe, love it
Thank you very much! It’s delicious
The bread looks delicious! Reminds me of some of the sweet bread I had while in Japan.
Japan. No kidding! I would love to visit one day.
These look so good!! I will have to try making these one day!!!
Hope you do. These are super yummy!