Mexican chocolate and vanilla Conchas
This recipe shows you how to make Mexican chocolate and vanilla Conchas. These breads can be found all over Mexico and could be considered the best known Mexican bread. Mexican chocolate and vanilla Conchas are the bread Mexicans living abroad certainly miss most.
Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the early 1500s, the indigenious population in Mexico lived on corn, squash and beans. The Europeans who established Mexico City wanted “wheat”, a grain they knew from Europe.
Early Spanish settlers imported wheat not only because wheat-based breads were a main part of their diet in European, but also because of the catholic church. For the ritual of the Eucharist, which involves the consumption of a thin wafer made from wheat.
Over time the bakeries in Mexico started to make Conchas, the sweet bread roll with a crumbly cookie dough that acts as its topping. The precise origin of the bread is not known , neither the reasons for the marriage of the unbaked, yeasted bread roll and sugary-cookie topping.
Each time we made these breads for guests (Mexicans or Non-Mexicans) everybody loved them. They are easy to make but one needs to leave the dough rise long enough for them to turn out nice.
For a step by step video of how to make these delicious Conchas watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CgTmTIyClI
Mexican chocolate and vanilla Conchas
Ingredients
Bread dough
- ½ cup warm water
- 2½ tsp dry yeast
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3½ cups allpurpose flour
Topping
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ⅔ cup allpurpose flour
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
- Activate the yeast by adding the warm water, the dry yeast and 2 tbsp of sugar into a small bowl. Let it rest for about 10 to 15min until the yeast foamed up.
- Add into a mixing bowl the activated yeast, the milk, the sugar, the butter, the eggs, the salt, the vanilla extract and ½ of the flour. Knead by hand for 20min or with the hook attachment on your mixer for about 10min. Gradually add the rest of the flour while it's mixing.
- The dough is ready when it's elastic and does not stick to the bowl anymore. If too sticky gradually add more flour (1tbsp at the time). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
- To make the topping mix in a bowl the powdered sugar and the butter until the mix becomes creamy. Then add the flour and vanilla extract and continue mixing until well combined. The consistency should be like cookie dough.
- Divide the topping dough into two equal parts and mix the cocoa powder into one of those parts for the chocolate topping.
- After the bread dough doubled in size punch the air out of the dough and divide it into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and place them on a baking tray layered with parchment paper.
- Divide each topping into 6 equal pieces in order to get 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, place it on a parchment paper and press it into a flat circle which is slightly bigger than the bread or the size of your concha press.
- Press the concha form on each topping and then place a topping on each bread. If you don't have a concha press you can also place the circle topping on the bread and using a paring knife you can cut a seashell form into the topping or any other shape, like for example a diamond shape.
- Let the Conchas rise for 45min.
- After the Conchas have rested for 45min bake them at 190°C (375 F) for 15 to 20min. In a steam oven add a steam burst at the beginning.
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