Merry Christmas!
Have you ever seen these colorful, sweet looking bread buns at Latin/Mexican bakeries? They look like the Japanese Melon Pan I am used to, but they come in lots of beautiful colors and the topping is cut in many different, pretty patterns too.
There are a couple of grocery stores not too far from my home that sell these cookie crusted buns called conchas or pan dulce (sweet bread). I tried them a few times because they’re calling my name, sitting there looking pretty with vivid colors on the display case, but they were a bit too dry for my taste.
However, being that they are super popular, I figured the real fresh ones must be good. What better way to find out than by making it yourself?
I knew how it looks like but I do not have concha cutters available to make them all look the same. Using a knife solved this problem even though it didn’t look as nice as the ones at the bakeries. If I make these regularly, I might just get some cutters to make my breads prettier. 😊
I serve these for breakfast with hot coffee for me and my husband, and hot strawberry milk for my son. I’m sure hot chocolate would be perfect too as I was told some people dip these in hot chocolate! Have to try that next time!
This is perfect for Christmas breakfast or brunch with a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or even eggnog!
Make this sometime and let me know how you like it!
Dough:
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Gel Food Colors
To Make the Dough:
- To the bowl of the Thermomix, add the water evaporated milk, and the active dry yeast. Set to 2 minutes, 37F, speed 2.
- Add in the melted butter, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, vanilla, ground cinnamon and eggs. Set to 30 seconds/speed 4.
- Add the flour and salt, set to KNEAD/3 minutes.
- Transfer to a lightly greased bowl , cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in the covered bowl for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
To Make the Streusel-Topping:
- In the same Thermomix bowl, add the topping ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, sugar, flour and vanilla extract. Set to 20 seconds, speed 4. Scrape down the sides and set to 10 seconds, speed 4.
- Divide the dough in two, about 195 grams each. To one part of the topping, add a few drops of food coloring gel until desired shade is achieved . To the other half, add 1 tablespoon butter and the cocoa powder. Knead both toppings one at a time until blended. *You will have 2 kinds of toppings.*
To Assemble the Conchas:
- Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 12 equal parts, each about 100 grams. Form the balls of dough into rounds. Repeat until you’ve worked through all of the dough.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of the topping, roll into balls and flatten into a thin round. Placee it over the round of dough, patting down lightly. Using a small knife, score designs in the topping like a clam shell. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool. Serve with hot chocolate or coffee.
Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)
Colorful and sweet, this Mexican Sweet Bread will be perfect with coffee, hot chocolate, or tea for breakfast or as an indulgent snack.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Gel Food Colors
Directions
To Make the Dough:
- To the bowl of the Thermomix, add the water and the active dry yeast. Set to 2 minutes, 37F, speed 2.
- Add in the vegetable oil, melted butter, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, salt, vanilla, ground cinnamon and eggs. Set to 30 seconds/speed 3.
- Add the flour and set to KNEAD/3 minutes.
- Transfer to a lightly greased bowl , cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in the covered bowl for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
To Make the Streusel-Topping:
- In the same Thermomix bowl, add the topping ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, sugar, flour and vanilla extract. Set to 1 minute, speed 4.
- Divide the dough in two. To one part of the topping, add a few drops of desired food coloring gel. To the other topping, add 1 tablespoon butter and the cocoa powder. Knead both toppings one at a time until blended. You will have 2 kinds of toppings.
To Assemble the Conchas:
- Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 12 equal parts, each about 100 grams. Form the balls of dough into rounds. Repeat until you’ve worked through all of the dough.
- Take about 2 tablespoons of the topping, roll into balls and flatten into a thin round. Placee it over the round of dough, patting down lightly. Using a small knife, score designs in the topping like a clam shell. Place dough onto a large cookie sheet, leaving space for it to expand. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool. Serve with hot chocolate or coffee.