Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup soy milk, warm
- 42 g margarine, melted (3 tbsp)
- 2¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 70 g brown sugar (6 tbsp)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 300 g all purpose flour (2½ cups)
- 100 g whole wheat flour (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
Topping
- 125 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
- 195 g all purpose flour (1½ cups + 2 tbsp)
- 125 g margarine, room temperature (½ cup + 1 tbsp)
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
Instructions
- Activate Yeast: Mix warm soy milk with melted margarine and sprinkle instant dry yeast on top. Let the mixture rest for 8-10 minutes until the yeast activates and becomes foamy.
- Make Dough: Add vanilla extract, brown sugar, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix well. In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Gradually pour in the wet mixture while stirring to form a sticky dough.
- Knead Dough: Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it becomes very smooth and no longer sticks to your hands.
- First Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and place the dough inside. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave it in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Shape Dough Balls: After rising, transfer the dough to a floured surface. Divide it into 10 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Place the balls on a tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, leaving space between each. Press each ball lightly to flatten slightly.
- Prepare Topping: Sift powdered sugar and all-purpose flour into a bowl. Add room temperature margarine and mix with your hands until a homogeneous dough forms. Divide this dough into two equal parts. Add vanilla extract to one and cacao powder to the other and mix each separately. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Form Topping Disks: Divide the vanilla and cacao dough into 5 balls each. On a lightly floured surface, flatten each ball with your hands to form thin disks. Cover each dough ball with a vanilla or chocolate disk, repeating until all 10 conchas are topped.
- Create Pattern: Using a floured knife or cutter, press a design such as lines or a grid into the topping to form the traditional concha shell pattern.
- Second Rise: Allow the topped conchas to rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat Oven: About 15 minutes before the second rise finishes, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Bake: Bake the conchas on the center rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tops and bottoms are lightly golden brown.
- Cool: Remove the conchas from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack to finish baking with residual heat before serving.
Notes
- Use warm soy milk (not hot) to properly activate the yeast without killing it.
- Kneading is key to develop gluten for a soft and elastic dough.
- Ensure the dough rises in a draft-free warm spot for best results.
- The topping dough needs refrigeration to firm up for easier handling and shaping.
- If desired, swap cocoa powder for food coloring to create different colored toppings.
- Store conchas in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 2-3 days for best freshness.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute flours accordingly but expect different texture.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
