Inspired by Mexican Week on Season 13 of The Great British Baking Show, we set out to put our own spin on Mexican pan dulce. Rose conchas were the result: with sweet rose craquelin topping and fluffy bread, they are fun to look at and eat. Craquelin is a crispy pastry topping that elevates these conch-shaped sweet breads so much. The texture is unbelievable, melting in your mouth as you eat.
These eggless conchas are a fun project bake (I’d set aside an afternoon) but well worth it. I decided on a classic grid pattern on my conchas, but feel free to make a spiral or any fun pattern you like. Do you see a recurring word here? Conchas are fun little sweet breads. I hope you enjoy this recipe.
For more exciting project bakes, look no further than Chocolate Rilakkuma Bread Buns or a Rose Danish Braid.
Eggless Rose Conchas
Course: DessertCuisine: Mexican16
servings3
hours20
minutesIngredients
- Concha Dough
1 cup warm milk* (see notes)
3 tbsp melted butter
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
6 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
- Concha Topping
4/5 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
7 tbsp softened butter
2 tbsp rose syrup
Directions
- Make concha dough: Add milk and melted butter to a small mixing bowl, then sprinkle yeast on top. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add brown sugar and salt to yeast mixture. In a separate large mixing bowl, add flours and mix. Slowly incorporate yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and knead until smooth.
- Cover the dough for 2 hours or until doubled in size. Begin the concha topping mixture when the dough is almost done.
- Make the concha topping: Sift powdered sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Add all-purpose flour and mix. Then incorporate butter using your hands. Add the rose syrup and slightly knead the dough together while squishing it so that the butter holds it together. Once done, refrigerate it for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Then, punch down on the concha dough to deflate and portion into 16 pieces. Shape these pieces into balls and line them on the trays. Take the concha topping out of the fridge and shape into 16 balls likewise. Flattening slightly with your hands, place the concha toppings on the concha balls and score lightly using a sharp knife. You can make a grid pattern or lines or whatever you like.
- Bake the conchas for about 18-20 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Cool for 20 minutes or so, and serve warm!
Notes
- Technically, ‘warm milk’ should be between 100 and 110 degrees F, but you can tell the right temperature without a kitchen thermometer too. Just touch the water and remember that if it feels hot to you, it’s hot to the yeast as well. Just keep it warm enough to feel comfortable.
This recipe was adapted from Happy Vegannie’s The Best Vegan Mexican Conchas.
This recipe took a while to make, but it was definitely worth it! The rose flavor is so innovative and goes so well with the bread. Will definitely be making these again.