Concha’s Concha
Recipe from: “Views on the Road” on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pAR7GQsRA5E&pp=ygUaY29uY2hhcyBwYW4gZHVsY2UgbWV4aWNhbm8%3D
We’ve had our cat Concha for two years now, and I figured it would be nice to make a recipe of his namesake food – Conchas. This is also the recipe that my uncle and I were making when we decided on Concha’s name. This was (I’m pretty sure) the first time that I made Conchas, not the first time I had them, of course. I’ve had them with my friends before that, but I think it was the first time I made them. At that time, we still weren’t completely sure what we were going to name Concha. We had names like boots and socks up for discussion (because it looks like he’s wearing boots or socks on his little feet). I don’t remember why we chose to name him Concha, but I’m guessing it’s probably because it sounds cute and Concha means shell in Spanish. Conchas (the food) are named Concha because of the way the topping is cut to resemble a shell.
The topping is super simple, just flour, powdered sugar, and vegetable shortening (I used coconut oil), and needs no cooking before you bake your Conchas. If you want to have a flavored topping, just add in the flavor you want and add oil or flour accordingly. Add more flour if it’s too runny or sticky or more oil if the mix is too dry, do not add water or milk or stuff like that into it, that will make all the flour stick together and probably form a ball. If you want color added, I just suggest using cocoa powder or a little food dye and just mix it into the flour mix.
I normally use a tortilla press when rolling it out, just because it’s easier for me, but you can use a rolling pin if you prefer or don’t have one. You need to be careful when cutting the shell design into it. What you want to do is carefully place it on top of the dough, making sure it’s marked well. Then, you want to cut into it with a knife or sharp object. Try not to cut the bread, as this will likely cause the bread to rise up and out. There’s at least one episode of the Great British Bake-Off show where they make Conchas. With it being one of my favorite shows, I have watched it many times, and it’s an episode I really like learning from. My favorite week is probably bread week. I really like making bread so seeing people making it is nice, and it can also be very hard at times.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I hope you have a good day too. Enjoy!
Conchas Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups of flour (all purpose-AP or bread flour)
- 1 1/2 cups of sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm milk
- 4 room-temperature eggs
- 1/2 cup of butter (salted)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon
- Extra flour for dusting
Concha Topping Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Extra flour for dusting
- Food coloring or hot chocolate for coloring
Instructions
Pre heat your oven to 350F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked
Mix together the yeast, sugar, and milk (this is to proof the yeast), let it sit for 10 minutes.
In a measuring cup mix together the eggs and vanilla. In a bowl mix together the sugar, salt, cinnamon, flour, and baking powder. Add in the yeast mixture and the egg mix, butter and shortening, mix it all together until it’s all incorporated (about 4 minutes in a mixer and if you’re not using one just knead it for a few minutes).
Let it rise for an hour and a half to around 2 hours. To make the toppings, mix together the flour, powdered sugar and shortening. Just mix it all together until combined, cut it into the same number as the number of Conchas you’ve making, roll into balls.
After it’s done rising give it a quick knead then cut into the number you want, roll into balls too. Place it on a baking sheet and set aside, letting it rise while rolling out the topping.
You can roll one piece of the topping in a tortilla press or with a rolling pin. Roll them out enough that it covers your Conchas. After you place them on your Conchas cut them to make sure your marks are on them.
Carefully cut the topping (try not to cut the dough).
