Vanilla And Chocolate Conchas Recipes

VANILLA AND CHOCOLATE CONCHAS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups flour, sugar, evaporated milk, lard, egg, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl, then turn so greased side faces up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make topping dough. Beat sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Stir in flour until mixture is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Divide into 2 equal parts. Stir cocoa powder into 1 part and vanilla extract into the other.
• Divide chocolate topping into 4 small balls; roll each piece into a flat circle. Repeat for the vanilla topping.
• Punch down concha dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball; placed on a greased baking sheet. Place a vanilla or chocolate circle on each ball of dough, smoothing it over the top. Make 5 or 6 shallow cuts across the circle to form a shell pattern. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake conchas until lightly browned around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

CONCHAS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon and 2 cups flour. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120° -130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Add eggs; beat on high 2 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough (dough will be sticky). Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, to make streusel, in a large bowl, beat butter, flour, sugar and vanilla until combined. Divide in half. Mix chocolate into 1 half; set aside. Punch down dough. Divide dough into 12 portions; form each into a 3-in. oval. Place 2 in. apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. In a small bowl, whisk egg with milk; brush over dough. Divide plain streusel into 6 portions; roll each into a 3-in. circle. Place over half the rolls. Repeat with chocolate streusel and remaining rolls. Using a sharp knife, cut through streusel on top of rolls to resemble a clamshell. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. Brush rolls with remaining egg wash. Bake until tops are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

CONCHAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Have each ingredient ready and measured (by weight) before starting, and thoroughly read the notes above. Mix the all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium speed, just to mix it well.
• Add the butter and mix well (using the stand mixer with the hook attachment), then mix in the eggs and vanilla extract and slowly pour the milk in little by little until the dough looks cohesive (you may need less or more milk, as some flours soak up more liquid than others). Keep beating the mixture for about 7 minutes at medium speed. Add a little more flour around the inside of the bowl (2-3 tablespoons), just enough for the dough to separate from the container. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
• YOUR DOUGH SHOULD FEEL VERY SOFT AND ELASTIC.
• Place the dough on your floured working table and knead it just enough to shape it into a ball.
• Place this ball in a large greased bowl to rest. Cover it with plastic wrap (or wax paper) and a kitchen napkin. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about 2 hours until it doubles in size. I usually turn the light on in my oven and place the bowl inside, close to the light. Be aware that if your kitchen is cold, the dough will take longer to rise. Be patient and do not try to proceed to the next step until the mixture has doubled in size.