Conchas Mexican Sweet-Topped Bread

Where do I begin, I love pan dulce!  We have a local bakery in our town, but it adds up after a while to go there and constantly buying some pan (bread). So I have to thank my wonderful husband for looking into a recipe for my conchas. This recipe we have altered from the original. The changes we made are improvements from the original, but feel free to check out the original recipe.
I made this for my Activity Day Girls at my church and were such a big hit that I had parents requesting the recipe.

Conchas (Mexican Sweet-Topped Buns)

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F or 40 to 46 celsius)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

4 cups all-purpose flour

Flavored Topping Dough

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

*We use our bread machine on the dough setting to get the first rise* 

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl.
2. Stir in milk, sugar, butter salt, egg, and 2 c of the flour
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.
5. Turn onto a slightly floured surface.
6. Knee until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
7. Place in a large greased bowl, then turn greased side up.
8. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1⁄2 hours.
9. The dough is ready if it leaves an indentation when touched. 
10.Meanwhile, prepare Flavored Topping Dough.
11.Punch dough down; divide into 12 equal pieces.
12.Shape each piece into a ball; place on greased cookie sheet. 13.Flavored Topping Dough
14.Beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
15.Stir in flour
16.Stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract (Form into a ball and place in frig
until your ready for step 17.)
17.Divide each part of the dough into 4 equal pieces
18.Pat each piece into a 3-inch circle (*Try to make it as thin as
possible. Once some of it starts to stick to the rolling pin, you
know you’re done.)
19.Place 1 circle of Topping Dough on each ball of dough, shaping it over the ball.
20.Make 5 or 6 cuts across the topping, using a table knife, to form a shell pattern. (Optional)
21.Cover and let rise until double- about 40 minutes
22.Heat oven to 375 degrees F (If you're cooking on a Silpat heat oven to
325 degrees F for 11 minutes.)
23.Bake buns until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

The bold words are alternatives from the original recipe.

Yum! Best when eaten warm.

They were such a big hit only 2 remained for the night. 

3 Brothers Rating:

Provecho!

Corn Tortilla Uses

About a month ago we decided we would attempt to make our own tortillas. After completing one recipe the ideas kept pouring in taco shell, tostada, and tortilla chips. Below we have 3 easy recipes we wanted to share with you.

just add water & salt

We recommend getting a tortilla press.

Our first batch of tortillas ever!

Decide on the serving size you would like to follow on the back of the Mase CA and get to cooking tortillas.
 *side notes:
1. Before frying any tortilla make sure the tortilla is cooled.
2. Feel free to add more water till the masa no longer crumbles when trying to form in a ball. 

Taco Shell:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan from medium to medium-high to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.  
2. Use tongs to place one tortilla at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. Cook for about 15 seconds, then flip over and fold the shell in half, holding in place with the tongs until crispy, about 15 seconds. You may need a little practice at first. Drain on paper towels. Use for tacos right away, or they may become chewy.
3. Top tacos with your choice of toppings. 

Tostada:
1. Heat oil in a frying pan from medium to medium-high to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Use tongs to place one tortilla at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. Cook for about 15 seconds, then flip over until crispy, about 15 seconds. Drain on paper towels, use right away, or they may become chewy.
3. Top tostada with your choice of toppings!

Tortilla Chips:
1. Cut tortilla into fourths
2. Heat oil in a frying pan from medium to medium-high to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Place pieces into small batches in the fryer, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Serve with your salsa, chile con queso, or your dip of choice!

Happy Cooking!