Conchas

In the world of pan dulce (literally “sweet bread”), la concha is arguably the most popular. The enriched bread dough that gets shaped into a roll and baked with a crunchy, cookie topping scored to resemble a seashell, or concha, is on every panadería’s menu. Most of the flavor for the concha comes through in the topping; the possibilities are as endless as your creativity will allow. Add cocoa powder for a chocolate concha; use a food processor or spice mill (or a resealable plastic bag and a rolling pin) to crush freeze-dried fruit, such as raspberry or strawberry, for a floral, blush-toned touch, or pistachio paste and chopped pistachios for a nutty green concha. A little orange zest in the concha dough goes a long way to balancing out the traditionally sweet topping. 

Give yourself enough time to let the dough proof—about 3½ hours total, but your rise time will vary depending on the ambient temperature in your kitchen. If you have the time, you can let the dough proof slowly in the fridge after its first rise: simply chill 6–24 hours before dividing and shaping. An overnight proof will give your concha dough even more flavor, with the added benefit of being a bit easier to work with. The ultimate concha experience is to eat them while warm, dipping them into hot coffee or champurrado. You’ll see for yourself why they’re so beloved.

Note: In the topping ingredients list you’ll find optional mix-ins to make brown-, pink-, or green-topped conchas. Pick one color, then mix in the full amounts of cocoa powder (brown); or freeze-dried fruit (pink); or pistachio paste and chopped pistachios (green), according to which color you’d like your conchas topping to be. If making green concha topping using sweet pistachio butter or cream (as opposed to unsweetened paste), the fat and sugar content will vary by brand: Reduce the brown sugar by 1 Tbsp. and the butter by 1–2 Tbsp. and add flour as needed (go by how the mixture feels, per cues in method).