Mexican Conchas: French Brioche Rolls with Cookies Baked on Top
Every culture needs a lightly sweetened, enriched bread dough with a lightly sweetened COOKIE (endless flavor possibilities) baked on top! This incredibly tasty bread can be eaten with a meal (not TOO sweet), with a hot beverage at breakfast time, or as a sweet afternoon snack. Adjust the cookie flavors and colors to fit any season or celebration! Why not pumpkin spice for fall or pastel colors for spring? Regardless, this impressive looking bread will fit most any occasion.
Servings: 12 Concha rolls
Ingredients
Bread Dough Ingredients:
- 415-450 grams (3 ½-3 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour start w/415 grams and add more as needed
- 70 grams (~1/3 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 pkg (2¼ tsp / ¼ oz) active dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt increase salt to ¾ tsp if using unsalted butter
- 1 stick (½ cup / 4 oz) butter salted or unsalted (adjust salt above)
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 120 ml (½ cup) milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon optional
Cookie Topping Base:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup / 4 oz) butter room temperature (or shortening or half of each)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For 3 Different Topping Flavors & Colors: Divide the above in 3rds & add the following:
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate flavor only
- ¼ -½ tsp ground cinnamon for cinnamon spiced only: the more cinnamon, the darker the color and spicier the flavor
- 3 drops red food coloring for vanilla pink: add more as needed to reach desired color
Instructions
Make the Bread Dough:
- In a small bowl, heat the milk for 20-30 seconds until it reaches100˚F-110˚F / 38˚C-43˚C. Measure out 70 grams (~1/3 cup) of sugar and remove 1 tablespoon. Add the 1 tablespoon of sugar to the milk and then whisk in the yeast. Set the bowl aside for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is bubbly or frothy.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a regular large bowl), add flour, the remaining sugar and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Melt the butter by heating it in the microwave (or over the stove), just until melted ~30 seconds. If any solids remain, stir until all are melted. Pour it into the flour mixture. Then, beat the eggs lightly and pour them into the flour mixture. Next, pour in the milk and yeast mixture.
- Using the dough hook, knead in the stand mixer for 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, stir the mixture well and then scoop it out onto a floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes. Regardless of the kneading method, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be tacky but not very sticky. If the dough is sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. Be sure to knead between each flour addition.
- Cover the mixing bowl with a towel or with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 1- 2 hours or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the cookie sheets and cookie topping. Line 2 large (17x12-inch) cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the Cookie Dough Topping:
- In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat softened butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar. Then, add in flour and beat until well combined and crumbly. At this point, you may want to knead by hand for a smoother texture, cookie dough texture.
- Divide the dough into thirds (~112 grams each) and place each in 3 separate bowls.
- For the cinnamon topping, add ¼-½ tsp cinnamon (optional) to one of the cookie dough bowls. Beat or knead by hand until the cinnamon is mixed in well. Divide equally into 4 separate balls (~28 grams each). Set aside on the counter to use later.
- For the pink topping, add 3 drops of red food coloring. Beat or knead by hand until the food color is mixed in well. Add more color to reach desired pink color. Divide equally into 4 separate balls (~28 grams each). Set aside on the counter to use later.
- For the chocolate topping, add 1 tbsp cocoa powder. Beat or knead by hand until until the cocoa powdered is mixed in well. Divide equally into 4 separate balls (~29 grams each). Set aside on the counter to use later. If the dough is crumbly, add ½-1 tbsp of additional softened butter or shortening to smooth out the dough.
Shape the Bread Dough:
- Once the bread dough has risen and doubled in size, scoop it out onto an unfloured work surface and let it rest for about 5 minutes. You can flour your surface if needed, but generally not necessary.
- Divide the dough into 12 equally sized balls (71-72 grams each). Shape each as you weigh them into a rough ball by folding the dough in a round creating a seam on one side only (like a coin purse that you gather at the top). Lay each ball on an unfloured work surface. Once all balls are weighed out, roll each into a rounder ball shape by rolling them around on the unfloured work surface (to provide a little friction for the ball to stick slightly). Use a cupped hand and gently press down to form the balls and cover up any creases. You can also just roll them in your hands. If you don't want to weigh them, you can simply just cut the dough into 12 pieces like a cinnamon roll.
- Place 6 (with any visible seam down) on each parchment-lined cookie sheet after you’ve shaped them. Be sure to space them out appropriately so they don’t touch. Add a little softened butter or shortening to your hands and rub the tops of each roll to grease them so they will hold the cookie topping. Set both pans aside while you shape the topping.
Flatten & Carve the Cookie Topping:
- Flatten each cookie dough ball in between two sheets of plastic wrap using a tortilla press, small flat bottom bowl, or a rolling pin. Make sure not to press it down too much as it will become too thin. Try to make it as big as you expect the risen Concha dough ball to be.
- HELPFUL TIP: If you don't have a tortilla press, try this homemade method. Cut a quart-size, zip-top bag on two sides and cut off the zip-top portion leaving only one side intact. Place one of the round topping balls in the center of one side of the plastic and fold the other side over on top. Take a flat bottom bowl and press it firmly on top of the plastic to flatten out the topping. Take the top plastic off carefully. Flip the bowl over and lay the topping directly on the bottom side of the flat bottom bowl. Carefully pull the other side of the plastic off the topping. Flip the bowl over onto your hand to release the topping in your hand. This method will keep the topping from tearing as you remove the plastic.
- Place each topping firmly around each of the dough balls on the cookie sheet. Then, using a small paring knife, cut curves into each topping from one side to the other like a curved half-moon which is to resemble a shell (hence the name Concha). Allow gravity to determine the amount of pressure you place on the knife into the topping. You could also use a Concha cutter if you have one, though not necessary.
- Allow the Conchas to rise in a warm place until they are almost doubled in size (1-2 hours). Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF /171ºC for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. If baking more than one cookie sheet at a time, rotate the cookie sheets at the halfway point (~12 minutes) to allow them each time to be near both the top and bottom heating elements.
- Once baked completely, enjoy them warm or at room temperature with coffee or hot chocolate. They are great for breakfast or as a snack.
Video
Notes
Optional Cookie Topping Flavors & Colors:
-Use seasonal spices in place of the cinnamon. Consider pumpkin pie or apple pie spice. Don't use any spice at all.
-Use the food coloring to accommodate your event or celebration. Consider orange and black for Halloween or red and green for Christmas. Try pastel colors for Easter.
Storing Unbaked Conchas for Later Use
If you only want to eat fresh Conchas, you can bake only as many as you want to eat that day, then freeze the others. To freeze them, take the shaped Conchas with the topping on and place them separated on a pan or dish in the freezer. They will take about 4 hours to freeze. Then, place the individual Conchas in a zip-top bag to keep frozen up to 3 months. When you want to bake them, just defrost them on the counter (at least an hour) and place them in a warm area to rise (1-2 hours). Then bake them at the same time and temp as directed in the recipe.