Dough
8g (1 1/4 teaspoons) salt
330g (2 3/4 cups) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
66g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
43g (3 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, white reserved
2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract, or your favorite vanilla extract
Topping
99g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla extract, or your favorite vanilla extract
71g (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, soft
80g (2/3 cup) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 large egg white, reserved from above
food coloring, optional
While starter is rising, measure out all of the dough ingredients.
Putting all wet ingredients in one bowl - letting them all come to room temp.
01. Add dough ingredients into starter bowl.
02. Start mixer slow and as it get's mixed up, speed up to fully knead the dough.
It will take a while, 8-14 minutes to form a sticky, elastic dough.
Resist the urge to add more flour; it won't clean the sides of the bowl.
It will be sticky.
Just make sure gluten is formed by using the "window pane test".
03. Let the dough rise, covered, in the mixing bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it's doubled in size.
It may be a bit slow, so allow it plenty of time.
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While dough is rising, make the topping
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Topping:
(Do not use the egg white, you'll use it later for finishign the dough)
01. Mix together the sugar, salt, vanilla, and softened butter until smooth.
Stir in the flour in two additions, mixing to make a thick paste.
Cover the bowl and set the topping aside.
02. *Here is where you can add food coloring.
- we divide the dough in half, one half pink & one half green
- other ideas: 1/2 cinnamon, 1/2 chocolate, 1/2 other colors?
03. Divide the topping into 10, 14, or 20 portions
(see below - how many rolls are you making?)
04. Flatten each portion into a 3" to 4" disk.
Place portions between two pieces of parchment or wax paper.
Use bottom of small pot and plate to flatten it
Or a tortilla press
Or a rolling pin
Or flattening with your fingers
05. Set the disks aside in prep for the dough.
Putting it on parchment paper on a baking sheet in the fridge keeps is well.
It keeps it cool and easy to handle.
Shaping Dough:
01. Divide it into:
(3 versions)
A. 10 pieces (about 89g each - very big) (tried this first time and they were huge)
B. 14 pieces (about 61g each - large) (tried this on 10-08, was great, but could be smaller)
C. 20 pieces (about 44g each - medium) (tried at Jack's football game 10-29 and it was a great size!)
02. Roll each into a ball.
Place the balls of dough onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Leaving some space between them.
03. Brush the balls with Egg White
04. Place the topping disks on each Concha dough ball.
Use a sharp knife or lame to cut designs into the topping.
DO NOT cut into the dough below, just the topping.
OR, you can buy a "Concha Cutter" so you just stamp each topping with a sea shell design.
05. Let the dough rise out on the counter for about 45 minutes.
They should be nice and puffy.
The "cut outs" in the topping should be separating as the dough ball beneath it rises.
Baking
01. Preheat oven to 350º
02. Bake the conchas for 18 to 24 minutes, until they're golden brown. (200º internal temp)
03. Remove them from the oven.
Let them rest on the pan until they're cool enough to handle.
Enjoy conchas warm or at room temperature.
Store any leftover conchas (ha, ha, ha!), well wrapped, for three days at room temperature.
Or, freeze for up to a month.
