Mexican Conchas

A Mexican Concha on a white plate. More Concha's are in the background.

Mexican conchas are a delicious sweet bread with a chocolate streusel topping that is perfect for breakfast or as a snack. The bread is fluffy and buttery with a brioche-like texture, while the topping is crumbly and sweet!

Course Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Proofing time 1 30

Servings buns

Calories 379kcal

Author Nina

Ingredients

Concha Dough

2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup whole milk warm
½ cup unsalted butter melted
3 large eggs room temperature
3 ½-4 cups all purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping

1 cup all purpose flour
⅔ cup powdered sugar
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Instructions

Concha Dough

Mix yeast, sugar, and warmed milk in a large bowl. Make sure the milk isn't too hot, or it will kill the yeast. Milk should feel warm to the touch. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes to make sure the yeast is active. Yeast will show it's active when it starts bubbling.
Add butter and eggs, and mix well. Add 3 ½ cups of flour to the bowl, then add salt. Knead until the dough comes together and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. If you need more flour, add a tablespoon at a time.
Place ball of dough in a large greased bowl, cover and let it proof in a warm environment until doubled in size, about 1 hour. You can also place it in the refrigerator to proof slowly overnight.
When the dough has doubled, place it onto a floured work surface. Divide it into 12 pieces and form each into a bun. Place buns on two baking trays lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Make the streusel topping while the buns are rising.

Streusel topping

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Mix until it comes together and can be formed into a ball.
Use your hands and carefully grease the top of each ball with a bit of shortening. This will help the topping stick to the buns.
Divide topping into 12 balls. Use the palm of your hands and flatten each ball into a flat, round disc. Place each disc onto the top of a bun, and press it onto the bun very lightly.
Once you've finished placing the topping on the buns, use a knife to gently etch out a shell shape on each one.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the buns are lightly golden brown. Store conchas at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

I found that the easiest way of flattening the streusel disks, was to flatten with my palms. You could use a rolling pin or a tortilla press too.

Try making other flavour variations - remove the cocoa powder and add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

Try making different colour conchas - remove the cocoa powder and add pink or yellow food colouring. Don't add any food colouring if you want white topping.

Want to make the dough in advance? Cover and refrigerate over night. The dough will proof slowly throughout the night.

Nutrition