a guide to
baking conchas
Conchas are a staple breakfast pastry in Mexico, and can be found in panaderias (bakeries) across the United States. If you’ve never had a concha, they are known for their colorful shell-inspired cookie crusts layered over a lightly sweetened yeast bread roll.
Conchas remind me of my childhood, where I would spend weekends with my grandparents eating colorful and delicious pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) on Saturday mornings. Those memories inspired me to start baking conchas, and it was crucial that I developed a recipe that transported me back to what I remembered eating as a kid.
The purpose of this guide is to teach you a variety of tips and tricks I have learned over the years baking these nostalgic sweet buns. Here’s to enjoying the process.
ingredients, tools & flavor profile
What goes into a Concha?
Concha dough falls under the enriched dough category, which means it has a high ratio of fat, eggs, sugar and milk. The most common fats used for baking conchas are butter, shortening or lard. You most likely have exactly what you need for baking conchas at home – and I encourage you to use whatever you have on hand and are familiar with.
The following ingredients are what I have had the most success with over the years.
All-Purpose flour. King Arthur brand’s all-purpose flour is my favorite grocery store option, and it truly makes the softest conchas. It has a protein content of 11%, which aids with the elasticity of the dough, and the overall structure of the pastry. Gold Medal’s all-purpose flour is my favorite second option, and my solid go-to for when I am on a tighter budget.
Active Dry Yeast. Yeast is a pretty easy ingredient to work with, it just wants a little extra care and attention. To activate the yeast, all you need is a liquid (such as milk or water) that has been warmed to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and a little bit of sweetener to feed the yeast, such as a teaspoon of sugar or honey. This combination of ingredients will activate the yeast, causing it to bubble and foam – a process also known as “proofing”.
If your yeast is bubbling and gradually growing in size after ten minutes, it’s alive and ready for baking. If you find your yeast mixture stays flat and does not bubble after ten minutes, your yeast may be expired, or your liquid was too hot and it killed the yeast. You’ll need to toss the mixture and try it again with a fresh batch of yeast.
I typically buy yeast in bulk and store it in my fridge. You can also find little individual packets at the store and keep them in your pantry.
Light Brown Sugar. In addition to granulated sugar, my recipe calls for light brown sugar as a substitute for Piloncillo, which is an unrefined whole cane sugar commonly used in a variety of pan dulce recipes. Piloncillo does not have molasses like brown sugar does, however the flavor profiles are similar.
Salted Butter. I always, always, always bake using salted butter. I cannot recall the last time I intentionally purchased unsalted butter. Salted butter adds incredible flavor to concha dough (and baked goods in general). It won’t make the dough too salty, but it will enhance and balance all the flavors (and round out the sweetness from the sugar).
Instant Dry Milk Powder. An optional ingredient, but a game changer when it’s used for conchas. Milk powder will not only add more flavor to concha dough, but it will keep the bread tender and fresher longer after it’s been baked. It’s like adding a little hidden super power to your dough, so try to use it if you can!
Eggs. I like using a combination of eggs and egg yolks for concha dough. The eggs add structure and help to develop a tender crumb, while the extra yolk adds more richness and softness.
Pure Vanilla Extract. A huge flavor booster. Make sure you are using pure vanilla when you’re making conchas.
Cinnamon. The fresher it is, the spicier it will be. Just make sure you aren’t using cinnamon you miraculously found at the back of your pantry – go out and buy a fresh container! Mark your container with the date you opened it so you’ll have an idea of how fresh it is the next time you use it (I do this for a variety of other baking ingredients, such as baking powder, baking soda, yeast, and cream of tartar).
If you’re interested in a specific type of cinnamon for conchas, I prefer Ceylon. It’s brighter and spicier with floral notes, and I actually use it just for conchas.
Adding Flavor
The dough portion of the concha serves as a more subtle flavor base, while the concha topping provides the more noticeable, prominent flavor.
Concha topping is composed of three ingredients: flour, fat and sugar. It’s basically a recipe for an unleavened sugar cookie dough, and the fat works as a base for transferring and holding lots of flavor.
The topping can be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa powder or even citrus zest, such as orange or lime.
You can experiment with a variety of other flavors, such as freeze-dried fruit powders, warm spices, flavor extracts, instant coffee powder and matcha powder as a few examples.
I recommend adding a half teaspoon of extract or powder at a time, testing the consistency and strength of the flavor before adding more (and take notes so you remember how much to add next time).
Concha Tools
It’s possible to create the beautiful shell design conchas are known for by hand, however I have a list of tools below that I enjoy using every time I bake. There are so many different types of concha stamps that can be purchased online now from sites like Etsy or Amazon, with designs for a variety of occasions.
Here’s a list of other tools I find helpful and efficient for the dough making process.
baking tips & techniques
Measuring vs. Weighing Ingredients: Why Does it Matter?
It wasn’t until I began weighing my ingredients with a food scale, that I finally started having success with baking consistently soft and tender conchas. Weighing your ingredients is more accurate than using volume measurements, such as cups, and it also saves you time and dirty dishes.
When measuring with cups, you risk packing in too much flour, resulting in a denser and drier bread.
This can also result in the concha topping becoming too crumbly or dry, because too much flour or powdered sugar was added. If you would like to improve your concha baking experience and have more consistent results, I highly suggest investing in a food scale (you can find one on Amazon for as low as $10 – Kitchen and Food Scale).
If you are baking using volume measurements such as cups, the following tips are for you:
- Measuring Tip: When measuring flour, spoon the flour directly into the measuring cup. Using the flat edge of butter knife, gently remove the excess flour until your scoop is flat. This is a great way to measure a cup of flour as accurate as possible without using a scale. I suggest using the same method when measuring powdered sugar.
- Weighing Tip: Food scales are also useful for evenly dividing and proportioning the dough and topping. My concha recipes makes 12 dough balls that weigh about 90-95 grams each (or 24 smaller conchas at 40-45 grams each), and the topping pieces are 30-35 grams per concha (or 15 grams for smaller conchas).
Kneading the Dough
There are two common mixing methods when it comes to making concha dough.
The first method consists of throwing in all the ingredients together, mixing it just until a sponge forms, and allowing it to hydrate for about an hour or so before kneading. This method takes the longest to knead because all the fat has been added at once, which will require lots of work for gluten to develop and strengthen the dough. Adding all the ingredients in at once basically coats the flour in fat, and inhibits gluten strands from forming.
The second method involves adding the butter later in the mixing process. You combine the flour, yeast, milk, sugar, spices and eggs and mix until a soft dough forms, about ten minutes or so. Then, you add the butter in gradually. This method is easier for mixing by hand, because you are working with a less wet dough at first. As you knead it and build its strength you will have more control once you begin to add more fat from the butter.
Chilling the Dough for an Overnight Rise
Concha dough can be prepared 12-24 hours in advance before baking:
- Prepare the dough according to the recipe, and place it into a lightly oiled bowl.
- Place two to three layers of plastic wrap tightly over the bowl and leave it in the fridge overnight to rise.
- The day you are baking, remove the dough from the fridge and divide it out for however many conchas you are making. Because the dough is cold and firm, it will be much easier to handle and roll into balls.
- Place the dough balls onto your baking tray and allow them to come to room temperature and rise, about 1.5 to 2 hours. Complete the recipe according to its instructions.
Preparing the Concha Topping
I often receive many questions about how to make concha topping – every recipe I have read has a different set of ingredients, as well as measurements, so it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start.
Concha topping works best when the ingredients are weighed, rather than measured with cups. My recipe calls for equal parts all purpose flour, shortening and powdered sugar (ex. 135 grams flour, 135 grams powdered sugar, 135 grams shortening). If you are using volume measurements such as cups, your measurements will be slightly different.
My best advice when it comes to making the topping is knowing what texture and consistency to look for. Concha topping bakes best when it feels like a soft sugar cookie dough. It shouldn’t crack, and it should be very pliable in your hand (this is how custom concha bakers are able to mold their decorations). If you can roll the dough in your hand and make a perfect ball, or shape it into a heart without it cracking and crumbling, it’s ready for baking.
- Topping Tip: I use shortening that consists of both vegetable and meat fats. All vegetable shortening works just fine as well, and both make wonderfully delicious conchas. The shortening will make a texture closest to what you would find at a panaderia, and it is the most stable for high temperature environments. It also bakes beautifully, and is my ingredient of choice when I am creating conchas with intricate designs that require molding and shaping.
- Topping Tip: Butter can be used for concha topping as well, however it must be softened at room temperature. Butter is perfect for a more rustic bake – it’s crunchier and tends to brown when it bakes, however please note it is not ideal to use butter for custom concha designs that incorporate a lot of food coloring.
Getting to Know Your Oven
I currently bake out of a tiny apartment kitchen oven – it’s old and probably close to the end of its life, but I still manage to have lots of successful bakes while using it. The more you bake, the more you will get to know your oven’s quirks. My old oven has plenty of hot spots, and runs 25 degrees hotter than what I set it to. I keep an oven thermometer hanging on the lower rack so that I always have an accurate read of the actual temperature inside the oven at all times.
- If your conchas seem to dome too high or crack in the middle, or brown too quickly on the bottom, this can be due to an oven than runs hotter than what you set it to or hot spots.
- Oven Tip: If you are struggling with your conchas browning too quickly, bake them on two stacked baking sheet pans rather than one single sheet pan. This method is called “double panning”. It allows the bottoms of the sheet pans to heat up at a slower rate, resulting in perfectly baked conchas.
enjoying the process
Making conchas is a process that requires some patience and a bit of technique – as you can probably tell after reading this guide. I encourage you to go into the concha baking process with the expectation that focusing on the actual process, rather than the end result, will lead to a more pleasant and successful baking experience.
Conchas are conchas, regardless of their shape or size. If your first batch of
conchas don’t look the way you had hoped, please do not allow that to discourage you from trying again.
I have been baking conchas for 8 years, and many of my first attempts were…interesting, to say the least. 5 years in, I finally started tackling writing my own recipe, and finally in 2021 I developed a recipe that I was happy with in terms of texture, flavor and of course, what I remember eating as a child.
It was a very proud moment for me, and it was an honor to bake conchas using a recipe I had put so much time and research into developing for customers.
I hope you find connection through the baking process – whether it’s connection to family, memories, your heritage, or your belly because you’re hungry, enjoy it.
My recipe for traditional conchas can be found here: Traditional Conchas.
Thank you for sharing all your tips and insights. I am a beginner and I will start with your advice in recipe. Thank you.
Thank you very much, and best of luck!
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! I have made these 3x’s and my family loves them! including me😊 it’s a big deal because, the concha is my, and my families LEAST favorite of the pan dulce. Every concha we tried were dry, flavorless and all the toping would fall off after the first bite! NOT these!! needless to say…. We LOVE concha’s! It will be hard to find one at a panaderia, without comparing it to this one!
Thank you so much for sharing, I am so glad you and your family have enjoyed this recipe. Delicious conchas exist, and you don’t have to go very far to find them. 🙂
I’m exited to try your recipe, I wanted to ask you if you ever tried adding some orange zest to it? I love using fresh grind cinnamon but I feel like I need some extra flavor
Yes, I often add the zest of 1 navel orange for a little extra flavor. It’s absolutely delicious and I highly encourage it!