Conchas (Mexican Sweet Bread)
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on Oct 08, 2013, Updated Mar 02, 2025
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Table of Contents
Every year I challenge myself to make a special dish that reminds me of my grandma or a traditional dish to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Last year I shared a recipe for marranitos (little pigs), because they were my grandmas favorite sweet bread, and the year before that I made pan de muerto (bread of the dead), which is traditional bread seen at Día de Los Muertos celebrations.
This year I wanted to make conchas or pan dulce (sweet bread). Luckily for me my mom was visiting and she wanted to make them too. The pastry contains a sugar shell pattern on the top. Conchas (shells) also called pan de huevo and are one of the most famous Mexican pastries.
Being from El Paso we are very lucky to have panaderias (Mexican bakeries) nearby when we crave this sweet bread. The best time to buy sweet bread from a panaderia is first thing in the morning when they are freshly made and warm.
Now that I live in Colorado, panaderias are not conveniently nearby, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try and make this sweet bread at home. My mom brought over her 1970’s Better Homes and Gardens Mexican cookbook with the pan dulce recipe dog-eared and I had a Better Homes and Gardens Mexican edition magazine with the conchas recipe dog-eared. We figured this was a sign and we needed to make them. The recipes were very different, and we decided to try out the newest magazine recipe.
The process of making this sweet bread is not difficult to make, but it is time consuming. You need to be patient and allow the dough to rise. Once they are baking the smell transported me to my childhood.
The warm sweet bread out of the oven is well worth the wait. Accompany this Mexican sweet bread with a hot cup of coffee or champurrado and the first warm bite will melt in your mouth.
Conchas have a sweet hardened crust, and the inside is thick, soft, and fluffy. With such amazing flavors it is no wonder it is one of Mexico’s most favorite sweet breads.
Making the dough for these conchas might have been challenging if made by hand, but we cheated a bit and made it using this dreamy and powerful Magimix food processor. I have made dough in a food processor before and this processor did the job perfectly. The motor is sturdy, powerful, and very quiet.
What you will need:
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cup
- Food Processor
- Pastry Board
- Electric Mixer
- Paring Knife or Concha Cutter
- Baking Sheet
Conchas / Pan Dulce / Pan de Huevo
Ingredients
- 1 packet active dry yeast, 1/4 ounce
- ½ cup warm water
- ½ cup warm evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl stir together yeast and the warm water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk, the 1/3 cup sugar, the melted butter, egg, and salt. Stir in 2 cups of the flour. Gradually stir in another 2 cups flour and the ½ teaspoon cinnamon to make a dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl; turn to coat surface of the dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size (1 to 1 ¼ hour).
- Meanwhile, for topping, in a medium bowl beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 2/3 cup sugar, beating until well mixed. Stir in the 1 cup flour, the teaspoons cinnamon, and the vanilla.
- Punch down the dough. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Divide dough into 12 portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball. Place balls about 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press down on balls slightly. Divide topping into 12 balls; pat each ball flat. Place one round of topping on each dough ball.
- Using a sharp paring knife or concha cutter, cut grooves on a scallop shell. Cover rolls and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 45 minutes).
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake rolls for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from baking sheets. Cool on wire racks. Serve warm or cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe. I often find myself baking and can’t find many good Mexican dessert recipes often. When I found this cookbook I tried a simple concha recipe. Now I can’t get enough! This is byfar the best concha recipe I know!
I made these tonight and they were amazing! Fluffy and just enough moistness. Sometimes conchas are dry, but these were perfect. The topping was so good, I could have made a sheet of just that I’ll for sure be making these again! I’m thinking of trying a chocolate one next time so I’ll experiment a bit with ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
Hello! Can I double the recipe?
I read you’re from El Paso! I am too! I live in New Hampshire and sadly there are no Mexican bakeries up or really any good Mexican restaurants. Definitely things I miss. I’ve been trying to keep the memory of my grandma alive by doing certain things she did but I’ve been really wanting to do something around Christmas with my kids in memory of her. When I read about that you make something special I thought that would be a very sweet thing for me to do with my kids and hope they continue the tradition.
I Cant get enough of these. I have made them three times this week and they are getting better and better each time I make them.
I’m from El Paso too AND I moved to Denver a year ago. I’m sad that I can’t find good pan dulce here. Nothing compares to El Paso’s panederias! I’m going to try this recipe …… I hope it’s as good as it sounds!
I just made the conchas and after baking them they still looked as if the dough didnt cook. Top of the concha in between the topping look as if the dough was just like before i put it in the oven. Please help.
After trying a different recipe and my conchas lacking the sweetness of the ones I’ve eaten. I tried this recipe. My dough did not rise with this recipe and my sugar topping did not come out pasty, it came out runny. The other recipe it was able to be rolled out and cut. I don’t know what happened.
I tried this recipe out and it was received so well at work! The conchas weren’t dry or too dense; they were the right amount of sweet. I’ll definitely be making these again. 🙂
I don’t eat dairy, so I substituted the milk with coconut milk, butter with non-dairy butter and used vegetable shortening.
I accidentally added a bit more fat to the pastry dough than the recipe intended, but it came out just fine. And I feel like spread out amongst an office, it’s fine. 😉
Hello! Thanks for the recipe! My husband originates from Mexico and conchas are his favorite. I am in the process of making them now. Fingers crossed that they turn out right!