Making Mexican Bread

(ft. My Mom)

During this Quarantine, my mother saw some videos on YouTube of how to bake conchas. So… we made conchas one evening and they turned out very good…

Ingredients for the dough

(yields 8 conchas)

• 2 cups flour/ 2 tazas de harina
• 2 ounces sugar/ 2 onzas de azucar
• 3/4 ounce of yeast/ 3/4 de onza de levadura
• 2 ounces margarine/ 2 onzas de margarina
• 2 eggs/ 2 huevos
• 3/4 cup of milk/ 3/4 taza de leche
• Pinch of salt/ Pizca de sal
• Vanilla and cinnamon/ Vainilla y canela

Ingredients for the topping

*Make separately*

• 1 cup flour/ 1 taza de harina
• 1/2 cup sugar/ 1/2 taza de azucar
• One full bar vegetable shortening/ Una barra de mantequilla vegetal

Making the Dough

(You’ll need lots of space to make the dough!)

First place down the 2 cups of flour on your workspace. Add the flour, sugar, and the yeast together. Mix the dry ingredients evenly.

Then you add the wet ingredients together.

Once your things are there all together, you are going to mix it together.

Once you are done, put it inside a big bowl and let it rest for 40 mins. When you’re done it will start to rise up. Leave it somewhere warm to help it rise.

It will end up fluffy and thick.

After 40 Mins, take whatever tray you want and start making them into eight small balls and place them on the tray.

Once you put your dough balls in the tray, let them rest and let them rise a little bit more. You will now start with the paste that goes on top.

Making the paste

Put all the ingredients from above together and start mixing it all together. Until it sticks together…

Now that both main things are completed we will put them together to make our conchas.

Take your paste and cut a small ball, then roll out the ball into a flat thin circle, and cover the dough with the paste.

Use a knife to cut the paste a little bit but not the dough. Then leave it somewhere so it can get bigger again… It will look like the picture below. For best results, leave it to rest with the paste for 30 mins.

Once your dough looks like that the picture above, put your oven to preheat at 350°F and when it’s hot bake your conchas for 15 mins and then take it out. You will notice it will come out golden brown.

They are ready to eat with a hot drink! But be careful because it’s still hot. I hope your results are as good as mine!