* Exported from MasterCook *
Conchas, Black-and-White
Recipe By :Rick Martinez
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread Bread-Bakers Mailing List
Chocolate/Cocoa Ethnic
Posted
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Dough
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast -- (1 1/4-oz. envelope)
1/2 cup whole milk -- warm (about 110F)
3 large eggs -- room temperature
6 Tbsp. granulated sugar -- (75 g)
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal salt -- or 1 1/4 tsp. Morton
kosher salt
3 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
3 cups bread flour -- plus more for surface (375 g)
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter -- cut into 10 even pieces,
room temperature
Topping and assembly
1 cup all-purpose flour -- plus
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour -- (133 g)
2/3 cup powdered sugar -- (73 g)
1/2 cup ghee -- refined coconut oil, or vegetable
shortening, melted and cooled
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal salt -- or 1/2 tsp. Morton kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla paste -- or extract
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder -- preferably Dutch-process
1 large egg
The two most classic concha flavors you'll find at panaderias in
Mexico are chocolate and vanilla. (The shell-shaped sugar topping to
these classic Mexican sweet breads also come in fun colors, but those
are usually vanilla in disguise.) For concha fanatic Rick Martinez,
the question was always why couldn't he have both? "For those who
want a little bit of everything (like me)," Rick says, "I give you La
Concha Negra y Blanca." It's a fun little play on New York's famous
Black-and-White cookie, amped up with lots of chocolate and vanilla
flavor. Note that Rick recommends using vanilla paste (we like the
one from Heilala), which holds onto its flavor better than extract or
beans when heated, and Dutch-process cocoa, which lends a deeper,
richer chocolate flavor than regular cocoa.
Dough: Whisk yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer to combine.
Let sit 10 minutes for yeast to dissolve.
Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Add egg
mixture, milk powder, and 3 cups bread flour to yeast mixture. Stir
with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Fit bowl onto stand
mixer fitted with dough hook and mix on medium speed until dough
comes together but is still slightly tough, about 3 minutes. Increase
speed to medium high and beat, adding butter a piece at a time and
waiting until absorbed before adding the next piece, until dough is
smooth, elastic, and very tacky but pulls away from sides of bowl
(dough will look broken as you add the butter, but don't worry; it
will eventually come together), about 15 minutes. This may seem like
a long knead time, but it will improve the final texture of the bread.
Cover bowl tightly and chill until doubled in volume, at least 12
hours. Letting dough rise in the fridge for a longer period of time
will produce a dough with the best flavor, but if you don't have the
time, cover dough and let rise in a warm (about 80F is ideal),
draft-free spot until doubled in volume, 35 to 50 minutes. The visual
cue is more important here than the time. How long your dough takes
to proof will depend on how warm your kitchen is. You don't want to
overproof the dough, so check it at 35 minutes. Finished dough will
smell buttery and yeasty and have doubled in size. If it is not
there, check again in 10 minutes.
Gently deflate dough by pressing it down and folding it over onto
itself. Repeat until completely deflated.
Do ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled (do not
deflate until ready to form into rolls).
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat flour, powdered
sugar, ghee, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment until combined and smooth. Transfer half
of sugar topping to a small bowl. Add cocoa powder to remaining sugar
topping and beat on medium-low speed to combine. Divide both vanilla
and chocolate sugar toppings into 12 equal pieces (about 15 g each).
Gently roll 1 vanilla ball and 1 chocolate ball into a single ball,
making sure to keep colors from blending. Repeat with remaining balls
and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely and let sit until ready to use.
Turn out dough onto a work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces
(about 80 g each). Working one at time, rest a cupped hand over dough
so your palm and fingers enclose it and vigorously work your hand in
a circular motion on the counter to shape dough into a smooth, round
ball (the friction between the dough and the work surface will create
tension, stretching dough into a taut dome). Transfer to prepared
baking sheets. Arrange 6 balls on each, spacing evenly apart.
Beat egg with 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to blend and brush 1
dough ball with egg wash. Using kitchen shears, cut open the sides of
a small resealable plastic bag so that it opens up like a book. Place
1 piece of sugar topping on 1 side of open bag and fold other side
over to cover. Using a small skillet or saucepan, press down on ball
to flatten into a 4"-diameter disk. Carefully peel open bag and
invert disk onto dough ball; fit it to the dough so it covers the top
and sides of ball completely without overlaps. Carefully remove bag.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape off any topping stuck to bag and
repeat process with remaining egg wash, dough balls, and sugar
topping. Let conchas rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost
doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours (if dough was proofed at room
temperature, this may only take 1 hour).
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325F. Select a starting
point on left side of dough, and, using a razor or sharp paring
knife, very lightly score half-moon lines into topping so they
radiate out across topping, starting from the same point and spacing
about 1/3" apart. You want to be careful not to deflate the dough, so
don't press down and let the weight of the knife do the cutting (you
don't need to cut through the topping).
Place 1 baking sheet of conchas in the fridge and bake the other
sheet until dough is golden brown, topping is very lightly darkened,
and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers
195F, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on baking sheet, then
transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with
remaining baking sheet of conchas.
Do ahead: Conchas can be baked 3 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at
room temperature.
Review: The first two times I've made these, I had bread flour, but
no milk powder. And they turned out perfect! I read a review that
said score the topping before the second rise, so that's what I've
been doing and they turn out great. The third time I've made them
(don't judge me, it's quarantine), I had milk powder, but only AP
flour. And the dough was WAY too sticky. I added maybe a third of a
cup of extra flour until the consistency looked right - and they
turned out fine! The ultimate test was on Mother's Day when I
presented these to my born-in-Mexico mom who immediately ordered a
batch for the following week.
Review: I don't know what happened to my conchas, they spread out too
much. They looked like concha cookies. I think that maybe I didn't
weigh the flour correctly and put too little. They tasted really good tho.
Review: Definitely a project kind of recipe, but so worth it! I used
oatmilk instead of whole, and buttermilk powder instead of nonfat dry
milk powder, since that's what I had on hand. I did have some trouble
with the topping-ended up using my hands (floured) instead of a pan
because I couldn't get the topping off the plastic when I used a pan,
and the topping separated a bit more than I think it was supposed to
in the rising/baking process, but that was probably all user error.
Regardless, they were delicious and I'm currently trying to resist
the urge to stuff them all in my face.
Review: I have not eaten many conchas in my life, so I can't say
these are the best ever, but eating a warm bun after a long day in
lock-down was the little bit of joy that I needed. This was a
project-y recipe, but the instructions are clear. The most difficult
part is getting a method down for forming/placing the sugar coating
on the buns (I used flour to keep the sugar discs from sticking to
the plastic wrap, but I wish I would have also tried powdered sugar.)
Review: These were a fun project recipe and they turned out
delicious! The internal temperature point was very helpful, I'd love
to see this in more recipes. I would consider scoring the surface
before their second rise. Mine turned out with much more ~natural~
looking cracks because the shells broke as the dough rose.
Review: These are fantastic. I've grown up eating conchas and some of
my best memories are sitting with my grandma having pan de dulce with
coffee in the morning. I have tried many several recipes to make
conchas at home, but none have been quite right. Except for this one.
They were fairly straightforward to make but absolutely delicious.
They have a rich milky flavor and the topping isn't too sweet but
full of flavor. The blend of white and chocolate is also just
visually beautiful. I can't wait to make these over and over again
for my family for years to come.
S(Internet address):
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/black-and-white-conchas
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 417 Calories; 21g Fat (46.0%
calories from fat); 9g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber;
121mg Cholesterol; 573mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2
Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.
NOTES : 2020 - 0801