Conchas A Mexican Treat

 The French may have the croissant but the Mexican have the concha. This delightful roll is m every bakery and a treat to eat. It's also an easy bake to make for a weekend brunch.

Pati Jinich a regular contributor , cookbook author and the host of the PBS series Pati's Mexican Table wrote about this classic in yesterday's new York Times Food section,. A concha is simply a bun with a crisp tender top, many peaked like that of a seashell, hence the name. They're sold in Mexican bakeries or panderias and they're an integral part of everyday life and celebrations. They're so beloved that there are even pillows and slippers in their shape.Like croissants or rolls, they can be eaten for breakfast with  milk, coffee or hot chocolate and turned into a sandwich for lunch or even dinner. However most of  them have a stale bread base and tasteless toppings. Yet many still want them. In Mexico City they are immensely popular, Bakers strive for affordable prices at a cost.Butter is reduced in the recipe and cheaper vegetable shortening is added. Water is subbed in for milk and sometimes eggs are entirely skipped.It makes  for a spongy concha that needs to be dunked in hot coffee according to Francisco Migoya , a Mexican chef and author of Modernist Bread.

Conchas can be easily baked at home You will need a concha mold which you can buy a silicone mold or cutter on Amazon though to create that seashell shape..Keep in mind there should be a right amount of fat, whether it be lard, butter or shortening. Lard is used  in traditional kitchens however the conchas will stay flat and be dense. Butter is your best bet because it doesn;t weigh down the rise  and gives the buns a pillowy puff and delicate taste.The dough needs to be needed a lot. It will seen wet at first but then gets stickier with each push and pull. Follow Chef Migoya's stretch and fold way for a tender texture. The topping is just as important as the body. Make sure there are ridges . These hold the concha together during the first bite (a flat one would shatter to pieces)Ms. Jinich's recipe is forty percent topping as opposed to just ten per cent.There are cocoa, dulce de leche and vanilla. These are made sort of like icing  with a certain thickness to them. You will also have to dip the mold in flour before using them. Once made they do have to be proofed for  anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours.Its then baking them for  twenty minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

Conchas are the perfect bite whether for breakfast or a snack. Homemade ones are the absolute treat. Bake them and taste this traditional Mexican treat.